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South Sudan has a population of about 12 million majority of whom are young and rural with 72 percent below the age of 30 and 83 percent living in rural areas. Conflicts disrupted the country’s development and restricted the population’s ability to engage in socioeconomic activities as access to valuable resources and basic services have been impacted. Furthermore, the aggregate effects of years of conflict displaced approximately 4.3 million people from their homes and resulted to acute food insecurity. This is compounded by the the crisis that began in April 2023 in Sudan which has had consequences on South Sudan with more returnees and refugees coming to the country.
Beyond the high vulnerability to conflict (inter-communal violence) that has resulted in the dire humanitarian crisis, South Sudan is also affected by a wide range of concurrent climate-induced shocks and disasters like floods, drought, and locust infestations. Floods have worsened over the past years and have been affecting between 750,000 and more than one million people, forcing half of them to leave their homeland to higher grounds. The country’s fragility has resulted in the lack of infrastructures; roads, ITC, electricity, water and Irrigation infrastructure.
The global economic backlash from the COVID-19 pandemic resulted to more than 50 percent of businesses closing and a reduction of 28-65 percent in the work force. About 68 percent of those affected are women. Small business owners in South Sudan bore the brunt of COVID-19 as livelihoods shrunk especially in the informal sector where women constitute majority of the workforce. Furthermore, 40-94 percent of businesses (depending on the sector) experienced a decrease in production/sales that impacted on trade and economic recovery.
The main problem in South Sudan’s business environment is the weak institution and state structures that has resulted to unstable institutions and a weak private sector. MSEs as has been revealed in other African countries like Kenya are a key engine for job creation and are therefore essential for South Sudan’s growth and development. Over 99 percent of firms in South Sudan fall under the MSME category and 70 percent of MSMEs are classified in the microenterprise category (firms whose size ranges between one to four employees)[1]. One of the major obstacles for MSME growth in the country is access to finance. South Sudan currently has 26 commercial banks operating, all lending less than 50 percent of their deposits as loans. Only about 10 percent of the total loans provided by the South Sudan banking sector go to MSEs and lack of collateral is cited as one of the main reasons that banks do not extend credit to the MSEs.
According to Findex 2021, only 5 percent of South Sudanese adults (age 15+) have a financial account – a decline from the 9% registered in 2017. Access to credit and finance is very low with only 2.63% of the population able to borrow money from a financial institution or using a mobile money account. Savings is very minimal with only 1.5% of people being able to have some form of saving in a financial institution. Financing, savings and mobile money services are still in their infancy with the latter having been introduced only in 2019 and are therefore still in developing stage, although there is potential for growth.
South Sudan has a remarkable potential for sustainable growth through agriculture. The agricultural sector plays a major role in South Sudan’s economy, accounting for 36 percent of its non-oil gross domestic production with 80 percent of households depending on cultivation as their primary source of livelihood (FAO, 2015). Of the country’s 64.7 million hectares of land, around 75 percent is suitable for agriculture and 50 percent for cultivation. Only 4 percent of the land is currently cultivated by smallholder subsistence farmers (FAO, 2015).
Although the country has a huge agricultural potential, it continues to be food insecure, import-dependent, and low in productivity. South Sudan’s agricultural sector has mostly been subsistence-based and over 95 percent of the agricultural production is rainfed. Fisheries and aquaculture resources are abundant and underutilized with fisheries production potential estimated at between 100,000 to 300,000 metric tons per year. The country is also rich in livestock, with 85 percent of South Sudanese households estimated to own one or more animals. South Sudan has a livestock population of 12 million cattle, 14 million goats, and 13 million sheep.
At least 85 percent of the country’s population live in rural areas and derive their livelihoods from agriculture, fisheries and livestock sectors. Close to 80 percent of farm labor in the country is provided by women who combine this activity with their other domestic chores. The agriculture sector employs 78 percent of the population, with 70 percent of the cooperatives in South Sudan currently engaged in the sector (cropping activities, fishery, non-timber forestry products, dairy, and agro-processing). However, there is a huge need for value addition for primary products from the agriculture sector to avoid wastage, meet the in-country demand and reduce the number of imports coming into the country.
IFAD in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and UNDP has developed the Rural Enterprises for Agriculture Development (READ) project, a seven-year project (2023-2029) designed to respond to critical growth and development challenges confronted by smallholders in six states in South Sudan. The project will focus on supporting the development of Rural Producers’ Organizations (RPOs), Village Saving and Loans Associations (VSLAs), Savings and Credit Cooperatives (SACCOs) and micro and small enterprises (MSEs).
There are three interlinked and complementary components of the READ project, which will be implemented through a conflict-sensitive lens, whilst ensuring inclusion and empowerment of youth and women. The three components include: (i) Rural Producers’ Organizations’ Development; (ii) Inclusive Rural Financial Services; (iii) Policy and Regulatory Framework Development. The READ project will foster the development of the selected RPOs by promoting good governance and accountability systems vis-à-vis their constituencies; enhancing their sustainable business models and economic initiatives; and strengthening their capacity to provide services to farmers including facilitating access to financial services, technology, inputs, and markets. The project targets to improve food security, income, and resilience among approximately 27,511 households, or 162,315 people, with a focus on women, youth, and people of vulnerable groups, (mainly returnees and persons with disabilities). It will work through RPOs and RFIs, across six counties in six states, including – Northern Bahr el Ghazal (Aweil), Upper Nile (Renk), Western Equatoria (Nzara, Yambio, Maridi), Central Equatoria (Terekeka), and Eastern Equatoria (Magwi).
As the Implementing Organization of the READ Project, UNDP is seeking to engage a Logistics and Administrative Associate to assist in development, maintenance, effective and efficient implementation and management of logistic and administrative activities and reporting to ensure the timely delivery of project activities. Under the direct supervision of the Project Manager and matrix reporting arrangement to the Team Leader, STARR unit, the Logistics and Administrative Associate will work in close collaboration with Technical Officers, the STARR unit, UNDP country office programme units, MAFS-PCU, and national and state level partners.
Scope of Work
The Logistics and Administrative Associate will be the primary liaison to UNDP’s procurement unit, common services, and other administrative units. S/he will be responsible for the procurement of goods and services needed during project implementation while ensuring that appropriate administrative support services are provided to the Project Management team and project stakeholders. Furthermore, the Logistics and Administrative Associate will directly support all the technical, strategic and leadership functions of the strategic planning, budget planning, management and administration of the project by providing programme support, managing data and facilitating its implementation. S/he will promote a client-oriented approach consistent with UNDP rules ad regulations, working in close collaboration with the operations, programme, and project teams in the UNDP CO for resolving project related issues and information delivery.
Duties and Responsibilities The roles and responsibilities of the logistic and administrative associate shall include the following:
1) Ensures administration and implementation of project strategies:
Handles the issuance of Delegations of Authorities (DOAs), review of Annual Work Plans (AWPs) and issuance of Annual Spending Limits (ASLs); Support preparation and revision of project budgets; Monitor project delivery, provides monthly Quantum project progress reports, ensures submission of progress reports; Ensures all project information in Quantum is up to date, including Risk Management Module and issues log; Support the project with project delivery, identifying issues, providing early warning of delivery blockages, and working with COs to ensure smooth delivery; Maintaining portfolio and project information calendar: upcoming evaluations, supervision missions; Support to operational and financial closure of projects, including appropriate reporting to UNDP, Project management team and IFAD as necessary.2) Provides effective support to project implementation:
Assist in organizing preparation for project quarterly and annual reviews meetings; Maintain and keep (original) donor and partner-related documentation of the project (e.g. correspondence, donor reports); Assist in coordination of project activities; Provide both internal and external clients (including Country Offices) with timely and adequate support during project implementation; Review of READ project submissions to ensure correct format, edits, procedures, calculations etc; Responsibility for ensuring READ submissions are made and tracking of submissions at HQ and GEFSEC. Maintaining data on submission and response times; Maintaining portfolio and project information calendar: upcoming evaluations, supervision missions; Support to operational and financial closure of project.3) Provides project financial support:
Proper control of the supporting documents for payments, review of projects Financial Reports; Based on the finance management specialist instructions and discussions creation of a project in the ERP Quantum, creation of project award; Annual review of project transactions and follow up on ERP/Quantum generated Combined Delivery Reports (CDRs) that should be signed and uploaded; Recommends and makes the budget revisions ensuring that appropriate formats are used and uploaded to Quantum; Sets up and monitors the budgets, updates financial information on delivery and status of implementation of the projects; Liaison with project implementation agencies to make sure that Project Delivery Reports (PDRs) are appropriately uploaded to ERP/Quantum.4) Provides administrative and operational support:
Maintenance of the internal expenditures control system which ensures that vouchers processed are matched and completed, transactions are correctly recorded and posted in Quantum; Timely corrective actions on unposted vouchers, including the vouchers with budget check errors, match exceptions, unapproved vouchers; Prepares both Non-PO and purchase orders (PO) based vouchers in Quantum; Creation and with introduction of e-procurement module approval of requisitions in Quantum for projects; Making budget check for requisitions and vouchers; Supports monthly, quarterly and annual closure of accounts as per instructions issued by the appropriate unit; Assists in Procurement process for the projects as requested; Prepare documents for Contracts, Assets and Procurement Panel (CAP) meetings; Facilitates project inventories and inventory records keeping; Assists in meetings, drafts minutes and correspondence as requested; Assists in ad-hoc Practice administrative and operational issues as requested.5) Ensures facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing:
Organization of trainings for the operations/ projects staff; PIMS management, ensuring all pages of projects in Project Information Management System are fully up to date and maintained; Contribute to the project and STARR knowledge management and lessons learned; Preparing information on project pipeline and portfolio as requested by Chief Programme Advisor and the Project Manager; Contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice. Institutional ArrangementCore Competencies
Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline. Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements. Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback. Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible. Act with Determination: LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident. Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships. Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination.Functional/Technical competencies
Business Management: Operations Management
Ability to effectively plan, organize, and oversee the Organization's business processes in order to convert its assets into the best results in the most efficient manner. Knowledge of relevant concepts and mechanisms.Business Management
Working with Evidence and Data: Ability to inspect, cleanse, transform and model data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions and supporting decision-making.Business Management
Results-Based Management: Ability to manage programmes and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results.Finance
Financial Planning and Budgeting: Ability to create and manage processes to achieve UNDP's long and short-term financial goals, including through planning, budgeting, forecasting, analyzing and reporting.Procurement
Procurement Management: The ability to acquire goods, services or works from an outside external source.