Jobsinghana.com - Jobs Directory

Consulting Jobs

Consultancy (MASO-TERM EVALUATION)

JOB SUMMARY
Company	Solidaridad W...
Industry	Agriculture/A...
Category	Consulting
Location	Accra
Job Status	Contractor/Co...
Salary	GHS
Education	Post-graduate...
Experience	N/A
Job Expires	Oct 19, 2018
Contact	...

Job Description

Terms of Reference (MASO-TERM EVALUATION)

1. Background

Solidaridad is implementing the Next Generation Cocoa Youth Programme (herein referred to as “MASO”) with other consortium partners including Aflatoun, Ashesi University College, COCOBOD, Opportunity International Savings and Loans (OISL) and Fidelity Bank. The goal of MASO is to empower the youth as catalysts for the transformation of the cocoa industry in Ghana. The programme seeks to develop the environment necessary to make this happen, using business incubation to create a supportive infrastructure in which farming as a business can take hold amongst Ghanaian youth.

The objective of the programme is to make a career in cocoa production and/or support services attractive to Ghanaian youth and to ensure that these youths have the skills, tools and long-term support necessary to be successful as they embark on their farming or related businesses. Youth under the programme refers to those aged 17 to 25 years old.

The MASO programme is delivered through three critical components:

The establishment of a CocoAcademy - farmer incubator - in the target communities.
The creation of a Cocoa Entrepreneur Development Incubator (CEDI) - business incubator - to encourage the establishment and growth of enterprises in the service/support sector.
The strengthening of an enabling environment allowing farmers and entrepreneurs to flourish; focusing on access to finance, land and markets.

MASO is a five-year programme that began in January 2016 and is expected to close in January 2020. The programme is currently being implemented in the Volta, Eastern, Ashanti, Western, Central and Brong Ahafo Regions of Ghana.

2. Purpose of the mid-term evaluation

The midterm evaluation will cover the implementation period from the commencement of the programme until June, 2018. The assignment being a forward looking one, will capture lessons learnt and provide information on the nature, extent and where possible the potential impact and sustainability of the programme. The lessons learnt shall relate to understanding what has worked and what has not worked as a guide for future planning. The assignment will also assess the performance of the programme against planned results.

The programme’s design, scope, implementation status and capacity to achieve the expected outcomes shall also be examined. Lessons learnt, challenges and best practices obtained during the implementation period will be collated and analyzed to inform the next half of implementation covering July, 2018 – December, 2020.

3. Scope and focus of assignment

This evaluation is expected to assess the effectiveness of the implementation strategy of establishing the CocoAcademies and Cocoa Entrepreneurship Development Incubators (CEDI) as a means of preparing young people to take up employment in the cocoa value chain.

This will include the implementation modalities and participation by the other consortium partners. Issues of coordination and consortium partnership arrangements, replication and sustainability of the programme will also be considered. The evaluation will include review of the project design and assumptions made at the beginning of the programme development process. It will assess whether MASO results are on track, the implementation strategy has been optimum and also recommend areas for improvement and learning.

The mid-term evaluation will also assess whether project resources are efficiently utilized to produce planned results and whether results can be realized within the planned period.

Specific evaluation questions

The following key questions will guide the mid-term evaluation;

a) Relevance (design and focus of the programme)

To what extent are project objectives meeting the needs of youth in cocoa production?
Does program address bottlenecks that hinder youth to venture into the cocoa value chain?
Was the implementation strategy adopted and inputs identified realistic, appropriate and adequate for the achievement of the results?
To what extent have partners in the MASO consortium played their expected roles towards the achievement of the programme goal?
What factors have contributed to or hindered the achievement of intended outputs and outcomes?
Has the consortium partnership been appropriate and effective?

b) Effectiveness (Management processes and their appropriateness in supporting programme delivery)

Is there a suitable M&E framework to monitor and support implementation of the targeted results?
To what extent are the planned outputs and outcomes, as defined in the programme proposal on track?
Are the programme management activities effective in delivering the desired results?
Are the strategies and tools used in programme implementation effective?

c) Efficiency (Use of programme resources against results)

Did the actual or expected results (outputs and outcomes) justify the costs incurred? Were resources effectively utilized?
What are the factors contributing to implementation efficiency?
Could a different approach have produced better results?
What are the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the programme implementation process?

d) Outcomes and Impact

Are there livelihood/income improvement resulting from program implementation?
To what extent is program helping reduce unemployment in cocoa growing communities?
How are youth in program implementing good agricultural or business practices?

e) Sustainability

What is the likelihood of continuation and sustainability of programme outcomes and benefits after completion?
How effective are the exit strategies and approaches to phase out programme support including contributory factors and constraints?
What are the key factors that require attention to improve prospects of sustainability of outcomes and the potential for scaling up?
What are the important challenges the program should overcome? And to what extent are these adequately addressed?
What are key lessons learnt based on the experiences of project implementation?
What are the recommendations for similar support in future?

4. Methodology

The Evaluator is expected to use a variety of methods to collect and analyze data. Participatory methods shall be used to collect both qualitative and quantitative data which ever needed. The key methods are clearly indicated under the specific objective of the evaluation, however, the Evaluator shall include the following, but not limited to:

Household survey using survey questionnaire (a representative sample of the total beneficiary youth population can be used)
Literature review of existing documents and review of context and poverty trends including the project proposal and other documents, annual and quarterly reports, monitoring and evaluation reports
Field observation of the targeted project areas
Interviews with project management team, local authorities and local development institutions
Key informant interviews (KII)
Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) involving primary project participants and other social groups and key stakeholders
Reflection and feedback sessions with project management teams. The final methodology to be adopted shall be discussed and agreed with consultant/firm.

5. Management of the assignment

The assignment is commissioned by Solidaridad as part of its monitoring and evaluation arrangement. The Programme Manager of MASO, with the support of the PMEL Coordinator of Solidaridad, shall be the focal persons for the evaluation.

6. Expected deliverables

The following deliverables are expected after the assignment;

Inception report: The evaluator will prepare an inception report that detail out the evaluators understanding of the assignment and how evaluation questions will be addressed. This will ensure that the evaluator and programme stakeholders are aligned on the assignment. The report shall detail out evaluation matrix summarizing the evaluation design, methodology, evaluation questions, data sources and collection tools for each data source and the measures by which each question will be evaluated.
Draft evaluation report: The evaluator will prepare a draft report and share first with Solidaridad - Programme Manager & PME Coordinator for comments. The report will be reviewed to ensure the assignment meets the required quality after which comments will be provided within 10 working days after receipt of the report. The draft report will then be shared with stakeholders.
Power Point Presentation: The report will be presented at a stakeholder validation workshop for final comments, questions and inputs. The presentation shall highlight main findings, lessons learned and recommendations
Final Report & one pager infographic: This comprehensive report (see annex for format) which shall include comments and feedback from the stakeholder validation workshop will be submitted to the Programme Manager within 10 working days after receipt of all comments and feedback. The evaluator shall also submit a pager infographic summary of finalized report.
Datasets: The consultant shall submit all datasets, cleaned & raw, transcription or audio files during focus group discussions, KI, scripts for data analysis and any form of data captured during the implementation of this assignment

Confidentiality Statement

All data and information received from Solidaridad for the purposes of this assignment are to be treated confidentially and only be used in the execution of this TOR. All intellectual property rights, including all reports, arising from the execution of this TOR shall be assigned to Solidaridad. The contents of written materials obtained and used in this assignment may not be disclosed to any third parties without the expressed advance written authorization of Solidaridad.

7. Timeframe for the assignment

The assignment will be conducted within an estimated 30 working days (4days preparatory work; 16 days’ field work; 6 days data analysis and processing, 4days report writing)

Upon signing of the contract, the consultant will be given the necessary programme documents and other information regarding the programme.

Required Skills or Experience

Required expertise of the team

Professionals with at least postgraduate qualifications in Agriculture development and Extension, Development Management, Project Management, Gender, Youth Empowerment, Agribusiness and any other discipline related to the programme.
Proven expertise in conducting external impact evaluations in developing countries with development actors, especially Africa and preferably experience in Ghanaian cocoa sector as well.
Strong quantitative and qualitative research skills as well as participatory research methods and experience in using these among different categories of beneficiaries, including adult/youth farmers, communities, the private sector and public sector and other stakeholders.
Proven background and expertise in sustainable supply and value management, with specific knowledge of commodities such as cocoa.
Fluent in English, oral and written, and preferably a local language as well.

How To Apply

Sorry, job has expired.

Note

Please note, employers receive numerous applications per posting and will only shortlist the most qualified candidates. Also Jobsinghana.com is not involved in any decision made by an employer/recruiter and therefore does not guarantee that applications sent will result in a candidate being shortlisted/selected for that position.

To Top