Market Linkages in Value Chains Officer at Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA)

Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) is an international economic development organization whose mission is to create business solutions to poverty. Founded in 1953 by a group of Mennonite entrepreneurs, we partner with people living in poverty to start or grow small and medium-sized businesses in developing regions around the world.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Market Linkages in Value Chains Officer

Location: Bauchi
Job Status: Start Date TBA
Supervisor: Value Chain Manager
Travel: Approved by management

Project Profile

• Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and MEDA are supporting 16,000 women and youth entrepreneurs and small-scale businesses to improve their business performance in the agricultural sector in Bauchi State, while also increasing the awareness and capacity to address issues of early and forced child marriage with 25,000 community and family members
• For the next two years, the project will focus on agro-processing of rice, soybean and peanuts to ensure value added activities benefit small-scale businesses (SSBs) and entrepreneurs (ENs) in Bauchi State.

Position Summary

• The Market Linkages in Value Chains officer is a position which brings local knowledge, contacts and networks and experience in the agro sector from Bauchi state to the MEDA Nigeria WAY leam
• In particularly, this position will focus on Women Sales Agents and linkages in the value chain to enhance the enabling environment where women undertake their agro-processing activities
• The Market Linkages in Value Chains Officer is part of a Value Chain team and will provide support to establish good business relationships among agriculture inputs and marketing companies, women farmers and their market associations and cooperatives, agricultural extension agents and the project’s local partners.

Responsibilities
Reporting to the Value Chain Manager and working collaboratively with the Value Chain team to support the Nigeria WAY team to:

• Identify and establish opportunities and innovations in the three value chains in the 7 LGAs of Bauchi State related to agro-processing and to help the project reach its expected targets.
• Support building women led market associations and networks which attend to their interests and where they have voice.
• Source relevant information on soybean, groundnut and rice processing in Bauchi State and relay to Women and youth led SSBs and ENs to enhance the women firmers’ ability to produce high quality agro-processing and reduce losses in the post-harvest production cycle in order to be competitive in the market
• Develop and nurture the women sales agent (WoSAs) network by identifying and implementing key capacity building activities and supporting WoSAs to explore opportunities that can provide access for women to agro-technology to reduce their time and Labour in their agro-processing businesses
• Link with other projects that are also promoting development of the selected value chain to draw from their good and relevant experiences and replicate or collaborate with them in the WAY project.
• Carry out tasks as assigned by the supervisor and project management team.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated understanding of market-driven approaches to increase farm income, agro processing profits and improve food security
• Experience working in women-focused programs and / or women-owned businesses
• Degree in Agriculture or Business and a minimum of 3 years’ experience in agriculture and / or agricultural development projects.
• Private sector experience is a plus
• Deep knowledge of Bauchi State agricultural systems and markets is required
• Fluency in English and Hausa is required
• Have working knowledge of computing and other digital skills.
• Appreciation and support of MEDA’s values and goals.

Application Closing Date
31st January, 2020.