National Consultant - Digital Trade and Access to Food and Agriculture Value Chains

Job Description

The national consultant will support in conducting a comprehensive and detailed assessment of the current status of digital trade and access to food and agriculture value chains in the targeted countries and identify the gaps, needs, and opportunities for improving the performance and profitability of the use of digital technology and AI in agricultural value chains and access to food.

The national consultant will be responsible for assisting and supporting the international consultant in the following tasks:

Responsibilities

• a. Production of Scientific Documents

• Review the existing documents on the status of digital tools and AI available to all actors for food production, manufacturing and trade in the targeted countries.
• Produce national background studies aligned with the ECA regional study to evaluate the impact, using selected econometric models, of digital tools and AI on food production, manufacturing and trade.
• Develop policy briefs for policymakers on integrating digital solutions into agricultural policies, including digital marketing, branding, post-harvest handling, quality standards, and commodity exchange platforms.

• b. Strengthen Member States’ capacity to leverage digital solutions for agricultural value chains and market access

• Review the existing training materials to build stakeholders’ technical capacities in using digital technologies for production systems, value chains, market access, and food security.

• c. Stakeholder Engagement

• The national consultants will support the international consultant to:
• Engage with key stakeholders, including government agencies, private sector entities, and international organisations, to ensure broad-based support collaborations.
• Assist in organising regional and national workshops to share best practices in digital supply chain management and address market challenges such as information asymmetries, quality standards, and high operational costs, using practical case studies and examples of digital solutions.