Job Description

Background

The Treaty establishing the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), among other things, emphasizes harmonization of agricultural policy across the region to promote agricultural development and intra-regional trade. However, intra-regional agricultural trade remains poorly developed. Several studies show an economic basis for mutually beneficial trade in agricultural inputs and commodities and significant opportunity to expand intra-COMESA trade in these products. However, these are constrained by several factors, as indicated by analytical work carried out by COMESA under the Breaking Barriers – Facilitating Trade Project in 2016-2017, as follows:

• Proliferation of non-tariff measures amongst Member States.
• Cumbersome procedures faced by traders in obtaining Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary Measures (SPS) documents, quality certificates and other documents to process transactions.
• Lack of mutual recognition of technical regulations and conformity assessment due to capacity constraints – which pose a serious constraint to intra-regional trade in agricultural commodities in the region.
• Differences in quality and conformity assessment measures often cause regulatory or technical barriers to trade.
• Non-harmonized SPS measures, regulations, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Lack of capacity/capability/mechanism for risk-based methods (surveillance, sampling, testing, inspection, etc.).

Objectives of the Assignment

The overall objective of this assignment is for the Facilitator to support the successful conclusion of MRF/MRA negotiations and post-signing implementation of MRAs.

Specific objectives include:

• facilitate country level engagements to ensure stakeholders understand the importance of the Agreement, the contents of the Agreements, implications on public and private sectors, negotiation positions and options, ensure buy-in of stakeholders having seen the incentives and benefits, and
• facilitate signing of the MRAs as well as facilitate post-development stage implementation of the agreement including domestication of the MRAs into national policies, monitoring and evaluation frameworks.

Scope of Work

Overall support to the National Technical Working Group (NTWG) to carry out its mandate and responsibilities efficiently and effectively.

1. MRA Negotiations & Signing

In consultation with COMESA and NTWG leads, develop a roadmap for the completion of the negotiations, signing, and implementation of the MRA.

Facilitate wide and deep consultations and engagements with government, regulatory authorities, and private sector involved in trade to popularize the initiative to ensure necessary understanding and participation in the process leading to the signing of the mutual recognition agreement (MRA). This should include high-level engagements with Ministers/PSs of Trade, Agriculture, and Justice, Parliamentary Committees, and key institutions such as Customs, Bureau of Standards, etc. earmarked in the implementation of the MRA, to ensure adequate understanding of the issues, buy-in, and guidance (if necessary) leading to the signing of the MRA once technically concluded.

Proactively follow up on agreed actions from national and bilateral meetings to ensure their execution and report to COMESA and AGRA.

Support COMESA and Malawi to convene relevant meetings including the country-level National Technical Working Group (NTWG) for the development and implementation of MRF/MRA between the implementing partners.

Serve as the liaison between Malawi and COMESA/AGRA on all matters related to the finalization and implementation of the MRA. This may include helping answer inquiries that the donor (FCDO) may make pertaining to the project in Malawi.

Support the country with negotiation position paper (if necessary) and analysis of envisaged implementation challenges and how these could be addressed.

Document arbitration procedures and process available for countries and support arbitration processes amongst/between Member States

Lead the development of roadmap for the sustainability of the MRF and MRA implementation after signing

2. MRA Implementation

Support the domestication of the MRAs into national policies, monitoring and evaluation frameworks. This will include monitoring the implementation of the MRA at the borders and the use of equipment procured under the project to ensure its effective and appropriate use.

Facilitate advocacy, awareness creation, information sharing and learning between private and public sector actors across the selected value chains. This will include supporting COMESA to develop a communication strategy for the MRF/MRA.

Key Qualifications and Experience Required

We seek to engage an experienced and well-networked individual who understands government business and regional integration to facilitate country level engagements to ensure successful signing of the MRAs and sustainable post-development implementation of the agreement. The individual should possess the following qualifications and experience:

• First, a degree in relevant discipline with a minimum of 20 years’ work experience.
• Broad experience working in government or regional economic community or private industry associations that have had great collaboration with governments in policy formulation and reforms. Preferably, maybe a retired Civil Servant or Diplomat or Chief Executive Officer.
• Must have a strong understanding of regional integration agenda in the continent and preferably harmonization of agricultural policies, including mutual recognition agreements, across the region to promote agricultural development and intra-regional trade.
• Demonstrate high in-depth experience of negotiations at bilateral/plurilateral/multi-lateral levels.
• Wide experience in trade facilitation tools/mechanisms and trade dispute resolution mechanisms at regional level.
• Demonstrable Technical understanding of the Mutual Recognition Pillars and Standard Operating Procedures of the Mutual Recognition Framework.

DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 4, 2024