ndividual Consultancy: Capacity Building on Data Collection & Management of Animal Genetic Resources -AU-IBAR

Introduction

The African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), a specialized technical office of the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment (DARBE) of the African Union Commission, is mandated to support and coordinate the development and utilization of livestock, fisheries, aquaculture and wildlife as resources for both human wellbeing and economic development in the Member States of the African Union.

The Vision of the AU-IBAR Strategic Plan 2018-2023 is an Africa in which animal resources contribute significantly to integration, prosperity and peace. The Mandate of AU-IBAR is to support and coordinate the sustainable development and utilization of animal resources to enhance nutrition and food security and contribute to the wellbeing and prosperity of the people in the MSs of the AU. As part of it core functions, AU-IBAR initiates and coordinates the implementation of relevant projects and activities in collaboration and cooperation with Member States (MSs), Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and development partners. AU-IBAR has successfully implemented numerous projects in close collaboration with various national, regional and international technical and development partners.

AU-IBAR through the Genetics Project “Strengthening the capacity of African countries for the conservation and sustainable utilization of African Animal Genetic Resources” (2013-2019), produced  key achievements that catalysed the transformation of the animal genetic resources (AnGR) sector in various aspects. These achievements included: the publication of the first ever The State of Farm Animal Genetic Resources in Africa report that provides a comprehensive showcase of Africa’s unique animal breed diversity and invaluable insights of their ecologically important traits.  The publication also highlights the diverse production systems and illustrates the distribution and population trends of various animal species.  The threats to Africa’s Farm AnGR (FAnGR), are also elucidated and effective genetic improvement and conservation and sustainable utilization strategies, are proposed.

The governance environment (institutional arrangements, policies, strategies, regulations, protocols etc.) are also highlighted to enhance the decision-making processes of key stakeholders in the management of AnGR.  The publication is a must-have document for national governments policy and decision-makers, scientists, breeders’ societies/associations, universities, civil societies, Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and other stakeholders in the management of AnGR.  The publication was a product of collaboration between AU-IBAR and Member States, FAO, ILRI, Sub-Regional Organizations (CCARDESA, CORAF/WECARD, CEBEVIHRA, ASARECA and NARO).

AU-IBAR also established five regional African Union Animal Resources Seed Centres of Excellence (AU-ARSCoE) for the cryo-conservation of Africa’s rich AnGR diversity as well as serving as training centres on novel technologies for cryo-conservation and sustainable utilization.  Twenty-two African Member States developed their National Strategies and Action Plans on AnGR, while 27 breeders’ associations/societies were established through the Genetics Project, in efforts to promote Africa’s rich AnGR diversity for improved production and productivity.  Furthermore, AU-IBAR through the Genetics Project, developed the digital Animal Genetic Resources – Characterization, Inventory and Monitoring (AnGR-CIM) tool, the first of its kind in Africa.  This tool has the capacity to collect phenotypic, reproductive and environmental data parameters.

The Domestic Animal Diversity Information System (DAD-IS) is a global communication tool supporting strategies for the management of animal genetic resources (AnGR) and plays a role as a clearing-house mechanism as well as serving as an early warning tool on changes in AnGR diversity.  DAD-IS is managed by the Animal Production and Health Division (NSA) at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).  The tool provides National Coordinators for AnGR with secure means to control the entry, update and access of national data on the diversity of AnGR.  There have been challenges of lack of reliable and up-to-date data for entry into DAD-IS by Member States, particularly, data on cryo-conservation, breed and populations.

This information is critical for guiding the national management of AnGR and calculations for the Sustainable Development Goal Indicators 2.5.1b and 2.5.2, for which NSA is the focal point at FAO. As of June 2024, globally (excluding extinct breeds), 59% of local breeds are classified as having “unknown” status, while 28% are considered at risk and only 13% are considered not at risk.  For Africa, 81% of local breeds have unknown status, 5% are at risk and 14% are not at risk.  The lack of breed population data at national level, is the main reason for the gaps observed in these data.  Many African countries do not conduct regular censuses due to the high costs involved which renders annual SDG reporting difficult.  Moreover, countries do not provide information at breed level.  Therefore, countries need cost efficient solutions allowing them to regularly estimate the breed population sizes of their AnGR.

To address the information and data gaps highlighted above, FAO launched different pilot projects in Latin America, North Africa and Asia to develop methodology and simple tools for collection and/or estimation of population size data for their national breed populations.  The project involved the development of a document describing the methodology and a simple data entry tool (access data base tool) allowing the estimation of breed populations at country level.  AU-IBAR as the Regional Focal Point for the management of AnGR in Africa, is an implementing partner in the region due to its intergovernmental mandate and focus to build capacities of African countries on sustainable management of AnGR.

AU-IBAR therefore, intends to commission a short-term consultancy to support AU-IBAR in building the capacity of Member States to collect and manage data required for the estimation of breed populations at country level for input into DAD-IS.

Objectives of the Consultancy

The overall objective of the consultancy is to provide technical support to enable Member States to collect breed population data and input into DAD-IS. This will be achieved through strengthening the institutional capacity and responsibilities for scaling-up (in terms of coverage of species) and long-term collection of breed population data.

The specific objectives of the consultancy are to:

1. Provide technical support to the National Coordinators for AnGR in the identification and selection of national implementing partners in the five African countries selected for this project to conduct data collection, analyses and entry into DAD-IS.
2. Facilitate national stakeholder assessment workshops to deliberate on the methodology of data collection/estimation/extrapolation of population and breed data, including identification of species and breeds to be captured in the data collection.
3. Develop the relevant training materials for the national training workshops.
4. Facilitate national training workshops on data collection and management to build national capacity on the methodology for data collection highlighting the importance of breed level data.
5. Facilitate the conduct of national stakeholder coordination workshops in preparation for the implementation of the data collection, analyses and entry into DAD-IS.
6. Coordinate field visits during the national data collection process.
7. Facilitate the conduct of national validation workshops to review data collection, analyses and preparation for entry into DAD-IS.
8. Compile all relevant reports pertaining to the above activities.
9. Perform other duties as requested by the technical supervisor and the Director AU-IBAR.

Expected Outputs / Deliverables of the Consultancy

 It is expected that the following will be achieved under this assignment:

1. Identification and selection of national implementing partners in the five African countries selected for this project to conduct data collection, analyses and entry into DAD-IS, conducted.
2. National stakeholder assessment workshops to deliberate on the methodology of data collection/estimation/extrapolation of population and breed data, including identification of species and breeds to be captured in the data collection; conducted and facilitated.
3. Relevant training materials for the national training workshops, developed.
4. National training workshops on data collection and management to build national capacity on the methodology for data collection highlighting the importance of breed level data, conducted and facilitated.
5. National stakeholder coordination workshops in preparation for the implementation of the data collection, analyses and entry into DAD-IS., conducted and facilitated.
6. Field visits to conduct national data collection process, conducted.
7. National validation workshops to review data collection, analyses and preparation for entry into DAD-IS, conducted and facilitated.
8. Relevant reports pertaining to the above activities, compiled and submitted.
9. Other duties as requested by the technical supervisor and the Director AU-IBAR, conducted.

Duty Station

This consultancy will be home-based.

Criteria  for Scoring

Criteria	Scores (%)
Qualifications	25
General Experience	30
Specific Experience	30
Language	15
Total	100

Gender  Mainstraeming

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

Methodology

The consultant will work in close collaboration with team of experts at AU-IBAR.

Time frame

The assignment will be conducted for a period of 50 working days spread over 6 months.
The assignment will start immediately after signature of the contract by both parties.

Competences and experience

Qualifications

A Masters degree in Animal Science, Animal Production, Genetics and Genomics or any relevant fields will be required and a PhD in any relevant field will be an added advantage

General experience

The consultant should have: 

1. At least fifteen (15) years’ experience in the animal genetic resources sub-sector.  At least five (5) years’ experience in managing continental projects/programs related to the management of AnGR is an added advantage.
2. At least 10 years of experience working with the national, regional and continental governance structures leading AnGR actions.
3. Good interpersonal skills and ability to work with people of different cultures and professional backgrounds.
4. Fluency in English and/or AU languages.

Specific Experience

1. Demonstrated experience of Minimum five (5) years in managing Animal genetics Resources data with strong understanding of sector data ecosystem, methodologies and tools.
2. Demonstrated experience in assessing / developing or implementing data management strategy/policy on national, regional or multi-national levels.
3. Strong data analysis and visualization skills ideally in the context of the AnGR data.
4. Proficient in the use of the Animal Genetics Resources Characterization, inventory and monitoring (AnGR-CIM tools) and the FAO AnGR genetics tools.
5. Proficient in facilitating and delivering capacity building / training programs, especially related to data management.
6. Demonstrated experience in facilitating national, regional and continental stakeholder dialogues in AnGR data ecosystems.
7. Demonstrated experience of Minimum five (5) years in managing Animal genetics Resources data with strong understanding of sector data ecosystem, methodologies and tools.
8. Demonstrated experience in assessing / developing or implementing data management strategy/policy on national, regional or multi-national levels.
9. Strong data analysis and visualization skills ideally in the context of the AnGR data.
10. Proficient in the use of the Animal Genetics Resources Characterization, inventory and monitoring (AnGR-CIM tools) and the FAO AnGR genetics tools.
11. Proficient in facilitating and delivering capacity building / training programs, especially related to data management.

Remuneration

The consultant will be paid a lump sum of USD 15,000.00. The consultancy fees will be paid upon satisfactory completion and delivery of the expected outputs.

Supervision

The consultant will work under the guidance and supervision of the Technology, Innovation and Skill Development Expert and the overall supervision of the Director AU-IBAR.

Disclaimer

All data, information and reports generated form the consultancy is intellectual property of AU-IBAR.

How to Apply

Submission of Applications

Applications should be submitted through email to: procurement@au-ibar.org with a copy to: emmah.boro@au-ibar.org and should include the title “Capacity Building on Data Collection and Management of Animal Genetic Resources” in the subject of the email.

The application should include the following:

i.    Detailed curriculum vitae (CV) and brief cover letter.
ii.    Copies of academic and professional certification documents.
iii.    Declaration on exclusion criteria (see format attached).
iv.    Identification documents.

A Personal Data Protection and Privacy Statement is attached as information for the applicants.

Application Deadline

Applications should be submitted to the address given above by 11th March 2026 at 23:45hrs Nairobi Local Time.