Terms of Reference- Heifer International, Ethiopia

Terms of Reference – To recruit a consultant to organize competition for Youth Technology Innovation Prize.

 Background:

Since 1944, Heifer International has worked with more than 39 million families around the world to end hunger and poverty in a sustainable way. Working with rural communities in 21 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Americas, including the United States, Heifer International supports farmers and local food producers to strengthen local economies and build secure livelihoods that provide a living income.

Heifer Ethiopia: started operations in 2004 partnering with international and local partners. The partnership is in the areas of agricultural projects including livelihoods improvement – vegetable production, dairy, and livestock feed in SNNPR (Wolaita area). Since 2020, Heifer has been collaborating in agricultural development with partners.

Heifer Ethiopia’s Programmatic areas: Agricultural development (crop and livestock) employing agribusiness value chains (Poultry, Horticulture, small Ruminants, Dairy, Honey, etc.), climate resilience, and job creation through entrepreneurship Opportunities, water development, and livelihood improvement programs.

Heifer priority focuses areas: Women, youth, smallholder farmers, water, and environment. Heifer is developing long-term partnerships with institutional donors and foundations for smallholders, youth, and women to improve livelihoods through agriculture development.

In 2021, Heifer launched the AYuTe Africa Challenge, which awards cash grants to the most promising young agritech innovators across Africa. The AYuTe Africa Challenge aims to be one of the most ambitious agriculture competitions on the continent. We envision combining the power of African youth with the many possibilities of emerging technologies to support smallholder farmers across Africa to grow their businesses and incomes – a transformative force we call AYuTe.

In 2022, the AYuTe Africa Challenge will announce champions for West, East and Southern Africa. The 2022 edition will also be accompanied by national level competitions, including in Ethiopia. Heifer Ethiopia is recruiting a consultant (firm/individual consultant) with solid and relevant experience in organizing, and facilitating, innovative technology competitions.

Duties and responsibilities:

Under the guidance of the country director in collaboration with the youth innovation focal person, the consultant will undertake the following:

• Design communications strategy and develop communication materials.
• Develop web platform to house information about the competition and the winning candidate
• Pitch and promote competition using combination of earned and paid media. Communication Develop and design the competition strategy.
• Develop a workplan for the competition.
• Communicate with relevant stakeholders and discuss on the strategy and detail plan.
• Identify opportunities for creating and delivering inspiring messaged to attract multimedia content about youth innovation.
• Mapping and identification of broadcasting platforms and identify appropriate broadcasting platforms.
• channels to include television, radio, and print.
• Identification, engagement, and onboarding of selection committee and judges
• Coordination and completion of the virtual pitch events
• Organize an event for the award ceremony (platform)
• Due-diligence and summary report on top finalists from the pitch events and recommendation on winning start-up company to receive cash grant
• Oversee production of content to profile winner and their business

Desirable skills, knowledge, and experience

• A minimum of 10 years’ experience with a proven professional record working in organizing competition.
• The consultant should have a relevant education background in journalism/or communication /or marketing/PR and an ability to work with a diverse range of stakeholders.
• Excellent spoken and written English and Amharic with a working knowledge of the other local languages.

The consultant is expected to have the following skills and abilities:

• Proven record delivering highly visible competitions/events, securing local, national and regional coverage.
• Experience building positioning strategies for organizations/events, engaging youth, expert and donor audiences
• Strong national and regional media contacts and demonstrable experience getting stories picked up by print and broadcast.
• Fast, accurate, creative, and versatile writing skills, including for digital media
• Experience in creating and engaging social media assets and image editing.
• Good understanding of the issues relating to Youth Innovation and agriculture
• Ability to analyze information quickly and simply for audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to work with minimum supervision, be dynamic, proactive, and creative.

Deliverables:

• Inception report with the detailed approach.
• Developed a designed competition strategy
• Developed competition activity plan
• Communications materials developed and designed.
• Developed web platform to house information about the competition and the winning solutions
• Lists of Judges involved in the selection of innovative competitors
• Due-diligence and summary report on top finalists from the pitch events and recommendation on winning start-up company to receive cash grant
• Reporting on funds disbursement to selected companies.
• Develop and share reports across the lifecycle of the project which include all project activities such as, insights, learnings, and recommendations
• Photos of competition and winners for website and social media