View Jobs at UN Women |
Contract Full Time |
Niger |
Posted 4 years ago |
International Consultant is needed at UN Women
JOB TITLE: International Consultant – Capacity strengthening of women Agribusiness Associations/Cooperatives engaged in the Shea-butter value-chain in Niger State, Nigeria
LOCATION: 12 days: Homebased, 28 Days-Niger
Type of Contract: Individual Contract
Post Level: International Consultant
Duration of Initial Contract: 40 working days
Background
- UN Women is grounded in the vision of equality as enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, it works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.
Background of the Consultancy
UN Women Nigeria is implementing a two-year pilot project on Promoting Women’s Economic Empowerment through Climate-Resilient Agribusiness in Nigeria. The project aims to close the gender gap in ownership and control of productive agricultural resources including land, and to enhance productivity, access to services and markets for smallholder rural women farmers and entrepreneurs engaged in the rice and shea value chains in Niger and Ebonyi state respectively. The pilot project seeks to deliver the following results:
Increased agricultural productivity through climate smart agricultural practices by women farmers increased
Expanded access to diverse high value markets by women through value chain development
Strengthened capacities and trade opportunities by women through ICT platforms
Improved institutional coordination and knowledge management through research for development
Although agriculture remains one of the most important areas of women’s work in Nigeria, women farmers face key structural barriers that limit their access to land, information, finance, infrastructure, technologies, extension services and markets. Women still have less access than men to resources and climate change adaptation mechanisms. Closing the gender gap in access to resources and climate smart agricultural and agri-business technologies through informed investments that remove these barriers, represents a great opportunity for rural women’s economic empowerment, overall economic development, and societal resilience to climate change in Nigeria.
In the shea butter agri-businesses value chain, women are unable to derive the full value of their efforts because they often lack the skills, technology, and financial resources to take advantage of the most financially rewarding stages of the chain, namely value-additive processing and marketing. Through the pilot project, UN Women will strengthen the capacities of the targeted women agri-business associations and/cooperatives in Niger State to move up the shea butter value chain. The assistance will involve enhancing their capacities in value-additive processing of shea products to meet international quality standards and improving their access to diverse and competitive national and international markets.
Required Skills and Experience
Education and certification:
- HND, or B.Sc., or Master’s Degree or equivalent in the field of Manufacturing, Business Development, Entrepreneurship, Agricultural Economics, Gender or related fields
Experience:
- Excellent knowledge of gender, and experience in capacity building of women agribusiness associations and cooperatives
- At least 8 years of proven experience in conducting training in value-added processing, and organizational governance and management
- Knowledge of the shea-butter value chain in West Africa
- Experience in developing training materials
- Strong communication skills. Business intelligence and documentation expertise and experiences
- Experience of working with communities, government institutions NGOS and international organizations
- Good facilitation skills
- Experienced in delivering training courses to women with limited formal education
Language Requirements:
- Fluency in written and spoken English is required
- Ability to speak Hausa language is an asset.
Background of the Consultancy
UN Women Nigeria is implementing a two-year pilot project on Promoting Women’s Economic Empowerment through Climate-Resilient Agribusiness in Nigeria. The project aims to close the gender gap in ownership and control of productive agricultural resources including land, and to enhance productivity, access to services and markets for smallholder rural women farmers and entrepreneurs engaged in the rice and shea value chains in Niger and Ebonyi state respectively. The pilot project seeks to deliver the following results:
Increased agricultural productivity through climate smart agricultural practices by women farmers increased
Expanded access to diverse high value markets by women through value chain development
Strengthened capacities and trade opportunities by women through ICT platforms
Improved institutional coordination and knowledge management through research for development
Although agriculture remains one of the most important areas of women’s work in Nigeria, women farmers face key structural barriers that limit their access to land, information, finance, infrastructure, technologies, extension services and markets. Women still have less access than men to resources and climate change adaptation mechanisms. Closing the gender gap in access to resources and climate smart agricultural and agri-business technologies through informed investments that remove these barriers, represents a great opportunity for rural women’s economic empowerment, overall economic development, and societal resilience to climate change in Nigeria.
In the shea butter agri-businesses value chain, women are unable to derive the full value of their efforts because they often lack the skills, technology, and financial resources to take advantage of the most financially rewarding stages of the chain, namely value-additive processing and marketing. Through the pilot project, UN Women will strengthen the capacities of the targeted women agri-business associations and/cooperatives in Niger State to move up the shea butter value chain. The assistance will involve enhancing their capacities in value-additive processing of shea products to meet international quality standards and improving their access to diverse and competitive national and international markets.
Apply Now
Job Features
Job Category | Consulting / Business Strategy/ Planning |
Deadline | 29th May, 2020. |