Consultancy To Support Capacity Development Of Veterinary Services

Background

The African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) is a specialized technical office of the Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture (DREA) of the African Union Commission (AUC). AU-IBAR is mandated to support and coordinate the sustainable development and utilization of animal resources (livestock, fisheries and wildlife) to enhance nutrition and food security and contribute to the wellbeing and prosperity of the people in the Member State of the AU. AU-IBAR accomplishes its mandate through supporting and empowering the African Union Member States and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs). AU-IBAR’s vision is of an Africa in which animal resources contribute significantly to the reduction of poverty and hunger. Founded in 1951 to study the epidemiological situation and fight rinderpest in Africa, AU-IBAR’s mandate covers all aspects of animal resources, including livestock, fisheries and wildlife, across the entire African continent, but fills a unique and strategic niche by working at continental and regional levels, with the RECs being key partners.
In terms of trade economics, the health of traded livestock and safety of livestock products are the most critical factors – without good health and controlled priority diseases, there cannot be safe trade. An SPS approach that improves and stabilizes livestock health and controls priority transboundary and zoonotic diseases, levels the trading platform and allows for significantly increased safe trade and movement of livestock and livestock products between Member States (MSs) of Africa Union and with intercontinental trading partners.
However, outbreak of trans-boundary animal diseases have limited the ability of the AU MSs to trade in livestock and livestock products. Strengthening capacities to prevent and control diseases and harmonizing disease control and surveillance in the different regions of Africa is key in opening livestock trade within the regions and accessing lucrative markets outside Africa. It was based on this background that the Standard Methods and Procedures in Animal Health (SMP-AH) Project was implemented in, 2012 to 2017 in the Greater Horn of Africa Countries. The project covered the following countries Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania.
The development hypothesis of the SMP-AH Project is that if governments in the region can control the endemic, trade-sensitive and devastating diseases through coordinated and cooperative efforts, then livestock owners will experience less debilitating diseases, increase production and productivity of their livestock. This in turn will lead to increases in trade improving both household livelihoods, food security, nutrition and political stability in the region.
The objective of SMP-AH Project was to provide a regional Standard Methods and Procedures framework (guidelines), in line with OIE standards and adapted to the Greater Horn of Africa Context, that will guide in the prevention and control of trans-boundary animal diseases (TADs) and subsequently provide a stable foundation for both live animal trade and livestock commodity-based product trade within the Greater Horn of Africa (GHOA) ecosystem, Eastern and Southern Africa regions and for international trade to destinations outside the region.
Various African Union member states have identified their priority animal diseases and some have developed their corresponding disease control programs and plans. The SMP-AH could potentially be expanded to these other regions to operationalize these disease control programs and plans to ensure a more harmonized approach for disease control especially with the commencement of trading within the Agreement of African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
AU-IBAR and partners are desirous of consolidating the gains made by the SMP-AH project in the GHOA countries and to expand the approach to the other regions of Africa and therefore seeks to recruit a short time consultant to support this objective.

Overall Objective

To support capacity development of veterinary services for harmonized, cooperative and coordinated prevention and control of transboundary animal diseases (TADs) in AU Member States

Tasks

Under the Direct supervision of the Animal Health Expert and Under Overall supervision of the Director of AU-IBAR, the individual consultant will provide support to the implementation of the SMP-AH Project and will perform the following tasks.

• Support EAC, IGAD and the Member States to review and update existing SMPs and develop additional SMPs for other priority diseases.
• Support capacity building for EAC and IGAD Member States to cascade SMPs and SOPs for disease surveillance and other priority activities to field levels for implementation.
• To conduct workshops for ECCAS to introduce the SMP-AH approach for harmonization and cooperative and collaborative approach for prevention and control of TADS;
• Working with Partners support development of the curriculum, course/module contents for TADS prevention and control in line with SMP-AH approach;
• Support the delivery of on-line training modules by AU-IBAR in collaboration with the participating RECs.
• Support the RECs to develop advocacy approaches for enhancing the institutionalization of the SMP-AH approach.
• Perform any other duty as may be assigned by the Director of AU-IBAR.

Expected Outputs and deliverables

• An Inception Report with details on proposed methodology, work plan and an outline of the contents of the Final Technical Report.
• Updated SMPs and new SMPs for other priority diseases developed for the EAC and IGAD regions.
• SMP-AH approach for harmonization and cooperative and collaborative approach for prevention and control of TADS introduced to the ECCAS region;
• Curriculum, courses/modules for TADS prevention and control in line with SMP-AH approach developed;
• Online training modules to be hosted at the AU-IBAR portal developed and information disseminated to target groups;
• Statutory reports as per the development partner’s requirements
• Monthly progress reports
• A Final Consultancy report

Criteria for scoring

Criteria Scores (%)

Qualifications 25
General Experience 25
Specific Experience 35
Other skills 10
Language 5

Qualifications

The candidate must have a Masters in any field of Veterinary science. A PhD will be an added advantage.

General professional experience

• At least 10 years of proven experience in public and/or private sector animal health services management at national and/or regional levels;
• A good understanding of the priority transboundary diseases of livestock in the different regions of Africa;
• Knowledge of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) standards
• Knowledge of evaluation and assessment of various aspects of veterinary services using tools such as, needs assessment tools, expert opinion, PVS, JEE among others;

Specific professional experience

• Proven experience in facilitating the design and implementation of animal health strategies and projects;
• Proven experience on detection, surveillance, prevention and control of TADs;
• Good understanding of capacity development for veterinary services in key competency areas for prevention and control of transboundary animal diseases;
• Proven knowledge and experience on harmonisation of disease prevention and control especially in cross border areas;
• Proven knowledge and experience with SMP-AH approach is desirable;

Skills and competencies

• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Self-starter with the ability to strategically plan own work and to work independently, with minimum supervision, to high professional standards
• Knowledge and experience of using participatory approaches

Language requirement

Proficiency in English. A working knowledge of French will be an added advantage.

Duty stations:

The consultants will be stationed at the AU-IBAR Offices in Nairobi with travel on specific assignments agreed with the AU-IBAR Management

Duration:

The duration of this assignment is for Six (6) Months

Remuneration

The remuneration for this Consultancy is a fixed monthly amount of USD 7,000.00 (Seven Thousand United States Dollars). Expenses for missions will be covered separately in accordance with the applicable African Union Commission rules and regulations.

Supervision and reporting

The candidate will be under the direct supervision of AU-IBAR’s Project Coordinator with oversight supervision by the Director of AU-IBAR. The Project Coordinator will have the responsibility of approval of reports