Consultant to develop regional IGAD Soil Information System

Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) -Djibouti Request for Expression of Interest

(Consulting Services – Individual Consultant Selection)

Name of project: FOOD SYSTEMS RESILIENCE PROGRAM FOR EASTERN AND SOUTHERN AFRICA)

Project No.: (P178566)

Grant No: IDA-E 0820

Assignment Title: Consultant to Develop Regional IGAD Soil Information System (SIS)

Contract No.: DJ-IGAD-567401-CS-INDV

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has received financing from International Development Agency (IDA) towards the cost of the Food systems resilience program for Eastern and Southern Africa and intends to apply part of the proceeds of this Grant to payments under this contract to payments under this contract: Consultant to develop regional IGAD Soil Information System (SIS)

The objective of the assignment:

To develop Data Governance Framework and Data-Sharing Protocols for a Regional SIS in IGAD. Specific Objectives

Assess existing soil information systems, databases, standards, and institutional arrangements within IGAD Member States. Develop a data sharing framework and mechanism for Soil and Fertilizer related data from MS to the regional Soil Information System to be developed

Minimum Consultant’s qualifications and experience requirements

The consultant should be a senior expert with extensive experience in soil information systems, geospatial data management, digital agriculture, data governance, and regional data-sharing frameworks. The expert should have demonstrated experience in assessing national information systems, developing data governance frameworks, establishing interoperability standards, and facilitating multi-country data exchange initiatives. Required Qualifications Advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in one of the following fields: Soil Science, Agronomy, Agricultural Information Systems; Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing; Data Science, Information Systems, Computer Science; Environmental Science, Land Management, or related disciplines. Additional qualifications or certifications in data governance, geospatial information systems, database management, or digital transformation will be an advantage.

Professional Experience

The consultant should have:

At least 7 years of professional experience in soil information management, geospatial systems, agricultural data platforms, or related fields. Demonstrated experience in designing, assessing, or implementing Soil Information Systems (SIS), Land Information Systems, or other environmental/agricultural information systems. Proven experience conducting stakeholder assessments, institutional mapping, and data availability assessments involving government institutions, research organizations, universities, laboratories, and development partners. Experience developing data governance frameworks, data-sharing policies, Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), Data Sharing Agreements (DSAs), and institutional arrangements for multi-stakeholder or multi-country platforms. Strong knowledge of soil and fertilizer data systems, including soil fertility databases, soil health indicators, laboratory datasets, nutrient mapping, fertilizer recommendations, and digital soil mapping. Experience in developing data standards, metadata frameworks, classification systems, and interoperability guidelines for geospatial and scientific datasets. Practical experience with GIS databases, database management systems, cloud-based data platforms, and web-based geospatial portals. Experience in assessing and applying open data standards, APIs, data exchange protocols, and system interoperability approaches. Experience working with regional organizations, governments, research institutions, or international development organizations on agricultural data initiatives.

The Consulting Services Contract is expected to be for a period of 120 calendar days from the date of contract commencement. The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) now invites individuals to express their interest in providing the services. Interested individuals must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services (attach curriculum vitae (CV), copies of documentary evidence of Academic qualifications, and Professional Qualifications. An Individual Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Selection of Individual Consultants method set out in the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers dated November 2020 (Regulations). Interested individuals may obtain further information at the address below from 0900 to 1700 hours East African Time (EAT) from Monday to Friday EAT).

Expression of interest shall be sent by e-mail by September/20/2026 at 1700hours EAT to:procurement@igad.int copy: [contact details removed] , with subject line ‘ ‘FSRP- Consultant to develop regional IGAD Soil Information System (SIS), CONTRACT NO-.: DJ-IGAD-567401-CS-INDV’’.