Fertilizer Laboratory Expert Consultant

About IFDC

IFDC is a public international organization active in 27 countries in Africa, Asia, and America. IFDC uniquely approaches the global issues of food security and poverty by bridging the gap between research and impact, combining science-based innovations, holistic market systems development, an enabling policy environment, and strategic partnerships to assist farmers and countries to identify and scale sustainable agricultural solutions, including improved nutrient use efficiency. These approaches are needed to boost soil health and crop productivity while reducing the environmental impact of fertilizer use. IFDC translates research into action by using locally driven, environmentally sound, and impact-oriented solutions. With our partners, we seek to close the yield gap, eradicate global hunger, safeguard the soil on which our lives depend, and generate economic resilience for farming households and the countries in which they live.    

Responsibilities

The Fertilizer Laboratory Expert will be responsible for:

• Support the EnGRAIS team in developing criteria for reference laboratories;
• Assist in the selection of the reference laboratories;
• Develop a plan and budget to upgrade the selected laboratories;
• Provide technical support to implement plan including but not limited to equipment acquisition and capacity building;
• Support developing a business model for sustainability including the role of the laboratories in proficiency testing and inter-laboratory assessments for West Africa.

The Fertilizer Laboratory Expert will provide the following deliverables:

• Selection Criteria for reference laboratories to meet;
• Workplan and budget to upgrade the selected laboratories;
• Business model for the reference laboratories to ensure the sustainability of their role in West Africa including the framework of an interlaboratory assessment program.

Requirements

The Fertilizer Laboratory Expert should meet the following qualifications:

• Degree in Chemistry, Soil Science, Agronomy, or related fields;
• At least 5 years of experience working in or managing laboratories involved in fertilizer testing and analysis;
• Experience with international laboratory accreditation processes (e.g., ISO/IEC 17025);
• Proven track record in capacity building and technical training for laboratory staff;
• Prior experience working on Laboratory assessment in West Africa or developing countries is desirable;
• In-depth knowledge of setting up laboratory structures, procuring fertilizer analytical equipment as well as managing a laboratory;
• Familiarity with relevant international standards and regulatory frameworks.
• Proficiency in English or French.

Reporting and Work Relationships

The Team Leader for Fertilizer Policy and Regulation Systems is responsible for supervising the consultant's work, including reviewing progress reports, providing feedback and guidance, and evaluating the consultant's performance.

Location

This is an international recruitment with a duty station based at any of the IFDC offices in West Africa.

Consultancy duration and fees 

The assignment will be carried out for 50 days within a period of 6 months from January 2025 to August 2025. The proposed budget for the above assignment is $15000.

Diversity Clause

IFDC is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion, and offers equal employment opportunities based on ability, performance, and potential. Equal opportunity is integral to the recruitment and selection practices at IFDC. IFDC recognizes the value in recruiting employees with different backgrounds, knowledge, experiences, perspectives, and beliefs. IFDC recognizes and values the contribution of people with a diverse background in capabilities, experience, and perspectives. Diversity encompasses gender, age, experience, education, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation and cultural backgrounds as well as other dimensions such as lifestyle and family responsibilities.

About Program/Project

The Feed the Future Enhancing Growth through Regional Agricultural Inputs Systems (EnGRAIS) project funded by USAID/WA mission is actively working with African-led regional institutions to address critical issues that constrain the effective supply and use of agricultural inputs in West Africa. The goal of EnGRAIS is to contribute to improve sustainable agricultural productivity and inclusive growth for West Africans through its strategic objective of sustainably increasing regional availability and use of appropriate and affordable fertilizers. The project is applying a multi-faceted approach, working throughout the fertilizer supply chain as a facilitator and enhancing strategic actors’ ability to improve the business environment and transition to a private sector-led fertilizer market that responds to an effective demand for productivity-enhancing inputs in West Africa. The project has been collaborating with various partners such as ECOWAS, UEMOA, CILSS, NARS, AGRA and WAFA in the context of the promotion of the regional fertilizer industry.

The quality of fertilizers used in West Africa is crucial for the region’s agricultural productivity and food security. Thus, increasing farmers’ access to quality (right nutrient content, quantity in bag, physical properties for application) fertilizers is key to improving crop yields and overall food security as well as meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2 on Zero Hunger by 2030. However, from studies conducted under several consecutive programs in the region, IFDC learned that the national fertilizer quality control systems are limited in their ability to properly analyze fertilizers (at both public and private laboratories), to ensure the fertilizer products are of good quality, and meet the requirements and standards specified in the regional regulation for fertilizer quality control C/Reg 12/12/13 agreed upon and implemented by countries in the region. Based on this knowledge and the reinforcement of the harmonized regulation on fertilizer quality control, ECOWAS through the Feed the Future EnGRAIS Project, implemented by IFDC sought to improve the capacities of laboratories for fertilizer analysis. The need for addressing these capacity issues has also been highlighted in the recommendations of the first and second meetings of the West African Committee for Fertilizer Control (WACoFeC).

The initiative to establish the reference laboratories commenced with an assessment of laboratories across West Africa that identified a shortlist of potential laboratories. Hence, a Fertilizer Laboratory Expert is being recruited to assist in the setting up the reference laboratories for West Africa, based on these initial assessments. This Terms of Reference outlines the role and responsibilities of a Fertilizer Laboratory Expert to aid in the selection and capacity building of reference laboratories in West Africa. The expert will play a critical role in ensuring that the laboratories meet the necessary standards for fertilizer testing and certification, ultimately supporting the agricultural sector's growth and sustainability in the region.