Job Description

HIRSHABELLE STATE OF SOMALIA

MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND IRRIGATION HIRSHABELLE STATE (MOAI -HSS)

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (REOI)

Individual Selection of Consultant

Country: Federal Government of Somalia

Project ID No. P177816

Name of the Project: Somalia Food System Resilience Project – Phase 3 (S-FSRP III)

Consulting Service: Livestock Disease Specialist HSS

Individual/Firm: Individual

Duty Station: Jowhar

Deadline: May 24, 2025

Ref No.  SO-MOAI-HSS-475042-CS-INDV

1.      BACGROUND

The Somalia Food Systems Resilience Program (FSRP) is part of a regional initiative by the World Bank to provide a comprehensive framework to intervene at both the national and regional levels. This Multiphase Programmatic Approach (MPA) aims to tackle the underlying structural challenges of food insecurity and reduce beneficiaries' vulnerability to unpredictable climate, crisis, and conflict events. It seeks to achieve this by rejuvenating Somalia's agri-livestock research institutions, seed systems, and extension services and developing community institutions that can anchor adaptation of climate-smart agri-livestock practices, strengthening the availability of water and improved rangelands management for resilient agriculture and livestock production; support animal health services, enhancing the integration of the production systems to domestic and regional markets, with appropriate investments in food safety and value addition, and establishing an enabling policy and institutional framework at a sub-national, national and regional level capable of supporting food systems resilience for Somalia.

The Project Development Objective (PDO) for Somalia Food Systems Resilience Program (FSRP) will be 'to increase preparedness against food insecurity and improve the resilience of food systems in targeted project areas of Somalia. Progress toward the PDO will be measured using five PDO indicators and intermediate indicators. All relevant indicators will be disaggregated by gender (men and women) and age (youth and adult). The five indicators are.

The Hirshabelle State of Somalia is establishing a core multi-sectoral Project Implementation Unit (PIU) supervised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation. The role of the PIU is to support the management, coordination, implementation monitoring, and evaluation of project activities. The PIU will be staffed with the following positions: - State Project Coordinator, Finance Management Specialist, Procurement Specialist, Safeguards Specialist, M&E Specialist, and other technical Agricultural and Livestock specialists.

2.     Scope of Work and Responsibility

The Livestock Disease Specialist will play a critical role in strengthening livestock health management within the framework of the Somalia Food Systems and Resilience Project (FSRP) in Hirshabelle State. The scope of work encompasses the following key areas:

• Establish and implement a systematic disease surveillance mechanism across Hirshabelle, covering key pastoral and agro-pastoral regions.
• Conduct routine field assessments to detect, document, and report emerging livestock diseases.
• Ensure the effective dissemination of disease surveillance reports to relevant authorities and stakeholders, facilitating timely decision-making and response actions.
• Support the implementation of early warning systems by integrating community-based disease reporting with Hirshabelle state veterinary structures.
• Experience in transboundary livestock disease outbreaks.
• Collaborate with key partners, including the Ministry of Livestock, Forest & Range (MoLFR), humanitarian organizations, and private veterinary service providers, to ensure coordinated disease response efforts.
• Conduct training and capacity-building sessions for community animal health workers (CAHWs) and local livestock owners on disease detection, reporting, and prevention strategies.
• Strengthen community engagement by facilitating dialogues with pastoralists and agro-pastoralists on disease risks and mitigation strategies.
• Support the planning and execution of vaccination campaigns, treatment interventions, and disease control measures in collaboration with the MoLFR of Hirshabelle.
• Assist in the procurement and distribution of veterinary supplies, diagnostic kits, and vaccines in high-risk areas.
• Contribute to the establishment of livestock health information systems for improved disease tracking and resource allocation.
• Prepare monthly and quarterly disease surveillance reports detailing key findings, recommendations, and action points.

• Maintain accurate records of disease outbreaks, control measures, and response activities for use in evaluations and impact assessments.

Experiences and Qualifications

1.     Selection Criteria: The selection shall be based on qualifications, experience and skills of the candidate and followed by an interview. The qualifications, experience and competencies include:

• A Master’s degree in Veterinary Medicine, Animal Health, Epidemiology, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in livestock disease surveillance, epidemiology, or veterinary public health.
• Experience in disease outbreak investigation, risk assessment, and livestock vaccination programs.
• Experience in developing and implementing biosecurity protocols for livestock farms and markets
• Prior engagement in pastoralist and agro-pastoralist communities in Somalia or similar settings.
• Demonstrated experience working with government institutions, NGOs, UN agencies, or donor-funded projects.
• Strong knowledge of livestock diseases common in Somalia, including transboundary animal diseases (TADs).
• Proficiency in epidemiological data collection, disease mapping
• Experience in designing and implementing disease surveillance and early warning systems.
• Experience in developing policy briefs and technical guidelines for livestock disease management
• Ability to conduct training and capacity-building for local livestock keepers.
• Excellent communication and community engagement abilities, particularly with pastoralist groups.
• Familiarity with mobile technology applications for disease reporting and surveillance
• Fluency in Somali (spoken and written) is mandatory.
• Proficiency in English for technical reporting and stakeholder communication.

2.     REPORTING

The Livestock Disease Specialist will report to the State Project Coordinator.

3.     Duration of Assignment

The Livestock Disease Specialist shall be contracted for 12 months.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation Hirshabelle State of Somalia now invites eligible consulting(“Consultants”) to indicate their interest in providing the above-mentioned Services. Interested consultants must provide the following (i) Curriculum Vitae (CV) with 3 reference persons; (ii) copies of certificates of academic qualifications; and (iii) cover letter indicating that they are qualified to perform the services.

Skills Required

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