AGRA

Location: Kigali, Rwanda

Job Reference: EOO/AFSF/02/2024

AGRA and its Work

About the Africa Systems Forum:

Established in 2006, the Africa Food Systems Forum – formerly known as AGRF is the world’s premier forum for African agriculture, bringing together stakeholders in the agricultural landscape to take practical actions and share lessons that will move African agriculture forward. The Forum is a multi-sector platform comprising of 28 partners leading in African agriculture and food systems all focused on putting farmers and investments at the centre of the continent’s growing economies.   

AGRF’s mission is to inform influence and catalyze has focused on six strategic objectives: 

Agenda Setting – AGRF serves as a platform for identifying, defining, and driving national-, regional, and continental-level priorities to accelerate progress by a broad cross-section of stakeholders through a shared vision and coordination. 

Evidence-based Policy Reform – AGRF advocates and promotes evidence-based policy reforms to unlock the growth potential across the continent through agricultural transformation. 

Investment Facilitation & Finance – AGRF builds and advances the pipeline of agri-investment opportunities across the continent to unlock new private sector investments at all levels – small, medium, and large. 

Knowledge Sharing & Learning – AGRF shares strategies, approaches, tools, and insights about what works and what does not work to inform prioritization, replication, and scaling where appropriate. 

Partnership Development & Coordination – AGRF facilitates efforts to forge and advance working relationships across an array of AGRF stakeholders to best achieve all other objectives and ensure that the community is best driving a coherent vision with effective and efficient use of resources. 

Leadership cultivation – AGRF works with partners to identify, support, and cultivate the next generation of leaders for agricultural transformation at various levels.  

AGRA is an African-led institution that actively supports the drive towards inclusive agricultural transformation and sustainable food systems. We do this by empowering the continent’s 33 million smallholder farming households to transform their agriculture from a struggle to survive to profitable businesses. The continent’s farmers regularly face challenges, and we aspire to provide uniquely African solutions that respond to their agricultural and environmental challenges, leading to increased harvests for reduced hunger and more income. 

AGRA hosts the secretariat of the Africa Food systems Forum, the world premier forum for African agriculture and food systems. 

Accountability – AGRF works with partners to track and share progress and results of political, policy, and financing commitments made by partners over the years.

The Position

Event and Operations Officer Job Reference: EOO/AFSF/02/2024

The Event and Operations Officer will be responsible for the overall quality control of the planning and execution of Africa Food Systems Forum (AFS Forum) events. The role will oversee and review the quality of all aspects of event production, from initial concept to final clear-out. AFS Forum Events is to be delivered effectively in accordance with the AFS Forum event objectives and meets the needs of the AFSF Partners Group while also meeting the international standards.

The ideal candidate will be responsible for organizing with all event services providers all AFS Forum events that will make an impact to the target audience while ensuring that the events are successful and cost-effective, paying attention to budget and time constraints. S/He should reinforce stakeholders’ relations, improve the AFSF Partners Group image, and effectively deliver on event objectives. S/He is responsible for researching and securing venues, planning, and managing our events’ calendar, negotiating quotes and agreements with vendors, assisting with event marketing, monitoring timeframes and budgets, networking.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Ensure the overall quality control of AFS Forum events planning and delivery.
• Develop an integrated and concise annual work events in line with African Food System (AFS) forum objectives and goals that shall guide the implementation of all activities required to meet AFS Forum and AGRA’s expectations for the successful delivery of annual summits and all AFS forum events related.
• Pro-actively support the AFS Forum Secretariat in tracking, monitoring, and managing the deliverables of other consultants/ Firms who have been engaged to provide services during all AFS Forum events.
• Oversee and provide high-quality delivery of a successful summit, which may include the service of the global event manager but is not limited to delegate management, Registration, Badging & onsite accreditation management, Venue liaison, Catering and hospitality services, exhibition management, Manage the ICT and event production, Branding, Security.
• Develop a comprehensive resources and responsibility matrix outlining the event organizational structure, roles, ways of working and reporting line, for the summit.
• Develop, document, and archive standard operating procedures, templates, etc. for all service providers, the Summit and other AFS Forum events.
• Plan with Local Organizing Committee (LOC) all aspect related to the event and share updates on the overall planning of the Summit and other events.
• Collaborate with the rest of the team to define the themes event, content, and goals.
• Develop and maintain strategic partnerships with all partners.
• Coordinate of all social events related to the Summit including Side Events, Partner Events that may include breakfast meetings, Gala Dinner, any proposed cocktails during the Summit week.
• Oversee the coordination of any exhibition spaces in collaboration with other service providers.
• Coordinate a centralized production room during the Summit that shall coordinate key decision-making and floor management of ongoing events during the Summit.
• Work closely with the head of partnership to develop and execute strategies for securing sponsorships and partnerships to support the event funding.
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with event sponsors, donors, strategic partners.
• Coordinate event staff, volunteers, and contractors.
• Oversee the coordination of the registration (online and physical) but not limited to fields containing names, organization, designation, country, mode of transport, accommodation booking, email address, phone numbers, special dietary requirements, agenda selection, travel bookings linked to travel agent for bookings, online package selection, online invoicing and payment portal, personalized confirmation email including invoice and payment receipts.
• Oversee the coordination of the venue of the Summit if it is fully set, including all session rooms, with adequate signage, branding etc.
• Develop and implement strategies with services providers to ensure diversity and inclusion among event participants.
• Consolidate all minutes and briefing reports after each planning or briefing meeting held in relation to all events.
• Develop post event evaluation mechanism to measure the success of AFS Forum events and all service providers.
• Prepare comprehensive event reports, including lessons learned and recommendations for improvement.
• Handle any other task related to events, as requested by your supervisor.
• Oversee all logistical aspects of event planning, including venue selection, accommodation, transportation, and catering.
• Review of event budgets, financial planning, and expenditure to ensure cost effectiveness and develop events checklists.
• Support the production and quality of the Summit in coordination with the local service provider and the appointed technical & ICT team/s and technical aspects of broadcasting proposed Summit’s sessions.
• Coordinate and integrate internet and filming requirements, graphics, introductions, networking, speaker liaison, scheduling, programming, and floor management.

Key Qualifications and Experience required:

• Bachelor’s degree or Master’s degree in project management, Business Administration, Hospitality, International relations, Communications, or any other relevant field.
• Ability to build and maintain strong relations and work with stakeholders and partners.
• Experience in events management/coordination and key spokesperson for an international organization.
• Experience and a track record on engagement within Africa.
• A working knowledge of French will be an advantage.

If you believe you are the right candidate for this position, kindly submit your application with a detailed CV (including your e-mail and telephone contacts) to recruit@agra.org. Please quote the job reference number in the subject line of the application e-mail. 

Applications must be received on or before 29th February 2024. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

For more information on the AGRA, visit www.agra.org.

AGRA is an Equal Opportunity Employer