JOB OPPORTUNITY FOR COUNTRY FORA COMMUNICATION, INFORMATION AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT (KM) FACILITATORS

African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS) is a Continental body that brings National Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services (AEAS) under one umbrella. Its mission is to promote lesson learning and add value to initiatives in agricultural advisory services through sharing of information and increased professional interaction, and its goal is to enhance utilization of improved knowledge and innovations by agricultural value chain actors for improving productivity oriented towards their individual and national development objectives. Currently AFAAS is active in 17 countries. In each of these countries it works through Country Fora (CF) that bring together diverse public and private sector individuals and organizations operating at different levels of the national agricultural innovation systems. These include farmers/ farmers’ organisations, agricultural advisory service providers, policy makers, and the whole range of actors who support value chains. The CF provide all these actors a space to share their experiences, exchange information, providing services to each other and identify opportunities for AEAS-related innovations in their domains of work. AFAAS builds the institutional mechanisms for this to happen.

In the countries where such mechanisms have taken root, AFAAS has embarked on facilitating them to undertake communication, information and knowledge management (CIKM) as a service to the members. The KM activities focus on facilitating and building capacity for: (i) communication and engagement between members, (ii) generation of content that can be shared between members, (iii) adoption of tools and platforms for engagement/communication and content generation, (iv) network sustainability, and (v) governance to ensure that the CF is credible as a knowledge network. The AFAAS Secretariat has put in place mechanisms to support the activities. These include a website, a virtual social networking platform (VSNP) and presence on various social media platforms to support web-based KM. It also supports non-web based KM activities in the CF such as production of newsletters, workshops, conferences and marketplaces for information and services.

AFAAS through the CFs is soliciting services of CIKM Facilitators to help CFs undertake Knowledge management activities at the national, facilitate interactions among stakeholders, and between CFs and AFAAS Secretariat.

II-                  OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The objective of the assignment is to support the Cameroon Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (CAMFAAS)'s Secretariats in Cameroon and members to undertake KM activities that contribute to the AFAAS mission and goal.

III-                SCOPE OF WORK

1        CF Knowledge Network Governance

a.    Sensitise CF members on the terms and conditions for governance of the CF as a knowledge network;

b.    Ensure tat all CF content that goes out (to the CF network, the general AFAAS network and the public) is appropriately certified through the CF quality assurance mechanisms; 

2        Communication and Engagement

1. Sensitise members of the CF on the website and VSNP as means for communication and engagement;
2. Manage the CAMFAAS pages on the website and the VSNP;
3. Continuously identify areas for improvements and refinements for the website and VSNP and bring these to the attention of the Communication, Information and Knowledge Management Officer at the AFAAS Secretariat;
4. Conceptualize and manage the CFs Social media channels;
5. Support the CF Secretariat in carrying out visibility activities at national level and developing publicity information and materials;
6. Develop a system for managing and sharing information among CFs key stakeholders who include, the Board, implementing partners and development partners;

3        Content Development and management

a.    Identify, collect, collate and curate the information content that CF members have for sharing;

b.    Support the CF Secretariat in managing the processes for enhancing content generation and sharing by the members;

4        Tools and Platforms

a.    Identify the CF members’ needs for tools and platforms that can enhance their efficiency and effectiveness in delivery of services to their clients;

b.    Continuously sensitise the CF secretariat and members on the new tools and platforms and how they can be accessed;

5        Sustainability

a.    Participate in conceptualising, planning and implementing marketplaces through which the CF can generate revenue from the services it provides to members

IV-               DELIVERABLES

1. High rating of the CAMFAAS as a credible knowledge network by members and external stakeholders;
2. Enhanced communication, engagement and interactions of CF members online (AFAAS website, VSNP, social media, etc) and offline (workshops, newsletters, conferences, marketplaces, etc);
3. Enhanced generation and sharing of content by CF members;  
4. Enhanced awareness and adoption of tools and platforms for increasing effectiveness and efficiency of service delivery by CF members;
5. Increase in revenue generated by the CF through the services it provides to members;
6. Increased visibility of the CF at national level and beyond;

V-                 LIAISON AND REPORTING ARRANGEMENTS

The KM Facilitators will work under the supervision of the CF Focal Persons and report to AFAAS Communications, Information and Knowledge Management Officer.

VI-               WORK STATION

The KM Facilitators shall be based at the CFs Secretariat.

VII-             REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

The CIKM Facilitator (individual or organisation) shall be a member or a potential member of the CF with a good understanding of the CF and AFAAS objectives. The required qualifications of the person(s) to undertake the work are:

          i            A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in a field related to Journalism, Public relations, Communication, or Knowledge management.

        ii            Excellent communication skills;

      iii            A track record - spanning at least three years - that shows ability to manage/ use internet-based KM processes/ tools;

       iv            A background in working in agriculture and/or rural development contexts would be an advantage;

VIII-           DURATION OF ASSIGNMENT

The assignment shall run for one year from the starting date.

IX-               Submission procedures

Interested candidate (individual or organization) must submit the following document in English or French:

-          An update CV duly signed by the applicant,

-          Passport size photograph

-          Technical and financial proposition (description of methodology and salaries expectation) no more than three pages

-          All these must be submitted to camfaas.cmr@gmail.com with copy to ngouambe@gmail.com  with subject line “ICKM Officer for CAMFAAS”

-          All application must be submitted no later than March 13^th at 23:59 (Cameroon time zone).

-          For further information email to ngouambe@gmail.com or call 00237 679717809/222311289/677624121