INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURE (IITA)
TECHNOLOGIES FOR AFRICAN AGRICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION (TAAT) PHASE II/ ADDENDUM GERMANY FUND
TAAT PROGRAM MANAGEMENT UNIT (PMU)
REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANCY SERVICES
SECTOR: Agriculture
CONSULTANCY SERVICES: TAAT Technical Advisor – Seed Systems
Recruitment Type: International Consultant
TAAT II: Financing Agreement reference: 5900155019276
Project ID. P-Z1-AA0-139
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This request for expression of interest (REOI) follows the General Procurement Notice for this Project that appeared on the African Development Bank Group’s Internet Website(www.afdb.org) 12th August 2022.
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is implementing the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) Program phase II, financed through a grant from the African Development Bank as administrators of funds under the TAAT II Addendum. IITA intends to apply part of the proceeds of the grant to facilitate payment for TAAT Technical Advisor- Seed systems who will be seconded to Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI)- Rwanda to provide technical leadership and coordinate implementation under the “Building a Sustainable Private Sector-Led Seed Sector in Rwanda’s Food Basket Sites”.
IITA and the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI)- Rwanda, seeks to strengthen Rwanda's seed sector through a market-driven and private sector-led approach by supporting youth Agripreneurs establish profitable enterprises engaged in certified maize seed production and basic seed potato multiplication by fostering partnerships with anchor seed companies, Farmer Service Centers (FSCs), financial institutions, and other stakeholders. While technical support for seed production will be provided by anchor seed companies, there is also a need to strengthen the entrepreneurial, financial management, and business development capacities of youth enterprises to ensure their long-term sustainability.
The selected consultant will, among others provide technical leadership in the development of sustainable, market-driven seed systems in Rwanda, working closely with MINAGRI and national
stakeholders; coordinate project planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting across target Food Basket Sites; strengthening partnerships with government institutions, financial institutions, private seed companies, Farmer Service Centers (FSCs), and youth Agripreneurs; ensure the production and delivery of high-quality certified seed of priority crops, particularly maize, rice and potato; facilitate seed demand forecasting and seed balance sheets for maize, rice and potato at the district level; coordinate and provide technical business support to partner youth enterprises to support their business development; facilitate and monitor linkages between Youth enterprises and Anchor Farmers/companies; ensure youth enterprises ‘access to adequate extension services and knowledge needed to run the seed business; support MINAGRI in other matters related to seed business and technologies transfer to FOBASIs.
More specifically, the selected consultant will lead coordination of seed system activities, ensuring effective planning, timely implementation, and partner alignment; provide technical expertise in seed production, certification standards, and agronomic best practices; support the establishment and strengthening of Farmer Service Centers (FSCs) and anchor seed companies as incubation hubs; build capacity of youth Agripreneurs in seed production, agribusiness development, and enterprise management; facilitate implementation of financing mechanisms, including catalytic grants and contract-based lending models; develop and implement monitoring and evaluation systems to track performance and impact; prepare quarterly and annual technical reports; strengthen collaboration with government agencies (including MINAGRI), financial institutions, private sector actors, and development partners; contribute to knowledge generation, documentation of lessons learned, and dissemination of best practices; undertake any other duties as may be assigned by the supervisor.
The selected consultant should possess: a master’s degree in Agronomy, Seed Science, Agribusiness, Agricultural Economics, or a related field; minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in seed systems, agribusiness, or agricultural value chain development; proven experience in project coordination and implementation; strong understanding of seed production, certification, and extension systems; experience working with government, private sector, and farmer organizations; at least 3 years of experience in East Africa with knowledge of local seed market dynamics, residence in Rwanda is an added advantage; fluency in English (working language); knowledge of Kinyarwanda is an added advantage; demonstrated working experience with international financial institutions (e.g., AfDB, World Bank,) is an added advantage; strong technical knowledge of seed systems, certification processes, and agronomy; demonstrated experience in multi-stakeholder coordination and partnership building; strong analytical, organizational, seed business and reporting skills; ability to work effectively in multicultural and multidisciplinary teams; good understanding of private sector-led agricultural development approaches and excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
IITA now invites eligible individual consultants to indicate their interest in providing the services. Interested consultant must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services (including their detailed CV and letter of motivation detailing past related experience similar to this assignment.).
Eligibility criteria, establishment of the short-list and the selection procedure shall be in accordance with the African Development Bank’s Procurement policy framework, October 2015,
which is available on the Bank’s website at https://www.afdb.org/en/projects-and operations/procurement/new-procurement-policy
Interested consultants may obtain further information at the address below during office hours from 08:00-16:30
Expressions of interest should be sent to the address below on or before Monday 12th October 2026.
Attn: Zozo Rachel
Interim TAAT Program Coordinator | Program Management Unit
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, www.iita.org
Headquarters & West Africa Hub
PMB 5320, Oyo Road, Ibadan 200001, Oyo State, Nigeria
International Mailing Address: IITA, Carolyn House, 26 Dingwall Road, Croydon, CR9 3EE, UK
Email: R.Zozo@cgiar.org
Copy: m.a.bakare@cgiar.org