Date: NE in Assessment of Cash Flow, Payment Systems, Financing, and Stakeholder Engagement in Kenya

​Requisition ID: 5181
Grade: SB5 - Local Professional (Mid-Level & Senior)
Country: Home Based
Duty Station: Home Based
Category: National Consultant
Type of Job Posting: Internal and External
Employment Type: NonStaff-When Act. Employed
Contract Duration: 50 working days over the contract period
Application deadline: 19-Feb-2025, 11:59 PM (Vienna, Austria time)

Vacancy Announcement
TEMPORARY APPOINTMENT OF PROJECT PERSONNEL
Only nationals or permanent residents of the country of the duty station are considered eligible.
Female candidates are encouraged to apply.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is the specialized agency of the United Nations that promotes industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalization and environmental sustainability. The mission of UNIDO, as described in the Lima Declaration adopted at the fifteenth session of the UNIDO General Conference in 2013 as well as the Abu Dhabi Declaration adopted at the eighteenth session of UNIDO General Conference in 2019, is to promote and accelerate inclusive and sustainable industrial development (ISID) in Member States. The relevance of ISID as an integrated approach to all three pillars of sustainable development is recognized by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which will frame United Nations and country efforts towards sustainable development. UNIDO’s mandate is fully recognized in SDG-9, which calls to “Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation”. The relevance of ISID, however, applies in greater or lesser extent to all SDGs. Accordingly, the Organization’s programmatic focus is structured in four strategic priorities: Creating shared prosperity; Advancing economic competitiveness; Safeguarding the environment; and Strengthening knowledge and institutions.

Each of these programmatic fields of activity contains a number of individual programmes, which are implemented in a holistic manner to achieve effective outcomes and impacts through UNIDO’s four enabling functions: (i) technical cooperation; (ii) analytical and research functions and policy advisory services; (iii) normative functions and standards and quality-related activities; and (iv) convening and partnerships for knowledge transfer, networking and industrial cooperation. Such core functions are carried out in Divisions/Offices in its Headquarters, Regional Offices and Hubs and Country Offices.

The Department of Regional and Field Coordination (GLO/RFO) coordinates regional and country-level activities towards United Nations system-wide coherence and maintains a dialogue with the relevant UNDG bodies on these matters to ensure that UNIDO’s ISID mandate is adequately reflected in the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) and in the work of the United Nations Country Teams (UNCTs). These activities take place in close coordination with the UNIDO Liaison Office in New York (GLO/NYO) and the Directorate of Strategic Planning, Programming and Policy (SPP)) who address these issues at the strategic inter-agency level.

This position is located under the UNIDO Country Office in Kenya (PFC/RFC/FLD/AFR/KEN). The Kenya Office is responsible for representing UNIDO in the countries of coverage: Kenya, Eritrea, South Sudan, Seychelles and Comoros, and for maintaining close relations with all relevant stakeholders. The office is responsible for identifying development priorities and donors’ technical and funding priorities in the countries/regions of coverage, and for supporting, and/or leading when requested, the formulation, implementation and monitoring of technical cooperation projects and programs, including the Programs for Country Partnership (PCPs) and Country Programs (CPs). It is also responsible for coordinating and reporting on UNIDO’s activities in its countries of coverage, and for contributing/ leading (when requested) on the development of strategies and policies to ensure the strategic and programmatic consistency of UNIDO’s work, including of its cooperation with and contributions to the United Nations Resident Coordinator Offices (UNRCs)/United Nations Country Teams (UNCTs)/Common Country Assessments (CCAs)/United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks (UNSDCFs). The Kenya Office is also responsible for strengthening the dialogue with the government, private sector, other UN organizations, bilateral and multilateral assistance providers, including Development Finance Institutions.

PROJECT CONTEXT (240172)

UNIDO together with FAO and UNCDF have launched in October 2024 a preparatory assistance phase for the development of a future joint project on “Inclusive and sustainable coffee value chain development” in collaboration with the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry.

This multi-agency initiative is part of a UN Joint program that seeks to assess the scalability of climate-resilient models for food system transformation in Kenya and is aligned with the Kenyan Coffee Development and Marketing Strategy 2024-2029.

The aim of the preparatory assistance phase is to conceive a specific project intervention strategy that will help unlocking the full potential of the coffee value chain in Kenya with a specific focus on productivity and efficiency enhancement, environmental sustainability, climate-sensitive livelihoods, improvement of job opportunities, sustainable finance and the socio-economic inclusion and empowerment of youth, women and marginalized communities.

The future project proposal on “Inclusive and Sustainable coffee value chain development” that will be finalized in 2025 will target smallholder coffee farmers, other private sector key actors all along the national value chain as well as support institutions and government agencies. The future project will follow a gender-sensitive value chain development to spur collective efficiency and will promote territorial-based development dynamics around coffee value addition.

A key objective of the current preparatory assistance phase is to conceive strategies to boost private sector investments in domestic value addition, diversification, to promote entrepreneurship initiatives and to increase demand around coffee and coffee products that goes beyond the increased consumption of the beverage. Innovative approaches to coffee valorization can contribute to making the coffee sector more attractive for young unemployed women and men, thus ensuring an improved generational replacement within the value chain.

Despite the importance of the coffee value chain, the sector struggles with challenges including low productivity, outdated machinery, energy inefficiency, high input costs, limited access to finance, market volatility, and the role of intermediaries (middlemen) in the value chain. These issues limit the sector's ability to deliver economic and social benefits, particularly to marginalized communities such as women in rural areas.

In the framework of this UN Joint Programm, UNIDO will promote inclusive industrial development all along the value chain, improved market access and alternative tourism around coffee. FAO will provide technical support regarding sustainable agrifood systems transformation in the coffee value chain, improved policy, legal and regulatory environment and promotion of private sector investments in the coffee value chain. UNCDF is tasked with designing innovative financial mechanisms to de-risk investments and leverage private sector contributions in the coffee value chain.

FUNCTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

The expert will assess cash flows, payment systems, financing structures, and other economic and operational factors within Kenya’s coffee value chain. Additionally, the expert will identify key stakeholders, including private sector participants, and evaluate the financial and financing ecosystem. In the framework of the UN Joint Programm, this assessment will help to suggest financial solutions to unlock private sector investment and enhance the participation of marginalized groups, particularly women. UNCDF will build on the outcomes to develop its investments proposal.

Under the overall guidance of the project manager and under direct supervision of the Project Team, the national expert will be responsible for the following tasks.

MAIN ACTIVITIES

Participate at an initial briefing meeting with the UNIDO, FAO and UNCDF team

Concrete outputs to be achieved

Briefing meeting held

Expected duration (working days):3 w/days

Location: Nairobi and/or online

Stakeholder Identification

Review available information provided by other project experts in order to identify key stakeholders in the Kenyan coffee value chain, including producers, processors, exporters, enterprises, cooperatives, and relevant government agencies. Collaborate with other experts in order to identify women-led enterprises, cooperatives and other marginalized groups in the value chain. Review available information on the role of key actors and their influence on decision-making, finance and operations.

Identify and map private sector participants, including local and international companies, financial institutions, commercial banks, impact investors, and development finance institutions (DFIs).

Concrete outputs to be achieved

Expected duration (working days): 3 w/days

Location: Home-based

Work plan development

Concrete outputs to be achieved