Lead Agriculture Specialist/Economist

Lead Agriculture Specialist/Economist

Job #:

req34042

Organization:

World Bank

Sector:

Agriculture

Grade:

GH

Term Duration: 4 years 0 months

Recruitment Type:

International Recruitment

Location:

Nairobi,Kenya

Required Language(s):

English

Preferred Language(s):

French, Portuguese

Closing Date:

8/29/2025 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank Group provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty, increasing shared prosperity and promoting sustainable development. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, we work with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges. For more information, visit 

Africa (AFE) Region

Home to almost 60% of Africa's population, the Eastern and Southern Africa (AFE) region is geographically, culturally, and economically diverse and comprises 26 countries stretching from the Red Sea in the North to the Cape of Good Hope in the South. 

AFE boasts some of the world's richest natural resources, including minerals that will be critical to low carbon development.  Signs of economic transformation are also emerging in ICT, infrastructure and a vibrant private sector that is supported by a young and dynamic population.  Despite the region's potential, economic growth remains low in many of the AFE countries. Key challenges include persistent inequality and limited access to productive employment, heavy debt burdens exacerbated by slow growth, low agricultural productivity, weak infrastructure, low human capital and limited resilience to climate change and conflict.   This creates a huge development challenge, impacts heavily on the lives and livelihoods of people, and hinders regional integration and trade. But it also creates an opportunity to work closely with country leaders, civil society, development partners, and young people to chart a brighter course for the future.  

The World Bank's Eastern and Southern Africa Region, comprised of approximately 1,200 staff, has been helping countries realize their considerable development potential by focusing on the five dimensions of People, Prosperity, Planet, Infrastructure, and Digital to realize rapid economic transformation that unlocks the region's growth potential, addresses unemployment and underemployment, reduces poverty and inequality, manages debt and fiscal pressures, and builds resilience.

Eastern and Southern Africa Planet
Department

The Africa East and South Planet Department
(AFEPD) provides a wide range of financial, knowledge and convening services to
help address Eastern and Southern Africa countries' most complex development
issues.  The
AFE Planet Department is led by
the Regional Practice Director and consists of four global practices
(GPs); Agriculture and Food, Environment, Social Development, and Water, and
leads on the Climate Change agenda. The Department has a robust
engagement in the region, including, in the last fiscal year, $1.6B in new
lending, a portfolio of $17 billion in financing in 96 projects, and annual
disbursement of over 21% of that financing.  Our knowledge
program is extensive and provided through a mix of Advisory Services and
Analytics (ASA), including Reimbursable Advisory Services.  The AFE Planet Department also innovates in
the use of financial instruments and partnerships, leveraging One World Bank
Group working in close partnership with IFC and MIGA.

The Agriculture and Food Global
Practice

Our AFE agriculture and food work
contributes to and benefits from our efforts across the globe, and is brought
together under the leadership of a Global Director, supported by ten regional
Practice Managers and a Manager for Global Engagement. In addition, the Agriculture
and Food GP Leadership team includes seven Global Leads: Data and Digital
Agriculture; Agribusiness, Finance and Jobs; Public Policy and Expenditure; One
Health; Climate and Nature; Food & Nutrition Security, and Science,
Knowledge and Innovation.

Agriculture and Food in the Kenya CMU

The WBG has active agriculture and food
programs in all countries in the CMU – Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, and Uganda – with
a total engagement of nearly $1.2 billion and a growing pipeline. These
programs largely aim to increase agricultural productivity, enhance market
participation, improve the resilience of farmers and food systems to climate
and economics shocks, and expand access to agricultural financial services for
producers and agribusinesses. The Agriculture and Food teams also contribute to
projects and strategic ASAs led by other GPs.

Kenya

The
World Bank has committed about $1.4 billion of investments in the sector over
the past decade, including the Kenya Climate Smart Agriculture Project (closed
November 2023) and the National Agricultural and Rural Inclusive Growth Project
(closed March These projects delivered important results in all 45 rural
counties, reaching over 1.4 million farmers and increasing productivity and
profitability in key agricultural value chains. The two projects also supported
foundational investments such as climate smart agriculture, big data
architecture, and establishing agro-meteorological stations.

The
active portfolio includes two projects with total commitment of US$400 million
and one programmatic advisory service and analytics (ASA) activity. The National
Agriculture Value Chain Development Project supports productivity, value
addition, market linkages, data-driven value chain services, farmer led irrigation
development, and access to credit and financial services. The Food Systems
Resilience Project, part of the regional AFE MPA, aims to increase the
resilience of food systems and preparedness for food insecurity in selected
counties. In addition to the ASA which is focused on a learning program on digital
agriculture and jobs, several technical assistance activities are being
provided in the areas of public expenditure, energy-efficient cold storage,
methane reduction in livestock production, sustainable aquaculture, and women
economic empowerment and financial inclusion.

With
urbanization projected to reach 46.28 percent by 2050 and a growing middle
class demanding diverse and high-quality food, there are growing opportunities
for value addition and job creation in agricultural value chains. The priority
solutions include leveraging agriculture technology and whole-of-value chain
financing to connect organized farmers to markets, increase on-farm labor
productivity (better jobs), and create more jobs in the downstream segments. Policy
reforms will be needed to increase the effectiveness of both public and private
sector financing.

Uganda

Agriculture
productivity growth is critical for accelerating economic growth, poverty
reduction and reducing vulnerability in Uganda. Farm level yields of most
commodities are less than 50 percent of their potential, primarily due to smallholder
farmers' reliance on rain-fed agriculture, low use of modern farming
techniques, limited access to agricultural finance, weak extension services,
and limited value addition.

The
active World Bank agriculture portfolio consists of the Climate Smart
Agricultural Transformation Project (US$350 million) and the GAFSP funded
Strengthening Productive Capacity and Resilience of Smallholder Sweet Potato
Producer Organizations (US$ 2.33 million). Analytical work is focused on demonstrating
how AI can strengthen agricultural extension services and Payment for
Environmental Services in Uganda.

The
government of Uganda has initiated an agro-industrialization agenda that aims
to transform and create jobs in the agricultural sector through strategic
investments to increase productivity, promote value addition, and develop
infrastructure and skills. It opens opportunities for productive partnerships between
the public and private sector to facilitate technology adoption, de-risk value
chains, expand service delivery, and ultimately create more jobs in agriculture
and rural economy.  

Somalia

Somalia possesses considerable
agricultural potential, with two perennial rivers, extensive rangelands, and
well-established livestock export markets to the Middle East. However, the
sector is facing severe productivity constraints, primarily due to the conflict
situation. Cereal production has collapsed by 90 percent since the 1980s,
irrigation operates at only 9 percent of pre-war capacity, and the US$ 2
billion annual food import bill exposes the economy to global price shocks.
Climate projections indicate that rainfed yields could decline about 7 percent by
2050s under dry scenarios. However, amidst these worrying trends there are some
emerging opportunities. Water productivity increased by 16 percent between 2000
and 2019, sesame exports reached US$108 million in 2023, and the livestock
sector has immense potential for growth.

The World Bank is investing US$180
million in the agriculture sector through the Food Systems Resilience Project,
which is part of a regional MPA. The support is focused on building resilience,
enhancing food security, and promoting inclusive rural economic growth in a
fragile context. In addition to lending, the World Bank is providing analytics and
advisory services to support value chain diagnostics, adoption of digital
agriculture, strengthening veterinary systems, and support for the Somalia Food
Security Crisis Preparedness Plan.

Rwanda

Agriculture has been a key driver of
consumption growth and poverty reduction. Between 2001 and 2011, increased
agricultural productivity and commercialization accounted for one-third of
household consumption growth, reducing poverty by 2.4 percentage points
annually. However, poverty reduction slowed to 1.3 percentage points annually between
2011 and 2017, despite steady agricultural GDP growth averaging 4.8 percent per
year. Irrigation coverage remains limited as only
6 percent of cropped land was irrigated in 2024. The sector accounts for 33 percent of new jobs created. With food
demand expected to double and the population projected to increase by 47
percent by 2040, the opportunities are massive for agriculture value chains to create
jobs, especially in high-value crops and animal products with strong market
potential and comparative advantage.

The active World Bank portfolio in agriculture
totals US$244 million, including the Commercialization
and De-risking for Agriculture Transformation Project and Second Sustainable
Agricultural Intensification and Food Security Project. The support aims to
strengthen farmers' organizations, increase agricultural productivity, develop
competitive value chains, enhance commercialization, and improve the enabling
environment for private sector investments. Key interventions include community
irrigation systems and Farmer-Led Irrigation Development, expanding access to
finance through credit line to value chain actors – including farmers and cooperatives,
scaling up the national agriculture insurance scheme, and sustainable land management
to enhance resilience to landslides and boost agricultural productivity.  

Duties and Responsibilities

The Lead Agriculture Specialist/Economist will be a key member of the Agriculture and Food Leadership Team in AFE, reporting to the Practice Manager (SAEA2). Specifically, s/he will lead a team to deliver impactful projects and strategic advisory and analytical tasks in Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia and Uganda, while working closely with the Practice Manager, Regional Program Director, Division Director and Country Managers. The specific responsibilities will include:

(a) Provide technical and thought leadership with clear vision, coherent strategy, and current knowledge to position the agriculture food systems in country programs, including designing innovative solutions to create jobs in agriculture value chains in close collaboration with IFC and MIGA.

(b) Lead the design, preparation and supervision of complex operation projects as Task Team Leader (TTL), ensuring high-quality outputs, and leveraging instruments such as DPLs, IPFs, P4Rs, and trust funds.

(c) Lead strategic and high-priority policy reforms dialogue with clients, manage strategic knowledge products, and position key sector reforms in development policy lending programs.

(d) Assume an active role in the CMU to ensure adequate and appropriate integration of relevant aspects of the agriculture and rural development agenda in core Bank products, including country partnership frameworks, strategic country diagnostics, country economic memoranda, and CCDRs.

(e) Serve as an active member of the AFE Planet team and contribute to the integration of Planet solutions into coherent programs, including on water, sustainable land management, and emission reductions, while working closely with the Planet leadership team, CMUs, and the clients.

(f) Actively engage with stakeholders and development partners and represent the Agriculture and Food team at relevant events and speaking engagements to identify opportunities for partnerships to improve program delivery.

(g) Serve as focal point for Agriculture and Food in Kenya CMU countries through close client engagement, liaison with the CMU, and provide quality assurance of the portfolio,

(h) Provide mentoring, advice and support to Agriculture and Food staff in the Kenya CMU, including TTLs of demanding operations.

Selection Criteria

Candidates must demonstrate proven professional excellence,
outstanding oral and written communication skills, excellent interpersonal
skills, and the ability to convert strategic thinking into practical
solutions.  The following specific
criteria will also apply:

· A master's degree in agricultural and resource economics, agribusiness, agriculture or closely related discipline.

· At least 12 years of relevant professional experience in agriculture, agribusiness, and other disciplines related to food systems, including experience in two regions, or one region and corporate assignment.

· Recognized by peers and/or managers for cutting edge knowledge, the ability to identify problems and translate knowledge into innovative and concrete solutions, while maintaining strong client focus.

· Demonstrated intellectual leadership in the sector, based on strong technical capabilities and analytical credentials, and the capacity to lead discussions on policy reforms at high levels.

· In-depth knowledge of the issues faced by smallholders in agricultural value chains and the potential of agriculture value chains to address core development objectives in the AFE region, including jobs.

· Ability to take principled and balanced positions on complex issues and to communicate and defend them orally and in writing to senior Bank management and senior government officials.

· Effective verbal, analytical and written communication skills in English, and a demonstrated ability to produce high-quality documents and analytical reports.

· Excellent interpersonal, problem-solving, and team skills with ability to think innovatively and strategically to find balanced, pragmatic and implementable solutions.

· High degree of ethics, tact, diplomacy, political judgement, negotiating skills and sensitivity in handling confidential and sensitive information.

· Self-motivated with ability to work under pressure and challenging conditions while retaining perspective and poise, and willingness to travel extensively.

WBG Culture Attributes:

1. Sense
of Urgency – Anticipating and quickly reacting to the needs of internal
and external stakeholders.
2. Thoughtful
Risk Taking – Taking informed and thoughtful risks and making courageous
decisions to push boundaries for greater impact.
3. Empowerment
and Accountability – Engaging with others in an empowered and accountable
manner for impactful results.

World Bank Group Core Competencies

The World Bank Group offers comprehensive benefits, including a retirement plan; medical, life and disability insurance; and paid leave, including parental leave, as well as reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity and inclusive employer with a dedicated and committed workforce, and do not discriminate based on gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.

Learn more about working at the World Bank and IFC, including our values and inspiring stories.

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