Project Expert - Private Sector Intergration

Introduction and Context

The African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) is a specialized technical office of the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment (DARBE) of the African Union Commission. AU-IBAR provides leadership and integrated support for the sustainable development and utilization of animal resources in Africa, with the aim of strengthening food and nutrition security, livelihoods, trade, investment and prosperity in African Union Member States.
Under this mandate, AU-IBAR implements the Africa Pastoral Markets Development (APMD) Platform, a continental initiative designed to accelerate the integration of pastoral producers and operators into formal, structured and high-value livestock markets. APMD focuses delivery on two prioritized pastoral market pathways: (i) linking pastoralists to export-grade meat value chains; and (ii) linking pastoralists to enhanced regional livestock trade corridors, with a specific Sahel-to-Nigeria corridor focus.
APMD organizes pathway delivery through a common Evidence-to-Adoption process: Evidence Assessment, Pathways Validation, Decision Materials, Interest Generation and Adoption Support. These pathway stages are reinforced by Continental Pathways Mobilization, which uses AU-IBAR's continental mandate and convening role to engage Member States, Regional Economic Communities, private-sector actors, investors, financial institutions, technical partners and other stakeholders around validated market pathways and defined adoption or investment decisions.
The APMD Results Framework seeks to achieve three outcomes: (1) increased access of pastoral producers and operators to formal, structured and high-value livestock markets; (2) increased private-sector investment and commercial activity in pastoral livestock markets; and (3) increased adoption of proven pastoral market approaches by Member States and continental institutions. By February 2028, APMD aims to support the integration of at least 25 pastoral producers/operators into structured market channels, identify and actively advance a qualified pathway-linked investment pipeline of at least US$500 million, and support adoption or application of validated pastoral market approaches by at least three Member States or continental institutions.

Purpose of the Assignment

Provide APMD's principal commercial, market and investment capability across the two prioritized pathways. The position is accountable for ensuring that pathway evidence, private-sector engagement, investment opportunities and market-integration actions are grounded in credible buyer demand, viable operating models, capable market actors and clearly defined financing requirements.

APMD Results Accountability

The position contributes to the approved APMD Results Framework as follows:

Result	Approved APMD result	Role	Required contribution
Outcome 1	Increased access of pastoral producers and operators to formal, structured and high-value livestock markets.	Major contributor	Contribute commercial and market evidence and support integration of at least 25 pastoral producers/operators into structured market channels.
Outcome 2	Increased private-sector investment and commercial activity in pastoral livestock markets.	Primary orientation	Lead development and progression of the qualified pathway-linked investment pipeline toward the US$500M+ target.
Output 1.1	PMDs and corridor models studied with collated evidence and learnings using a widely accepted market-evidence due-diligence framework.	Technical lead - commercial/economic domain	Lead buyer-demand, market, business-model, cost, margin, working-capital and investment evidence.
Output 1.2	Lighthouse-country interest in validated pathways with public-sector owner, private-sector/investment opportunity, policy or investment need and agreed next step.	Co-Lead	Define credible private-sector opportunity, counterpart and next commercial step.
Output 2.1	Enterprises and investors financially engaged on prioritized pathway-linked pastoral market opportunities.	Lead	Advance engagement beyond awareness to screening, due diligence, term-sheet, commitment or financing processes; support target of 20 financially engaged enterprises/investors.
Output 2.2	Pathway-linked private-sector coalitions established or strengthened, each with a lead institution, investment agenda, commitments and 12-month action plan.	Lead	Develop and maintain commercially purposeful coalitions linked to the two pathways.

Tasks and Responsibilities

Function / stage	Lead responsibility	Required collaboration / handoff
Evidence Assessment - domain lead	Lead assessment of buyer demand, price and market requirements, margins and costs, working-capital and investment needs, aggregation/offtake arrangements, operator capability, logistics and commercial risks.	Work with the external Evidence Assessment Team for technical due diligence; KM&A for evidence-cycle management and synthesis; Data for quantitative verification; Policy for SPS/regulatory implications.
Pathways Validation - technical contributor	Provide evidence-based assessment of commercial viability, operator feasibility, investment attractiveness, buyer requirements and market risk; respond to validation questions without controlling the independent validation decision.	Work with the validation process owner, KM&A, M&E, Policy and Data.
Decision Materials - commercial content lead	Provide the commercial and investment substance required for investor briefs, operator materials, financing propositions and pathway opportunity notes.	Hand commercial content to KM&A for packaging, claims discipline and audience-specific production.
Interest Generation - private-sector facing lead	Lead pathway-specific engagement with operators, processors, exporters, aggregators, buyers, investors, DFIs, banks, logistics providers and relevant business associations. Maintain a live opportunity pipeline with qualification status, financing need, owner and next action.	Coordinate with KM&A on materials and conversion tracking; Policy on public-sector enabling actions; Country Adoption Leads on actor access and country follow-up.
Adoption Support - commercial inputs	Define viable private-sector roles, operating requirements, investment needs, offtake structures and commercial conditions required for a confirmed adoption opportunity.	Work with KM&A/Adoption, Policy, Data and the relevant Country Adoption Lead; do not broker commercial transactions or assume long-term delivery relationships.
Continental Pathways Mobilization	Mobilize investors, financiers, buyers and operators around pathway-specific opportunities; support investment-oriented APMF sessions, pathway showcases and approved missions with a defined ask and follow-up owner.	Work with KM&A on platform design and follow-up; Coordinator on strategic relationships; Policy on Member State/REC interfaces.

Other field-related responsibilities. Undertake other responsibilities within the professional scope of the assignment, and directly relevant to approved APMD pathways, results, governance or continental mobilization, as may be assigned by the APMD Project Coordinator and the Director of AU-IBAR.

Cross-Functional and Country Interfaces

The position shall collaborate through defined functional interfaces; collaboration does not create parallel reporting lines.

Interface	Required interaction
Kenya Country Adoption Lead	Secure access to export-grade meat operators, aggregators, processors, exporters, buyers and financiers; verify commercial evidence; identify export-pathway investment opportunities and next actions.
Nigeria Country Adoption Lead	Identify corridor traders, aggregators, processors, destination-market buyers, logistics providers and financiers; assess commercial bottlenecks and investable corridor opportunities.

Governance and Continental Pathways Mobilization

All APMD personnel operate as one integrated delivery team. Technical functions organize expertise; the prioritized pathways organize delivery; and the Results Framework defines success. The position is therefore expected to work through the APMD Platform Secretariat, contribute to the monthly Project Delivery Committee, provide technical and performance inputs for the Project Steering Committee, and support the African Pastoral Markets Forum (APMF) and other approved continental pathway-mobilization moments.

1. Provide the Project Delivery Committee with monthly commercial pathway progress, pipeline status, private-sector engagement, risks and decisions required.
2. Provide the Project Coordinator with investment, market and operator evidence for Project Steering Committee consideration and attend when requested.
3. At the APMF, lead private-sector and investor-facing pathway engagement and ensure every engagement has a specific opportunity, ask, owner and follow-up action.
    

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

Timing	Required deliverable
Immediate / Q4 2026	Commercial evidence inputs for the export-grade meat evidence pack; buyer/operator interview plan and completed interviews; commercial/economic analysis; private-sector input to the Sahel-to-Nigeria actor map; pathway-linked opportunity tracker.
Monthly	Updated qualified opportunity and investment pipeline, including status, evidence gap, financing need, owner, next action and risk.
Quartely	Results contribution note covering Output 2.2, Output 2.4, commercial contribution to Outputs 1.1/1.3, and progress toward the US$500M+ pipeline and 25+ market-integration target.
As required	Commercial content for pathway validation, decision materials, APMF and other approved continental mobilization moments.

Operating Boundaries

1. Shall not operate a stand-alone private-sector workplan or conduct generic investor events not linked to an approved pathway and measurable result.
2. Shall not broker transactions or assume long-term management of private commercial relationships.
3. All activities must be linked to an approved APMD pathway, Results Framework output, continental mobilisation requirement or governance obligation.

Duty Station

AU-IBAR offices in Nairobi, Kenya, with travel on specific assignments approved by AU-IBAR Management.

Duration

The duration of this assignment is 6 months.  Any renewal is subject to availability of funds, continued need for the assignment and satisfactory performance. 

Remuneration

The remuneration for this Consultancy shall be an all-inclusive monthly fee equivalent to P3 Step 7 on the AUC Salary Scale and shall not exceed US$ 6,550.00 per month. The expert will be responsible for his/her medical and travel insurance cover for the duration of the consultancy. Expenses for travel on official missions will be covered separately by AU-IBAR in accordance with the applicable African Union Commission rules and regulations. 

Supervision and Reporting

The Consultant shall work under the direct supervision of the APMD Project Coordinator and under the overall supervision of the Director of AU-IBAR. The Consultant shall operate as part of the integrated APMD delivery team and maintain the functional relationships required by the approved workplan and Results Framework.
 

Requirements

Academic and Professional Qualifications

Minimum of Master's degree in Agricultural Economics, Economics, Agribusiness, Finance, Business, Livestock Economics, Development Finance or a closely related field. A relevant postgraduate degree or professional qualification is an advantage.

General Experience

Minimum seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in private-sector development, agrifood/livestock markets, investment facilitation, value-chain development or related fields, including work with multiple stakeholder groups.

Specific / Relevant Experience

1. Demonstrated experience in commercial and value-chain analysis relevant to pastoral livestock markets, including buyer demand, prices, costs, margins, operating arrangements, aggregation, offtake, logistics and commercial risks. 
2. Demonstrated experience in integrating pastoral producers or livestock operators into formal, structured, regional or high-value markets.
3. Experience assessing the commercial viability of livestock enterprises and market arrangements, including working-capital needs, financing constraints, investment requirements and incentives for pastoral producers and other actors along the value chain.
4. Demonstrated experience in investment facilitation, qualification of investment opportunities and development or management of investment pipelines relevant to livestock, pastoral economies or agrifood markets.
5. Practical experience engaging livestock traders, aggregators, processors, abattoirs, exporters, buyers, investors, commercial banks, DFIs and other financing partners.
6. Relevant experience in export-grade livestock/meat value chains, regional livestock trade corridors or comparable cross-border pastoral-market systems.
7. Demonstrated experience working at continental and regional levels, including with African Union institutions, Regional Economic Communities and Member States, on pastoral markets, livestock trade, regional value chains or investment mobilisation.
8. Demonstrated experience developing partnerships with private-sector organisations, investors, financial institutions, DFIs, business associations and development partners to advance specific pastoral-market investment opportunities.

Skills and Competencies

The successful candidate should demonstrate strong commercial judgement, financial and economic reasoning, and a practical understanding of how pastoral producers and enterprises participate in livestock markets. The candidate should be able to assess commercial viability, qualify investment opportunities and engage credibly with buyers, operators, investors and financial institutions. Strong negotiation, partnership-development, investment-pipeline management and analytical drafting skills are required, together with the ability to work effectively across AU, REC, Member State and private-sector environments.
 

Language

Proficiency in one African Union working language is required. Working knowledge of an additional AU working language is an advantage. English proficiency sufficient for technical drafting, reporting and stakeholder engagement is required where English is the working language of the assignment.

Performance Assessment

Performance shall be assessed against agreed deliverables and due dates; contribution to assigned APMD outputs and indicators; quality and usefulness of technical work; cross-functional delivery and handoffs; timely action closure and risk escalation; and compliance with the APMD operating model, governance requirements and approved workplan.

Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be evaluated on the basis of relevant technical qualifications, experience and competence.

Criterion	Assessment basis	Score  (%)
Academic and professional qualifications	Relevance of academic and professional preparation to the assignment	15
General professional experience	Depth of relevant professional experience, including multidisciplinary and institutional delivery	20
Specific experience relevant to the assignment	Role-specific experience, scored using the subcriteria below	40
Technical, analytical and delivery competencies	Judgement, analytical ability, execution discipline, stakeholder management, drafting and cross-functional delivery	20
Language	Required AU working-language capability and relevant additional language capacity	5
Total		100

Applicants who meet the technical requirements may be invited for a structured interview. Where used, the interview should test technical judgement through a realistic APMD scenario, cross-functional delivery, stakeholder judgement and communication.

Gender Mainstreaming

The African Union Commission is an equal opportunity employer and qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply.

Submission of the application.

The deadline for submission of proposals is 12th October 2026, 23.45 hours, Nairobi Local Time.

Applications should be submitted through email to: procurement@au-ibar.org with a copy to emmah.boro@au-ibar.org and should include the title “APMD Project – Private Sector Integration Expert” in the subject of the email 

Applications should include the following:

a)    A Letter of Interest highlighting competence and suitability for the consultancy;
b)    Detailed curriculum vitae;
c)    Copies of academic and professional qualifications;
d)    Completed declaration on exclusion criteria in the format attached;
e)    Copies of identification documents.

A Personal Data Protection and Privacy Statement is attached as information for the applicants.