National Consultant-consultant to undertake a study on the feasibility of establishing an Agritech Database in Uganda

Consultant Leadership

Overview

Undertake feasibility study for establishing Agritech Database in Uganda.

You have:

• Postgraduate degree (Masters) in International Development, ICT, Economics, Management or closely related field.
• Minimum 7 years of technical experience in business development, financial sector development, leading projects in fintech/Agritech.
• Demonstrable experience and/or understanding of the financial sector and Fintech/Agritech industry in Uganda or other East African countries.
• Substantial relevant experience in undertaking feasibility studies, designing and implementation of innovative digital projects.
• Experience in economic and financial analysis for project viability and budget formulation.
• Experience in the formulation and management of similar/related projects and innovations.
• Strong analytical skills; Exceptional ability in communication and networking, negotiations and writing.
• Flexibility and ability to operate in different cultural settings and with a variety of stakeholders, culturally and gender sensitive.

Contract

This is a National Consultant contract. More about National Consultant contracts.

Background

UNCDF has been present in Uganda since 1982, supporting the Government to create a functional planning and financial system for sustainable and inclusive local development. With the support of the Sweden Development Agency (SIDA) - is implementing the “Leaving No One Behind in the Digital Era” programme that aims to empower rural community members to lead productive and healthy lives, by expanding access and usage of digital services.

This assignment is commissioned by UNCDF Uganda in partnership with the Uganda Bankers’ Association (UBA) and Financial Technology Association of Uganda (FITSPA). We are looking for a consultant to undertake a study on the feasibility of establishing an Agritech Database in Uganda.

Rationale for the Assignment:

The Agricultural sector is critical to Uganda’s economic development. It contributed 23.7% to the overall GDP (2019/20), accounts for 20% of total value of exports and employs about 72% of the total workforce in Uganda. Uganda’s National Development Plan III identifies the agriculture sector as a key catalytic sector for the development of Uganda’s economy and has focused initiatives to develop and industrialize agriculture.

Access to finance remains a key bottleneck to the growth of the agricultural sector. In Uganda, lending to the agricultural sector accounted for 12.7% of total bank lending by the end of February 2021, from 6.7% in the period December 2020. The share of this financing that goes to small businesses in agriculture and small holder farmers is even much lower. Financial institutions decry the risks prevalent in the sector plus limited and unreliable data on which to base their lending decisions. This is a long-standing challenge.

The growing availability of alternative data thanks to digitalization efforts in Agriculture could hold a potential solution to alleviating the challenge of access to finance. Various fintech's and agritechs collect a lot of data from customers through farmer profiling, production and sales data, digital payments, etc. This data which currently lies in independent databases could be aggregated and made accessible to financial service providers to enable farmer credit scoring and thus unlock financing to the agricultural sector.

UNCDF, in partnership with UBA and FITSPA, seek to deeply investigate this potential – by undertaking a feasibility study for the establishment of an aggregated Agritech Database.

UNDP will hire an National Individual Consultant (Home Based) to undertake Feasibility Study for the Establishment of an Agritech Database in Uganda

Application Process

Applicants are requested to apply online at http://jobs.undp.org not later than Sunday 16th October 2022.

The detailed application forms and documents can be downloaded on the below Link:-

https://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=96264

Candidates are invited to submit applications together with their CV for these positions. UNDP applies a fair and transparent selection process that will consider the competencies/skills of the applicants as well as their financial proposals. Qualified women and members of social minorities are encouraged to apply. Interested applicants should send an email to: ug.procurement@undp.org for any inquiries.

Note: UNDP is an equal opportunity Organization, Women, Youth and People with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

PLEASE NOTE THAT – UNDP DOES NOT CHARGE ANY FEES AT ANY STAGE OF ITS PROCUREMENT PROCESSES. UNDP HAS ZERO TOLERANCE FOR FRAUD AND CORRUPTION, MEANING THAT UNDP STAFF MEMBERS, NON-STAFF PERSONNEL, VENDORS, IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS AND RESPONSIBLE PARTIES ARE NOT TO ENGAGE IN FRAUD OR CORRUPTION

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the UNCDF Technical Advisor – Inclusive Digital Economy, the Consultant will deliver on the below scope:

Phase 1: Feasibility Assessment

• Establish what data exists:
  • Reviewing existing databases available within fintech's/Agritechs that already support the agricultural sub sector
  • Assess the quality and relevance of the data as is available and the feasibility / suitability for aggregation / migration into a unified database.
• Investigate the potential of such a platform for the Ugandan market?
  • Engage with potential stakeholders as part of background information gathering on their views on the proposed information platform
  • Readiness to participate and contribute data to the platform
  • Conducting community consultations to assess the social impact of the proposed intervention, the required support and subsequent considerations.
  • Dimension the benefits (value proposition) envisaged for all parties/stakeholders
  • Confirm the key data points as will be accepted by the various stakeholders in the Agritech ecosystem, and the framework that will enable the input of, and maintenance of said data.
• What might be working elsewhere?
  • Conduct a desk review of where related initiatives have been developed and how they work.
  • Investigate what platforms / business models can be benchmarked
• What barriers and risks exist in the establishment of such a platform?
  • Identify the barriers, risk and challenges that could determine the sustainability of the project and make recommendations to manage the same and limit the impact on the project success.
  • Identify and analyze any governance and capacity issues that will be critical during the implementation of the project as well as to ensure sustainability of the project.

Phase 2: Proposed concept and design of the Agritech Database for Uganda

• Propose what might work for Uganda?
  • Conceptualize how the proposed information platform will work including the operating framework, business model, standard operating procedures and rules of engagement.
  • Dimension the roles of the various stakeholders (Agritechs, Supervised Financial Institutions, Benefiting Farmers, BOU, the regulator) including benefits to each
  • Recommend the framework data collection, collation and input into the database, as well as maintenance and use of the same.
  • In collaboration with the engineering team, design and prepare schematic drawings with technical specification of the proposed Agritech information platform
  • In collaboration with the engineering team, provide an indication of the cost of setting up and running such Agritech information platform.
  • Develop the initial project plan with key phases and activities for setting up such a platform.

Competencies

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN's values and ethical standards.
• Advocates and promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of the UN.
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism.
• Demonstrates and promotes the values of the UN in actions and decisions and acts in accordance with the standard of conduct for international civil servants.
• Shows willingness to work without bias with all persons regardless of gender, nationality, religion, or culture.
• Contributes effectively to team-based activities, working collaboratively and sharing information openly; works effectively with colleagues inside the UN as well as its partners and other stakeholders to pursue common goals.

Required Skills and Experience

Academic qualifications:

• Postgraduate degree (Masters) in International Development, ICT, Economics, Management or closely related field.

Skills and Experience:

• Minimum 7 years of technical experience in business development, financial sector development, leading projects in fintech / Agritech
• Demonstrable experience and/or understanding of the financial sector and Fintech / Agritech industry in Uganda or other East African countries, with exposure to other emerging / developed markets.
• Substantial relevant experience in undertaking feasibility studies, designing and implementation of innovative digital projects.
• Experience in economic and financial analysis for project viability and budget formulation.
• Experience in the formulation and management of similar / related projects and innovations:
• Working with multi-disciplinary teams, including local and expatriate technical experts.
• Strong analytical skills; Exceptional ability in communication and networking, negotiations and writing.
• Flexibility and ability to operate in different cultural settings and with a variety of stakeholders, culturally and gender sensitive.

Apply now

Potential interview questions

Added 3 years ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: jobs.undp.org