FIVE NATIONAL CONSULTANTS: DIGITAL INNOVATIONS FOR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION AND TRADE TO ENHANCE FOOD SECURITY UNDER AFCFTA (Comoros, Congo Brazzaville, Côte D’Ivoire, Malawi and Uganda)

The project aims to reduce food insecurity by leveraging digital technologies to accelerate the production and flow of food products from regions or areas with limited agricultural potential or high population pressures to areas with surplus food production. The consultancy will strengthen the capacity of selected African countries to leverage innovative digital Innovations for agricultural production, processing and trade. It will also help to evaluate the impact of digital innovations on production, manufacturing and access to food. It will support efforts to reduce information asymmetries, improve price transparency, and enhance the efficiency and integration of agricultural food markets.

Home based with travel

3 months

1. BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION In line with its mandate to support regional integration, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), through its Subregional Office for Eastern Africa (SRO-EA), is advancing work to accelerate progress on selected 2030 Sustainable Development Goals that are currently off track. This project focuses on the achievement of SDG 2 “Zero Hunger” by 2030, in a context where food insecurity persists due to constraints in agricultural systems, climate-related shocks, and fragmented markets. Digital innovations in food production and trade offer a practical pathway to strengthen food security by improving agricultural yields and production, enhancing market connectivity, reducing transaction costs, and enabling a more efficient allocation of food across the region. Agriculture remains an important pillar of African economies. It accounts for approximately 18% of GDP in Sub-Saharan Africa (2024), with significantly higher shares in several countries where the sector contributes over 30 to 40% of national GDP (World Bank, 2024). The sector is also the largest source of employment on the continent, with Africa recording the highest share of employment in agriculture globally, representing around 50% of total employment in 2023 (ILO, 2024). Despite its economic importance, food insecurity remains widespread across the continent. In 2022, approximately 282 million people in Africa i.e. around 20% of the population faced chronic undernourishment (FAO et al., 2023). This situation is further compounded by Africa’s significant dependence on food imports. The continent’s annual food import bill is estimated at US$110 billion by 2025, more than triple its 2015 level, highlighting a structural reliance on external food supplies (African Development Bank, 2023; UNECA, 2025). In addition, inefficiencies across food value chains remain substantial. Post-harvest losses for cereals in Sub-Saharan Africa are estimated at up to 30 to 40%, largely due to inadequate storage infrastructure, weak logistics systems, and limited agro-processing capacity (FAO, 2019; World Bank, 2020). Climate-related shocks, including droughts and floods, have further depressed agricultural production in several countries. At the same time, information asymmetries and limited price transparency in food markets constrain producers’ ability to make informed production and marketing decisions. In this context, digital food production and trade offer important opportunities to enhance the efficiency and resilience of African food systems. Digital food production and trade refer to the integration of digital technologies, such as e-commerce platforms, digital payment systems, blockchain-based traceability tools, remote-sensing technologies, digital extension services, AI tools and paperless trade facilitation mechanisms, into agricultural production, marketing, and cross-border trade (UNCTAD, 2021; OECD, 2020). These innovations support both the use of digital innovations of agricultural production and manufacture, such as precision agriculture, digital logistics, and market information systems, and the digitalisation of trade processes and platforms. By reducing transaction costs, improving transparency, facilitating market access, and strengthening supply chain coordination, digital technologies can significantly enhance the productivity, competitiveness, and resilience of Africa’s food systems while supporting the expansion of intra-African agricultural trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). In this regard, it is important to rethink how food is traded in Africa. The use of digital technology platforms in international and regional trade can help reduce food insecurity by connecting regions with limited agricultural potential or large populations facing climate changes, pandemic shocks, and security constraints to regions with surplus food production. The growing usage of cell phones, the internet and other digital innovations could help support food security and agricultural value chains in Africa by facilitating communication about food availability in surplus countries and shortages in others. 2. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES In close consultation with and under the guidance of the project manager of ECA and coordination of the international consultant, the national consultants will assist in the implementation of the project in their corresponding countries. The national consultant will support in conducting a comprehensive and detailed assessment of the current status of digital trade and access to food and agriculture value chains in the targeted countries and identify the gaps, needs, and opportunities for improving the performance and profitability of the use of digital technology and AI in agricultural value chains and access to food. Each national consultant will be responsible for assisting and supporting the international consultant in the following tasks: a. Production of Scientific Documents • Review the existing documents on the status of digital tools and AI available to all actors for food production, manufacturing and trade in the targeted countries. • Produce national background studies aligned with the ECA regional study to evaluate the impact, using selected econometric models, of digital tools and AI on food production, manufacturing and trade. • Develop policy briefs for policymakers on integrating digital solutions into agricultural policies, including digital marketing, branding, post-harvest handling, quality standards, and commodity exchange platforms. b. Strengthen Member States’ capacity to leverage digital solutions for agricultural value chains and market access • Review the existing training materials to build stakeholders’ technical capacities in using digital technologies for production systems, value chains, market access, and food security. c. Stakeholder Engagement The national consultants will support the international consultant to: • Engage with key stakeholders, including government agencies, private sector entities, and international organisations, to ensure broad-based support collaborations. • Assist in organising regional and national workshops to share best practices in digital supply chain management and address market challenges such as information asymmetries, quality standards, and high operational costs, using practical case studies and examples of digital solutions.

A Master’s degree or equivalent in agro-economics, agronomy, sustainable development studies statistics, or a related field is required. A PhD in related fields is preferred. 3 years previous experience in Digital Economy, Digitisation of Agricultural value chains, food security analysis or related areas with proven track record of agri-tech and food security Projects in developing countries, preferably in Africa or related area is required. Experience in such field in Africa is desirable.Also, the consultant should ideally: ─ Have some experience in conducting statistical and econometric analysis. ─ Be familiar with the agricultural value chain, access to food and digital trade ─ Have some experience working with the national institutions (e.g., Ministry of Agriculture). ─ Be able to demonstrate experience working under tight deadlines and delivering high-quality outputs. ─ Possess strong oral and written communication skills. ─ Show the ability to work independently, proactively and with little supervision.

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this position, fluency in English (for anglophone countries) or French (for francophone countries) is required, both oral and written.

Not available.

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.