Policy Advisor - Youth in Agribusiness

Project Overview

The Agri-Jobs 4 Youth initiative is part of the broader Youth Employment in the Agri-Food (YEA) Sector programme, implemented in Western Kenya. Commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the project is executed by GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit) in close collaboration with Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MoALD). It targets youth employment creation and income generation in the agriculture and food sectors, with a strong focus on women and rural youth across five counties: Bungoma, Kakamega, Kisumu, Siaya, and Vihiga.

The initiative aims to foster sustainable livelihoods and job creation by empowering young agri-entrepreneurs aged 18 to 35 years. These include young farmers, MSME owners in agri-business, and their employees. The project employs an integrated and systemic approach to address barriers and opportunities across the agri-food value chain.

Key Work Areas

• Work Area 1: Institutional Strengthening
  

  This area focuses on enhancing the capacities of both government and non-government actors to implement and oversee County Youth Agribusiness Strategies (CYAS). It promotes public-private dialogue formats where various stakeholders—including organized youth—identify challenges and propose solutions for youth employment in the agri-food sector.
  

  
  

• Work Area 2: Agricultural Services and Inputs
  

  Targets improved access for young farmers to agricultural inputs, advisory services, and information for climate-resilient and sustainable farming. The project partners with Farmer Service Centres to deliver these interventions.
  

  
  

• Work Area 3: Entrepreneurship and Business Skills
  

  Concentrates on building both the technical and business capacities of youth-led agri-enterprises. By fostering strong entrepreneurship, the initiative aims to scale income-generating ventures and support sustainable job creation.
  

  
  

• Work Area 4: Sector Attractiveness
  

  Seeks to change youth perceptions of agriculture by showcasing it as a modern, inclusive, and profitable career path. This is achieved through various media, digital platforms, and learning programs that also address challenges such as land access and generational farm succession.
  

  
  

A. General Responsibilities

The Youth in Agribusiness Policy Advisor will be responsible for the Work Area 1 and shall double up as the Project Liaison Officer to the five partner counties of Kisumu, Vihiga, Kakamega, Siaya and Bungoma.

Agri-Jobs 4 Youth has supported the five partner counties to domesticate the Kenya Youth Agribusiness Strategy and to set up mechanisms for its implementation and monitoring. Today, the five County Youth Agribusiness Strategies (CYAS) are the guiding documents for the counties, organized Youth and development partners to systematically promote youth
employment in the agri-food sector. Likewise, Agri-Jobs 4 Youth has over several years strengthened organized Youth and umbrella youth organizations to become an active part in relevant policy processes regarding youth employment in the agri-food sector.

It is the role of the Youth in Agribusiness Policy Advisor to advise and liaison relevant state actors and youth representatives in the five counties towards the anchorage of a
systematic and systemic support mechanism for youth employment in the agri-food sector in Western Kenya and beyond. In addition, the Youth in Agribusiness Policy Advisor will be responsible to promote successful approaches and methodologies of work area 1 and complimentary approaches supported by other project work areas into policy processes at regional and national level.

The Youth in Agribusiness Policy Advisor will hold an important role of communicating
project activities and approaches to public sector partners and, stakeholders while actively identifying and seeking for synergistic relationships with relevant like-minded state and non-state partners.

The Youth in Agribusiness Policy Advisor in conjunction with the other work areas of the project will seek for synergies with other GIZ projects for effective project implementation. The advisor will support the other project Work Areas on policy related matters and concerns with respect to project deliverables.

B. Tasks and specific responsibilities of the Youth in Agribusiness Policy Advisor

The Youth in Agribusiness Policy Advisor for the Agri-Jobs 4 Youth initiative will be
working with five County governments in Western Kenya to contribute towards strengthening their action framework for increased incomes and employment opportunities for youth in the agri-food sector. Within the County governments, the respective departments of agriculture, of trade and of Youth are the key interlocutors.

His/her specific responsibilities and tasks include:

1. Planning & Coordination

- Lead the planning, coordination, and implementation of activities under Work Area 1, including budget planning and management and timely administrative follow up

- Be the project’s contact person for the Counties and County Linkage and Coordination Officers (CLICOs)

- In consultation with the project manager, coordinate the project steering mechanism and contribute to cross-work area alignment on public sector engagement

2. Policy Advisory & Strategic Framework Support

- Provide technical support to the partner counties towards the implementation of the County Youth Agribusiness strategies (CYAS) in active participation with Youth and other non-state actors

- Advise and support the Departments of Agriculture in the operationalisation and anchoring the County Youth Agribusiness Coordinating Units (YACUs)

- Advise the county government to plan and implement other activities to improve framework conditions for young farmers and agripreneurs

- Advise and support organized youth and umbrella youth organizations to be actively integrated into policy processes and to undertake adequate lobbying and advocacy interventions

3. Capacity Development & Stakeholder Engagement

- Advise counties in organizing public-private exchange formats to foster for a youth-friendly
enabling environment for sustainable opportunities for increased incomes and employment for youth in the agri-food sector

- Initiate and coordinate capacity building measures of key departments and/or institutions as per the identified needs for implementation of mandates that relate to implementation of the County Youth Agribusiness Strategies

- Actively identify key potential partners with the shared vision for collaboration and partnerships in the implementation of the County Youth Agribusiness Strategies

- Coordinate Activities for the competence development of Youth leaders in access to representation, rights and resources for Youth in the agri-food sector

- Mainstreaming field experiences with the youth organizations in policy development, support the establishment of youth-friendly platforms and multi-stakeholder processes for advocacy

- Identify, establish and sustain strategic partnerships and networks with key public institutions and departments mandated to implement activities aligned to the projects scope

4. Additional Duties

- Support mainstreaming of cross-cutting issues into county planning and decision making e.g. land access, climate change, inclusion for gender and youth, and good governance

- Provide advisory services to the project team and partners for interpretation, development and implementation of public policies government strategies

- Support the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer and project management in the project’s result-based monitoring and in the various reporting loops.

- Streamlining of cross-cutting and emerging issues among the work areas that relate to public sector partners

- Provide support in knowledge management for knowledge continuity

- Perform any other task related to the promotion of youth in agribusiness

C. Working Arrangements and Reporting

The Youth in Agribusiness Policy Advisor will report directly to the Project Manager.

D. Required qualifications

The holder of this position requires strong, interpersonal and diplomatic communication skills.
The person has to be able to interact with public servants/county government officials at all levels (higher and operational). She/he should be able to effectively interact with officials at of other regional and national institutions and development partner projects.

Qualifications:

- Relevant Master’s degree (agricultural policies, political sciences, economics or
related fields)

- In-depth familiarity with public sector (national and county government) planning,
implementation and modes of operation

- Strong familiarity with the developments in the public sector agricultural sector
policy framework as well as current and emerging project trends on rural youth employment

- Knowledge of methods and procedures of the German Development Cooperation are an advantage

Professional experience:

- 6 years of professional working experience in the public sector in Western Kenya, preferably in the Department of Agriculture or Department of Trade

- 4 years of professional working experience in a non-state institution (private sector, civil
society, education, etc.) related to policy advise in agriculture, youth or employment promotion

- 3 years of professional working experience with Youth organizations/organized Youth

- 3 years of professional working experience in organizational development

- 3 years of working experience in or with projects of international development programmes in relevant fields of work

Other competencies:

· Strong negotiation skills particularly in complex settings

· Strong oral and written coordination and communication skills to create and sustain linkages between different stakeholders

· Proven experience in working with multiple and cross sectoral stakeholders (public, private, civil society and organizations, development partners) at different levels

· Fluency in written and spoken English and spoken Swahili are required

· Knowledge of Luyha or Luo

· Commands good working knowledge of ICT and computer applications (e.g. MS Office, MS Teams)

· In addition, the person will have hands-on practical experience in coordination and networking at high-level

E. Duty station and project period

Kisumu with frequent field trips to the project areas in Western Kenya. The contract periods is until December 31, 2026, with possibility for extension.

Submission of Application

Vacancy Reference Number: GIZ/ARD/03/07/2025

Equal Employment Opportunity

At GIZ Kenya, we are committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and respectful workplace. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not tolerate discrimination of any kind. We actively seek individuals with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills to build a stronger, more impactful global team.

We provide an environment of respect and psychological safety, ensuring equal employment

opportunities for all. Discrimination based on race, colour, ancestry, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, disability, marital status, or any other protected status is not tolerated in any of our workplaces.

Ethics

GIZ is committed to the safety, dignity, and well-being of all individuals we interact with, including staff, partners, community members, and program participants. We uphold the highest standards in preventing sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment. Child abuse or any form of misconduct by or toward team members is strictly prohibited.

All staff are expected to behave professionally, respect local laws and customs, and complete

mandatory ethics e-learning courses upon hire.

Data Confidentiality

In accordance with GIZ’s data protection policy, all candidate applications are

stored in our database for six (6) months and deleted thereafter

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.