The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is one of the world’s leading research partners in finding solutions for hunger, malnutrition, and poverty. Our award-winning research for development (R4D) addresses the development needs of tropical countries. We work with partners to enhance crop quality and productivity, reduce producer and consumer risks, and generate wealth from agriculture.
We are a nonprofit organization founded in 1967, governed by a Board of Trustees, and supported by several countries.
Our mission is to enhance food security and improve livelihoods in Africa through research for development (R4D).
We use the R4D model in setting a research course that addresses major development problems in Africa rather than simply contributing to scientific knowledge. It has proven to be an effective mechanism for agricultural research development. We and our partners have delivered about 70% of the international research impact in sun-Saharan Africa in the last three decades.Duties
Innovation Coordination and deployment:
Oversee the end-to-end set-up and deployment of Black Soldier Fly (BSF) and High-Quality Cassava Peel (HQCP)-based feed innovations in Delta and Ekiti States.
Facilitate adaptive testing of business models, integrating circular economy principles, regenerative agriculture and gender-inclusive approaches.
Manage innovation demonstration sites in collaboration with hub/spoke stakeholders.
Enterprise Development and Job Creation:
Identify and support women and youth-led enterprises in adopting and commercializing BSF/HQCP innovations.
Design enterprise support packages (technical assistance, market linkage, financing referrals) for feed entrepreneurs.
Facilitate access to incubation, co-creation, and mentorship platforms.
Market Systems and Private Sector Engagement:
Engage processors, aggregators, feed millers, and off-takers to stimulate demand and create viable value chain linkages.
Facilitate the development of public-private partnerships to embed alternative feeds into the mainstream poultry feed market.
Support development of contract farming or inclusive distribution.
Capacity Building and Inclusion:
Collaborate with training partners to develop curriculum modules on feed innovation entrepreneurship.
Promote climate-smart practices, environmental sustainability, and safe production guidelines.
Ensure the participation of marginalized groups (women, youth, and persons with disabilities) in pilot interventions.
Monitoring, Learning and Scaling Readiness:
Contribute to learning agenda development, outcome mapping, and innovation uptake
Document lessons, case studies, and success stories to inform adaptive scaling pathways.
Perform any other job-related tasks as may be assigned by the supervisor.
Qualifications
Master’s Degree in Agribusiness, Economics, Business / Innovation Management, Rural Development, Environmental Management and other related courses.
The ideal candidate must have a minimum of six (6) years’ experience including at least (4) years in managing agricultural innovation or enterprise development programs.
The candidate must demonstrate experience in private sector engagement, agribusiness incubation, poultry or livestock feed systems, circular economy, and livelihoods programming.
Competencies
The ideal candidate must:
Have deep understanding of inclusive business models, youth employment ecosystems, and SME development.
Have strong project coordination and stakeholder facilitation skills.
Possess excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Have the ability to work independently in complex, multi-partner environments.
Be familiar with gender mainstreaming and climate-smart agricultural practices.
Be experienced working with BSF or HQCP technologies or similar alternative feed innovations.
Be familiar with tools and frameworks for scaling innovations.
Have knowledge of Nigeria’s agricultural market dynamics.
