Consultant Animal Health Expert to Support AU-IBAR at African Union (AU)

Background

In order to initiate the implementation of LiDeSA, the European Union made available funds to assist AU-IBAR implement the Sustainable Development of Livestock for Livelihoods in Africa (Live2Africa) project. As part of its coordination strategy and considering the high demand of services from RECs and Member states AU-IBAR is applying part of the funds to employ consultants in various disciplines to support the implementation of Live2Africa. In this regard, AU-IBAR seeks the services of a Consultant animal health expert with a broad range of competencies to provide technical support to AU-IBAR, RECs and Member States to prepare animal health strategies, support Member States in preparations for the performance of Veterinary Services (PVS) evaluations and support to the Editorial Board of the Bulletin for Animal Health and Production in Africa to ensure timely publication of the Bulletin. The Consultant will also provide specific technical support to selected Member States to implement activities towards the eradication of peste des petits ruminants (PPR) in line with the respective national PPR Eradication Strategies and Action Plans

Objective

The objective of the consultancy is to assist the animal health component coordinator of live2Africa in providing technical support to enhance the implementation of key aspects of the animal health result areas of Live2Africa programme.

Tasks

• Support selected Member States to finalize the preparation and validation of national strategies and five year Action Plans for the control and eradication of peste des petits ruminants (PPR) and other priority diseases of sheep and goats using a harmonised template
• Prepare an inventory of all available national and Regional PPR control and eradication strategies available and compile the strategies in a repository in consultation with the AU-IBAR Senior Animal Health Officer and the Senior Knowledge Management Officer
• Provide technical support to selected Member States to guide the implementation of key activities to enhance progress along the PPR eradication pathway including the participation in regional meetings on PPR
• Provide technical support and guidance to selected Member States to undertake self-evaluation PVS and implement the recommendations of PVS evaluations, Gap Analyses and PVS Follow-up missions
• Provide technical guidance to selected Member States on the preparation of technical progress reports along the Foot and Mouth Disease Progressive Control Pathway (FMD-PCP)
• Screen manuscripts submitted by authors for publication in the Bulletin of Animal Health and Production in Africa and assign to appropriate referees for peer review
• Prepare follow-up communications with manuscript authors and referees and liaise with the editors of the Bulletin of Animal Health and Production in Africa on recommendations and decisions on the publication of reviewed manuscripts
• Prepare the post rinderpest contingency plan
• Coordinate the review and update of the study on veterinary demographics in Africa that was commissioned by AU-IBAR in 2012

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

The following are the expected outputs:

• An inception report including the methodology and the work plan to undertake the tasks
• Validated national strategies and 5 year action plans for the control and eradication of PPR for at least two Member States
• Two Member States supported to undertake key technical activities towards PPR eradication
• Self-evaluation PVS assessments conducted in three Member States and road-maps/indicators for the implementation of the recommendations of Gap Analyses agreed for 3 Member States
• Technical progress reports along the FMD-PCP for a at least three Member States
• Quarterly Publication of the Bulletin for Animal Health and Production in Africa maintained
• Post rinderpest contingency plan
• Publication on veterinary demographics in Africa
• Detailed technical reports submitted upon completion of each of task
• A final report on the assignment

Qualifications

The candidate must have a Masters in any field of Veterinary Science. A PhD will be an added advantage.

General Professional Experience

• At least 10 years of proven experience in public and/or private sector animal health services management at national and/or regional levels.
• A good understanding of the priority transboundary dis in the different regions of Africa.
• Experience in conducting and facilitating dialogue with livestock sector stakeholders.

Specific Professional Experience

• Proven experience in facilitating the design and implementation of animal health strategies at national, regional and continental levels
• A deep understanding of livestock viral diseases particularly PPR and FMD with at least three years’ experience in supporting the formulation and validation of national, regional or continental strategies for their control and eradication
• Experience in the application of the key tools and OIE standards for the control and eradication of PPR in line with the PPR-GCES, the pan-African Strategies for its control and eradication and the OIE Terrestrial Code and the OIE Terrestrial Manual
• Have undergone training on the OIE PVS Pathway and its application by Member Countries to improve Veterinary Services
• Knowledge and skills on the FMD-PCP and its application
• Experience in organising and facilitating stakeholder consultations and preparation of reports/ proceedings
• Proven record of scientific publications in refereed journals

Skills and Competencies

• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Self-starter with the ability to strategically plan own work and to work independently, with minimum supervision, to high professional standards
• Knowledge and experience of using participatory approaches

Language Requirement

• Proficiency in English, a working knowledge of Arabic, French or Portuguese will be an added advantage.

Gender Mainstreaming

The AU Commission is an equal opportunity employer and qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply.

Duty Stations

The consultants will be stationed in Nairobi with travel on specific assignments agreed with the AU-IBAR Management

Duration

The duration of this assignment is 7 months. The selected candidate should be available to undertake this assignment with minimum delay.

Remuneration

The remuneration for this Consultancy is a fixed amount of USD7,028.87 per month. Expenses for missions will be covered separately in accordance with the applicable African Union Commission rules and regulations.

Evaluation Criteria

The applications will be evaluated on the basis of the relevant technical qualifications, experience and competence of the candidates.