Consultancy Services: Compact Accountant- Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP)

SECTOR: Agriculture
CONSULTANCY SERVICES: Compact Accountant- Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP)
Financing Agreement reference: 2100155041681
Project ID No. P-Z1-AA0-139

This request for expression of interest (REOI) follows the General Procurement Notice for this Project that appeared on the African Development Bank Group’s Internet Website(www.afdb.org) 12th August 2022.

The International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has received financing from the African Development Fund toward the cost of the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) Phase II and intends to apply part of the agreed amount for this grant to payments under the contract for TAAT Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP) Compact Accountant who will be based in one of TAAT and CIP priority countries in Sub-Sahara Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Uganda).

The Consultant will be a member of the OFSP Compact Team and he/she will establish a functional accounting and financial system;

• prepare, examine, and analyze accounting records, financial statements, and other financial reports to assess accuracy, completeness and conformance to reporting and procedural standards;
• produce regular reports on commitments and available funds per categories of expenditure; prepare expenditures justification and disbursement and direct payment requests for Bank approvals;
• keep regular communication with the project task manager and the disbursement officer in the Bank’s Treasury Department to expedite the processing of special account replenishment and direct payments requests and provide any additional information;
• report in a timely manner to the project manager and upon Bank’s request on the financial status of the project;
• establish tables of accounts, and assign entries to proper accounts;
• develop, maintain, and analyze budgets, preparing periodic reports that compare budgeted costs to actual costs;
• develop, implement, update, and document recordkeeping and accounting systems, making use of current computer technology; advise management about issues such as resource utilization, and the assumptions underlying budget forecasts;
• provide internal auditing services for project in conformity with OFSP/CIP internal audit procedures and the appraisal report, the grant protocol and the disbursement letter of the project;
• assist and provide needed information by Bank supervision missions and external financial audit missions and work in collaboration with the project manager on the implementation of the audit recommendations;
• contribute to the preparation of the annual work plan and budget particularly for the financial parts;
• contribute to the preparation of the annual and quarterly reports particularly on the financial parts;
• assist the project manager in ensuring compliance with Bank financial management rules and procedures and the guidelines rules contained in the administrative and financial management manual;
• assist the project manager in the administrative management of the project team personnel.

The selected consultant will report to the OFSP Compact Coordinator and his/her assignment shall be for an initial period of One (1) year and subject to renewal with satisfactory performance.

The selected candidate should possess a;

• University degree in accounting with 5-10 years’ experience in handling the accounting and financial matters of Research & Development projects or similar projects;
• Chartered Professional Accountant Certification (CPA); Excellent communication skills – ability to communicate with peers and management at all levels of the organization;
• Strong computer skills, with expertise in Microsoft Excel, a very good knowledge and experience on OCS as well as other business operating systems;
• Strong organizational abilities and interpersonal skills;
• Strong client-service orientation and good experience with projects funded by international donors is desirable.