Project Manager (Agriculture) at The Ogun State Economic Transformation Project

The Ogun State Economic Transformation Project (OGSTEP) is a comprehensive effort that will help propel Ogun into a high-income State that is inclusive and sustainable. The program will lift Ogun’s gross national income and raise per capita income, meeting the World Bank's threshold for high income state. The purpose of OGSTEP is to increase the participation of the private sector in the economy of Ogun State with a focus on improving the business-enabling environment, strengthening agri-food value-chains and upgrading skills.

OGSTEP, along with the Government State Development Program (SDP) serves to achieve economic development in the state. OGSTEP builds upon the policy directions, strategies and programs of the SDP (organized around five cardinal programs covering agriculture production and industrialization, infrastructure and rural development, education, health, and affordable housing and urban renewal) and aims to accelerate strategic reforms and public investments to enable greater private sector participation in the State’s economy.

Consequent to the above, it will increase the State revenue and help achieve the Government Transformation Project. Ogun State is also focusing on governance as a cross-cutting area to improve government efficiency in the delivery of key SDP outcomes and to ensure the sustainability of these outcomes through results-driven financing of the cardinal programs. The project proposes to support a subset of the overall expenditure program of the State that are related to the SDP’s cardinal objective of agricultural production and industrialization, alongside skills development and improved public sector performance. With combined use of result-based financing and technical assistance, the World Bank is well-positioned to support Ogun State in implementing the SDP.

The project funding will consist mainly of IDA credit (World Bank Group) and will be disbursed base on the Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs) in components/Result areas. The program will last for a period of five (5) years all things being equal.

Application are invited for:

Job Title: Project Manager (Agriculture)

Location: Ogun
Project Title: Ogun State Economic Transformation Project (OGSTEP)
Reports to: Project Coordinator on the day to day implementation of the project and periodically to the Sector Head (Honourable Commissioner) on strategic issues discussed at the level of the Project Steering Committee or Project Technical Committee
Duration of Employment: 2 Years (Renewable upon satisfactory performance)

Details

• The Ogun State Government through the Federal Government of Nigeria has applied for a credit from the International Development Association (hereinafter referred to as IDA)/World Bank towards the financing of the Ogun State Economic Transformation Project (OGSTEP).
• The Project Implementation Unit of OGSTEP intends to apply part of the proceeds of this credit to payments under contracts for the Consultancy Services.
• The consulting services will support the development of strong, constructive and responsive relationships that are important for successful management of OGSTEP to increase the participation of the private sector in the economy of Ogun State with a focus on improving the business- enabling environment and strengthening agri-food value-chains.
• The Ogun State Government now invites eligible individual consultant to indicate their interests in providing these Services. Interested Individual Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services.

Nature of Assignment:

• Project Managers are being engaged for the Implementation Phase of this project and as such successful candidate shall work full time at the Project Offices, reporting directly to the Project Coordinator on the day to day implementation of the project and to the Sector Head (Hon. Commissioner of the Implementing Agency) on strategic issues discussed at the level of the Project Steering Committee or Project Technical Committee.

Scope of Work:

• The main responsibilities of the Project Manager (Agric.) will be to develop value chains, improve agricultural land management and the development of a management framework for the FRILIA principles.
• He will manage and oversee other Consultants who would be engaged under the P4R program.
• The Project Manager will be responsible for developing a productive alliance to link farmers to the market.

Specifically, the scope of work of the Project Manager (Agric.) includes:

• Developing the Annual Workplan and supervising implementation of ALL activities under the Strengthening Agri-food Value Chains subcomponent:
  • Develop the project’s annual workplan within the stipulated timeline. The workplan should be developed based on the Project Implementation Manual and based on consultations with the relevant state ministries and departments
  • Lead the Sector Technical Team (STT) in implementing the annual work plan tdeliver the agreed results under the Strengthening Agri-food Value Chains components
  • Produce a minimum monthly progress report on the implementation of the Strengthening Agri-food Value Chains workplan
  • Prepare the project semi-annual progress reports (progress against planned activities, update on risks and issues, expenditures), annual review report and final review reports, and submit them as appropriate.
  • Provide at a minimum once every twweeks updates on the implementation of the Strengthening Agri-food Value Chains workplan tthe Project Coordinator and the Honorable Commissioner.
  • Supervise and monitor the implementation of the Strengthening Agri-food Value Chains annual workplan and ensure the timely delivery of key outputs.
  • Supervise and monitor on a day-to-day basis ALL implementation activities that will help tdeliver the project objectives under the Strengthening Agri-food Value Chains component
  • Liaise closely with all relevant state ministries involved in the implementation of Strengthening Agri-food Value Chains activities
  • Participate in all relevant World Bank meetings and missions including supervision missions and update meetings.
  • Lead technical discussions on Strengthening Agri-food Value Chains during World Bank missions and review meetings, including delivering presentations, preparation of minutes and follow-up action plans, etc.
• Coordinate the recruitment and manage the supervision of all project personnel and consultants hired to support the Strengthening Agri-food Value Chains component:
  • Draft TORs and work specifications for required consultants
  • In conjunction with the implementing MDA, lead the technical reviews and discussions to facilitate the transparent and competitive selection and recruitment of both firm and individual consultants providing support to the Strengthening Agri-food Value Chains component
  • Lead the provision of technical inputs to facilitate the preparation of clear tender bidding evaluation reports.
  • Manage the contracts of all key consultants (both individual and firm contracts) under the Strengthening Agri-food Value Chains component to ensure timely and good quality delivery of outputs. The PM is expected to manage day to day activities of the consultants supporting the component.
  • Provide technical backstopping, guidance and supervision tall consultants under the Sector Technical Team (STT) and staff of relevant MDAs supporting the implementation of the Strengthening Agri-food Value Chains components.
• Record Keeping and Monitoring and Evaluation:
  • Facilitate the provision of all and any data requested by the Independent Verification Agent for the purpose of verification of DLIs under the Strengthening Agri-food Value Chains component
  • Prepare the project semi-annual progress reports (progress against planned activities, update on risks and issues, expenditures), annual review report and final review reports, and submit them as appropriate
  • Manage the transfer of Project deliverables, documents, files, equipment and materials as per the international accepted standards and procedures.
  • Ensure the execution of a standard record management system both in electronic and paper filing systems and in line with an agreed central administration procedure in the PIU
  • Ensure timely implementation of the performance assessments of participating implementing agencies.
  • In conjunction with the project M&E officer, maintain up to date records of project results and data of all indicators measured under the results framework of the project.
• External Stakeholder Management:
  • Support the Project Coordinator to execute the stakeholders’ management strategies and other important initiatives such as GBV, SEP/GRM etc
  • Collaborate with PIU to ensure proper professional relationships with relevant local, national and international partner agencies, and relevant development programmes/projects.
• Internal Stakeholder Management:
  • Perform other duties as required and requested by the Honourable Commissioner for Agriculture and the Project Coordinator within the framework of this consultancy.
  • Verify and channel all requests for Project, administrative, logistics and other support and report all incidents related to security and issues of general concern to the Honourable Commissioner for Agriculture, Project Technical Committee and the Project Coordinator.
• Provide direction and leadership in advocating project deliverables and ensure that all stakeholders are well informed about the project activities and goals
• Supervision of the project personnel in Strengthening Agri-food Value Chains component and ensure effective communication and coordination between the departments, units and ministries offices.
• Perform other duties as required and requested by the Honourable Commissioner for Agriculture and the Project Coordinator within the framework of this consultancy.

Recruitment Qualifications / Competencies
Education:

• Minimum of Master's Degree in Agriculture (all areas of Agriculture), Agricultural Engineering or other relevant fields;

Experience:

• Experience of working with the Nigerian federal and state governments, in particular the Ministries of Agriculture, Forestry, and Environment
• Experience of working with international organizations, bilateral donors and international financial institutions;
• Proven ability to draft, edit and produce written proposals and result-focused report.
• Proven experience working with government, civil society, international organizations, and donor agencies.
• 10 years’ post-graduation relevant work experience in designing, implementing and supervising development programs for the public sector, five (5) of which must be in a Project Management Office environment (PMO/PIU)
• Proficiency in the use of computer applications such as Microsoft Office packages, Cloud computing, SharePoint etc.

Language Requirement:

• Effective communication in English Language.

Report and Schedule of Deliveries:

• Produce a minimum monthly progress reports on the implementation of the Strengthening Agri-food Value Chains workplan
• Prepare the project semi-annual progress reports (progress against planned activities, update on risks and issues, expenditures), annual review report and final review reports, and submit them as appropriate.
• The Project Manager (Agric.) will be required to provide reports, documents and deliverables as required by the project coordinator and sector heads regarding his/her activities. He/She will be expected to:
• Provide at a minimum once every two weeks updates on the implementation of the Strengthening Agri-food Value Chains workplan to the Project Coordinator and the Honorable Commissioner.

Services to be Provided by the Client:

• The Ogun State government will provide an office for the PM in the Project Implementation Unit, transportation to the municipalities outside of state and related logistical to achieve the project objectives. Ogun state will also make available all relevant records that would facilitate the work of the consultant.

Payment and Fee For Service

• Payments shall include the agreed consultancy fees and reimbursable expenses associated with the performance of the consultancy activities.
• The payment of the consultant will be based on sign off of deliverables by the Project Coordinator.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send one copy of their CV and a signed copy of Expressions of Interest Letter to: [email protected] , [email protected] using the Job Title as the subject of the email.
Or
Applicants should submit their Applications to:
The Project Coordinator (PC),
Project Implementation Unit (PIU),
Ogun State Economic Transformation Project (OGSTEP),
c/o Permanent Secretary’s Office,
Ogun State Ministry of Budget & Planning,
State Secretariat, Oke Mosan,
Abeokuta, Ogun State,
Nigeria.

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Note

• Non-qualified applicants need not apply. Multiple applications will be disqualified.
• The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to paragraph 1.9 oF the World Bank’s Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultant [under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits & Grants] by World Bank Borrowers 2011 edition and revised edition July 2014 (“Consultant Guidelines”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest.
• A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Individual Consultant Based Selection (INDV) method set out in the Consultant Guidelines.

Application Deadline 6th September, 2021.