Result of Service

The Consultant will submit a monthly report on the progress and completion of project activities for validation, as follows: Eswatini, CLEAR, Food Security & ACP Business Friendly Projects:

Promotional activities for dissemination of market information: Develop and implement a minimum of 4 market information dissemination activities (webinars, buyer talks, expert sessions, MSME learning events), reaching at least 100 MSMEs and producers. (August 2026 to May 2027)
Buyer identification and database: Identify and engage at least 20 potential buyers and establish a database updated quarterly with buyer profiles, contacts, and engagement status. (August 2026 to May 2027)
Product-market promotional activities: Facilitate at least 4 promotional activities connecting MSMEs with buyers, experts, and export-ready enterprises. (September 2026 to June 2027)
Capacity development inputs: Develop and deliver recommendations for at least 6 workshop/training sessions on market development, sales, and sector-specific trends. (August 2026 – March 2027)
MSME product catalogues: Produce and disseminate product catalogues for MSMEs in selected sectors featuring at least 40 enterprises. (October 2026 – December 2026)
Market linkage support: Facilitate at least 40 business-to-business introductions and support at least 16 MSMEs/producers to pursue commercial opportunities. (September 2026 to June 2027)
Trade show and market linkage strategy: Research and recommend at least 4 relevant trade fairs/exhibitions for 2026–2027 participation (October 2026 to November 2026)
Trade show preparation support: Prepare at least 20 MSMEs for participation in trade events through coaching on products, pitches, stands, and promotional materials. (January 2027 to June 2027)
South-South collaboration and partnerships: Facilitate at least 3 collaboration initiatives or exchange opportunities involving project stakeholders and A4A partners. (November 2026 to June 2027)
Technical support to BSOs and associations: Deliver technical assistance and at least 2 Training-of-Trainers (ToT) sessions for BSOs and sector associations (January 2027 to April 2027)
Assessment of new MSMEs: Assess and profile at least 20 prospective MSMEs and recommend market engagement plans. (October 2026 – Mars 2027)
Impact surveys: Design and support implementation of at least 2 surveys measuring sales generation, buyer engagement, and partnerships. (Mars to June 2027)
Reporting: Submit quarterly progress reports and one final report documenting achievements, lessons learned, and recommendations. (Final Report in Jul 2027) GRACE Project-Specific SMART Deliverables:
Market knowledge training support and ToT: Review and update existing training materials and conduct 1 ToT for at least 5 implementing partner staff/trainers using the A4A market development approach. (July to September 2026)
South-South partner engagement: Identify and engage at least 3 regional A4A partners and facilitate a minimum of 1 South-South learning exchanges for stakeholders in Aweil. (August 2026 – February 2027)
One-on-one coaching for honey companies: Deliver tailored coaching to at least 10 honey companies, each receiving a minimum of 2 coaching sessions and a customized route-to-market action plan. (September 2026 to January 2027)
Product development and market linkage plans: Support all 10 coached companies to develop product improvement recommendations, USP statements, and market linkage strategies. (September 2026 – January 2027)
Group market development training sessions: Deliver at least 2 online group training sessions reaching a minimum of 10 honey MSMEs/cooperative representatives, with participant satisfaction above 80%. (January 2027 to March 2027)
Buyer and market linkage facilitation: Facilitate at least 10 buyer introductions and support at least 3 companies in advancing commercial discussions or partnership opportunities. (February 2027 to June 2027)
South-South exchange for honey MSMEs: Organize at least 1 virtual or in-person exchanges between South Sudanese honey MSMEs and export-ready agribusinesses from the A4A network. (February 2027 to May 2027)
Knowledge products and reporting: Produce 1 market development summary report, 1 South-South exchange report, and quarterly progress updates documenting outcomes and lessons learned. (Final report to be submitted July 2027)

Work Location

home-based (with possible travel)

Expected duration

15.08.26 - 14.07.27

Duties and Responsibilities

Background The International Trade Centre (ITC) is a joint agency of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization for trade-related technical cooperation in developing countries. Alliances for Action (A4A) is an ITC initiative to establish a network that transforms food systems and advances the Sustainable Development Goals through producer partnerships that cultivate ethical, climate smart, sustainable agricultural value chains. With A4A, ITC aims at achieving resilience and growth for farmers and MSMEs through more mindful and responsible trade, production and consumption systems and improved opportunities to compete in global markets. This includes building resilience and competitiveness of MSMEs and enabling sustainable market linkages and value addition. The A4A approach is being implemented in several ITC projects including EU-African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Business-Friendly (BF), EU Alliance for Coconut Industry Development in the Caribbean and Promoting jobs and growth through competitive alliances in Eswatini and support to the implementation of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) in Eswatini. ACP Business Friendly The European Union funded project “Support to Business Friendly and Inclusive National and Regional Policies, and Strengthening Productive Capabilities and Value Chains” Programme aims to complement the European Union support for private sector development in ACP countries, under the context of the joint ACP-EU Programme for ACP Private Sector Development Support, adopted by ACP-EU Council of Ministers in Nairobi in 2014, and is financed from the 11th European Development Fund. The focus of the project is designed to achieve two key outcomes: (1) adopting and implementing business-friendly, inclusive and responsible national policies and legal frameworks, and (2) strengthening productive, processing, promoting and marketing capabilities and value chains. ITC is collaborating with UNIDO and the World Bank in the implementation of the program. ITC is leading the implementation of the micro pillar level of the Programme, which focuses on two core themes: 1) Promoting inclusive productive and commercial Alliances and investment to strengthen VC governance and MSME competitiveness; and 2) Increase small farmers and processors value addition, productivity and competitiveness. Interventions at the micro-level aim to enhance value chain operators’ individual and collective competitiveness with specific attention to family farmers, agri-entrepreneurs and rural and urban MSMEs and processors. Notably, the action employs the Alliances for Action methodology, which is a market led approach that supports associations, improved productivity, and ecological intensification– cost efficient technologies, connections to markets, financial inclusion, diversification and value addition. Eswatini programmes The Eswatini Government identifies agriculture as one of the main drivers of growth and jobs as stipulated in the Eswatini National Development Strategy and Vision 2022 and developed the Economic Recovery Plan 2020 which identifies the private sector as an engine for economic growth. In collaboration with the Eswatini Government and through funding from the European Union, ITC is supporting the Eswatini Government to achieve its development objectives through the implementation of a Programme comprised of three interconnected programmes, namely: “Support for Job creation and the investment climate (JC & IC); Support to the implementation of the EU-SADC agreement (EPA) and the Livestock programme”. The programme aims to unlock the key constraints to competitiveness in Eswatini by improving the policy and regulatory framework for private sector development and through the development of selected value chains; and supports the enablement of a public-private platform for improving the country’s national competitiveness. The direct beneficiaries will be:

MSMEs
Social enterprises (SEs)
Producer Associations including cooperatives, farmers’ organizations and farmers/artisans groups
Smallholder farmers
Arts and crafts producers
Support institutions to be defined during the programme's inception phase
Trade and Investment Support Institutions (TISI)
Business support and training institutions (BSOs)
Professional associations
Farmers support institutions
Financial institutions Food Security The European Union (EU) funded project “Strengthening nutritious and sustainable value chains in the Caribbean through Alliances” (Food Security) aims to support agri-MSMEs, cooperatives and producers (smallholder farmers and fishers) to become more competitive and resilient through value addition, diversification, and new market development at the regional level. The project is aligned with various EU and CARICOM strategies, including the CARICOM strategy related to “Regional Food Production and Productivity Towards a Sustainable Import Replacement Programme: 25% by 2025 Reduction in the Regional Food Bill”, which has developed a comprehensive import-replacement programme with accompanying targets for selected commodities, geared towards achieving the overall 25% by 2025 objective. CLEAR Piloting Innovative alliances to address root causes of Child labour in supply chains The "Ending child labour in supply chains: Addressing the root causes of child labour in supply chains through an area-based approach" (CLEAR Supply Chains) project, co-funded by the European Union, brings together the International Labour Organization (ILO) as the leading UN agency, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to address jointly the root causes of child labour, with a primarily focus on the coffee supply chain. ITC aims to provide support to farmer organizations and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the implementation of strategy options for increasing commercial value, sustainability, Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD) alignment and incomes for smallholder farmers in the coffee supply chain and associated crops. The aim is not only to increase but also to diversify farmers and MSMEs income, through product and market diversification targeting value addition, coffee products and associated crops. This project will promote resilient and sustainable global value chains for all by providing strong accompanying support, especially for supply chain actors in producer countries where the most salient adverse impacts occur. Hence, training and technical guidance will be provided to advance market development aligned with HREDD and to de-risk investment, in the coffee and other supply chain for all relevant actors, including farmers’ organizations and MSMEs. GRACE ITC, in partnership with FAO and WFP, is implementing the EU-Funded Green and Resilient Agriculture and Climate Economy (GRACE) project in South Sudan. The project has an overall goal of promoting green, sustainable, and climate-resilient economic development by contributing to increased food and nutrition security, resilience to shocks, and job creation in South Sudan. It has three major specific objectives of a) strengthening agricultural (crop) livelihoods through increased productive capacity and productivity, improved food and nutrition security, adaptation to climate change, and enhanced preparedness against and resilience to shocks and crises; b) supporting the development of a more competitive, sustainable, and modern agriculture through the development of resilient, context-specific agricultural value chains, the improvement of access to services, and the empowerment of women and youth; and c) enhancing the protection and sustainable management of the natural resource base of the economy and agricultural livelihoods. The project supports the development of four value chains (such as sorghum, groundnuts, honey, and horticulture) by improving production, processing and handling practices; building technical and operational capacities of producers, cooperatives, businesses and support institutions; and improving access to productive and processing inputs, finance and markets. The project is operational in four states, namely: Central Equatoria State, Lakes State, Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, and Western Equatoria State. ITC’s role focuses on providing technical assistance and support aimed at enhancing the business enabling environment; supporting market development, value addition and quality compliance capacities through training, advisory, and experience sharing; creating market linkages; and building capacities to facilitate regional, continental and global trade integration for South Sudan Description of Duties/Responsibilities Under the direct supervision of the EU-ACP Programme Manager and under the overall supervision of the Chief of Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, Division of Country Programmes and the Head of Inclusive Agribusiness Systems, Green and Inclusive Value Chains (GIVC) Division of Sustainable and Inclusive Trade (DSIT) the Market Development and Market Linkages Expert will be responsible for the following duties:
Work with project managers and local project team to facilitate the development and implementation of promotional activities for dissemination of market information, engaging experts, buyers and experienced MSMEs.
Coordinate with market and sales advisors provide directions on capacity development topics for workshop sessions as per project needs, market trends in selected sectors of the project (food, value addition, handicraft)
In coordination with project team, prepare product catalogues for MSMEs in the selected project sectors and promote the MSMEs to potential buyers using catalogues and other communication materials developed under the project.
Provide market linkage support to MSMEs and Producers to Buyers and Consumer-Facing Companies to develop and consolidate markets and or sales.
Research and propose relevant market linkages activities including trade shows for MSMEs to attend in 2026 and 2027
Guide the selected MSMEs to effectively attend trade shows (local, regional and international) by reviewing products, stands, brochures and coaching provided by sales advisors to pitch their products.
Coordinate with different project stakeholders for planning and activating product development collaborations and market linkages and south-south collaboration for potential joint venture opportunities.
Provide technical backstopping to relevant Business Support Organizations and/or sector associations on market development and linkages, including, where relevant, delivering TOTs to these institutions to enhance their offerings on market development.
Assess potential new MSMEs and propose engagement activities for market linkages.
Contribute to the preparation and dissemination of impact surveys to collect data of sales generation and partnership engagements.
Prepare written report/presentations on market and product development with results achieved for the relevant projects’ reporting period. For the GRACE project:
Provide technical backstopping for the implementation of market knowledge training for producers in the project's target value chains. This will include reviewing and updating existing training materials and resources, as well as conducting a ToT for the selected local implementing partner, leveraging the A4A market development approach. The consultant will also identify and engage regional A4A partners/network to facilitate South–South exchanges to strengthen the delivery of market knowledge in the Aweil region.
Conduct one-on-one coaching sessions with at least 10 honey companies, focusing on product development and adaptation, market trends, unique selling propositions (USPs), marketing & promotion and practical tools. The consultant will also support the companies in developing route-to-market strategies and identifying market linkage opportunities. The objective is to enhance product offerings, improve market positioning, and strengthen business linkages in domestic and regional markets.
Based on insights gained from the one-on-one coaching and deliver at least two (2) online group training sessions targeting honey MSMEs and cooperatives supported by the project, with a focus on strengthening market development. The training will be co-conducted with the participating companies and may cover topics such as product development/adaptation, route-to-market strategies, buyer requirements, and market trends. The aim is to strengthen market readiness and enable participants to engage more effectively in market linkage activities and business development opportunities.
Facilitate South–South exchanges by connecting South Sudanese honey MSMEs with export-ready agribusinesses supported by the Alliances for Action network to promote peer-to-peer learning, knowledge sharing, and networking opportunities Copyright clause: The consultant has to ensure that she has obtained the necessary permissions with regard to intellectual property rights required to perform her services under this consultancy contract and for the subsequent dissemination by ITC in any form. Documentary proof is to be submitted to ITC. Should any license fee be due for the use of copyrighted materials of third parties, the consultant shall request the prior written permission from ITC. ITC champions workforce diversity, inclusion, gender equality and gender parity and considers all qualified persons - of all genders - equally, including those with disabilities, without discrimination or prejudice of any kind.

Qualifications/special skills

Postgraduate degree (MA/MSc/MBA, PHD or other) Postgraduate studies in Social Communication or related fields

Extensive relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of the university degree.
At least 4 years of experience working with sustainable and inclusive food systems
Experience in communication and networking with interlocutors from different backgrounds Skills
Ability to work with minimum supervision, efficiency, competence and integrity and inharmony with people from different backgrounds.
Extensive knowledge of the food and hospitality industry
Ability to produce documents for official circulation among institutions and international organizations
Good understanding of international development project functioning and dynamics

Languages

Fluent in written and spoken English

No Fee

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.

International Consultant: A4A Programme Adviser on Market Development and Market Linkages – EU ACP Business Friendly Project