Independent Consultant - Inclusive Market Knowledge & Access (iMKA)

With 75 years of experience, our focus is on helping the most vulnerable children overcome poverty and experience fullness of life. We help children of all backgrounds, even in the most dangerous places, inspired by our Christian faith.

Come join our 31,000+ staff working in nearly 100 countries and share the joy of transforming vulnerable children’s life stories!

Key Responsibilities:

The consultant (8 months) will support market actor mapping, facilitate structured partnerships and MoUs, provide hands-on production planning and technical coaching, promote value addition and certification 
readiness, and strengthen branding, market linkages, and buyer relationships. The role also includes performance monitoring, documentation of results, and timely technical and financial reporting in line with World Vision and donor requirements.

3.1. Private Sector Engagement and Business Model Development

➢ Map and develop a database for market actors

➢ Facilitate structured engagement among Producer Groups, private-sector actors, and other key potential stakeholders through co-planning, co-creation, co-implementation, co-monitoring, and co-celebration of the fruits of inclusive business models.

➢ Support the development of coordinated production, aggregation, and offtake arrangements that benefit smallholder producers.

➢ Mapping of SMEs within areas of World Vision operation

➢ Facilitate partnership agreements or MoUs among PGs, SMEs, with public and private-sector partners where feasible.

➢ Identify and build strategic linkages, relations, collaborations, and networks with partners and other stakeholders in planning and implementation.

3.2. Production Planning and Technical Support to Producer Groups

➢ Conduct a comprehensive mapping of the value addition and post-harvest management-related infrastructure and equipment invested in by World Vision in APs, including status, challenges, opportunities, and recommendations.

➢ Provide hands-on technical assistance to Producer Groups (PGs) in developing, updating, and implementing market-oriented production plans.

➢ Conduct a quick assessment of business development service providers across targeted value chains.

➢ Provide routine field coaching and follow-up support to ensure effective implementation of production plans.

3.3. Value Chain Diversification

➢ Assess existing and potential value chains using available market studies. Operationalize the study's findings into project activities to yield the desired result.

➢ Work with partners to design and deliver practical training on agro-processing and value addition for selected priority value chains.

➢ Promote adoption of appropriate processing technologies and value-added practices to improve product quality, shelf life, and profitability.

➢ Development of a simplified technical value chain specific training guide for smallholder producers

3.4. Market Access, Branding Strategy, and Producer Certification Readiness

➢ Work with partners to develop a joint branding and marketing strategy to position THRIVE products for domestic and international markets, including digital platforms such as Facebook, Jumia, Amazon, Alibaba, among others identified along the project implementation.

➢ Work closely with relevant partners and regulatory authorities (e.g. FDA, GSA, local authorities, public and private service providers) to train producers on packaging, labelling, and branding requirements.

➢ Design and deliver targeted capacity-building programs based on training needs assessments. This will include establishing peer-trainer systems with already certified producers to ensure sustainability and scalability.

➢ Conduct training in collective bargaining power, negotiating, and contract signing with other actors in the shea butter and other key strategic value chains, such as honey, sorghum, and soya bean, just to mention a few.

➢ Work with partners to organize a district-level business network and linkages forum.

➢ Strengthen certification readiness of producers (producer groups and individual producers/SMEs)

➢ Consolidate and strengthen market linkages between the producers and identified potential buyers/off takers.

➢ Work with partners and staff to support PGs and SMEs to meet basic quality and food safety standards.

➢ Facilitate producers products certification readiness.

3.5. Monitoring and reporting

➢ Ensure the timely preparation and submission of technical and financial reports and disbursement requests in accordance with WV and donor requirements.

➢ Ensure success stories, lessons learned, and project impacts are appropriately documented

➢ Monitor all Co-operative activities, volumes produced, amounts sold or incomes generated, and general operationalization of business plans (tracking business improvements).

➢ Monitor the activities of co-operatives monthly and report on progress made

Expected deliverables

▪ Number of functional relationships between market actors and producers

▪ A report including # of value additions and postharvest management infrastructure done by World Vision and other key stakeholders within THRIVE 2030 areas of operation

▪ Number of producers and cooperatives/ enterprises with fair trade certified products ▪ Number of producer groups/producers with business plans

▪ Number of households with economic development action plans

▪ Number of district-level market actors forums conducted

▪ Branding value addition and Marketing strategy, including all potential value chain

▪ Development of a simplified technical guide for training smallholder producers as per the prioritized value chain

▪ A report including mapped SMEs within World Vision areas of operation

▪ Number of producers/SMEs linked to formal financing options such as Credi Enterprise product offered by Vision Fund Ghana

▪ Number of newly identified and functional market actors with producers/SMEs etc.

▪ Number of draft and/or finalized off‑take agreements or MoUs established

Educational Qualifications:

➢ Minimum of a Master’s degree in Agribusiness, Agricultural Economics, Business Administration, Rural Development, Development Studies, or a related field.

➢ A Bachelor’s degree with extensive relevant professional experience may be considered.

➢ Professional training or certification in market systems development, value chain development.

➢ MSME support, or private sector engagement will be an added advantage.

Knowledge and Technical Skills:

➢ Strong knowledge of agricultural value chain development and smallholder commercialization.

➢ Demonstrated expertise in private sector engagement, inclusive business models, and partnership facilitation.

➢ Proven ability in market actor mapping, production planning, aggregation, and offtake arrangement development.

➢ Sound understanding of value addition, agro-processing, quality assurance, food safety, and certification readiness.

➢ Experience in branding, packaging, labelling, and market access strategies, including digital marketing platforms.

➢ Strong facilitation and training skills for producer groups, cooperatives, and SMEs.

➢ Excellent analytical, reporting, and documentation skills; ability to track production, sales, income, and business performance.

➢ Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications; experience with monitoring tools is an asset.

Professional Experience:

➢ Minimum of 7–10 years of relevant experience in agribusiness development, value chain strengthening, or market systems development.

➢ Proven experience working with producer groups, cooperatives, SMEs, and private sector actors.

➢ Track record in facilitating market linkages, buyer engagement, and contract/off‑take agreements.

➢ Experience with donor-funded projects such as USAID, AusAID, DFID, and Global Affairs Canada, including compliance, monitoring, and reporting.

➢ Prior experience working in Northern Ghana or similar contexts is a strong advantage.

Applicant Types Accepted: