ORGANIZATIONAL STRENTGHTENING OF OMIA AGRIBUSINESS DEVELOPEMNT GROUP IN UGANDA 97 views0 applications

Background

In 2023, CABI conducted a scoping exercise with Omia Agribusiness Development Group to explore opportunities for collaborative efforts aimed at empowering women and youth to harness agribusiness potential within various agricultural value chains. This engagement sought to identify strategic entry points for supporting inclusive growth, skills development, and enterprise sustainability. One of the key priorities identified during the scoping exercise was the need for organizational strengthening to enhance Omia’s institutional capacity and service delivery.

Omia Agribusiness Development Group, based in West Nile region of Uganda with operations in nine districts is a profit company limited by shares, registered in 2016 and began operations in July 2018. It is a Uganda-based agribusiness enterprise dedicated to improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. Omia’s core mission is to address systemic challenges faced by farmers, including poor access to quality inputs, limited extension support, and constrained market linkages. The company provides farmers with climate-smart, high-quality agricultural inputs, agricultural engineering solutions (i.e Greenhouse construction and Irrigation solutions), extension services, and reliable market access. Omia Agribusiness retails both crop production and animal production inputs to its clients. The crop production inputs include vegetable seeds, field crop seeds, agrochemicals (both organic and inorganic), and fertilizers, farm tools and equipment. While the animal production inputs include veterinary drugs, animal feeds and day-old chicks.

Additionally, Omia engages in produce buy-back arrangements with a segment of farmers in West Nile for grains, Irish potatoes, horticultural crops such as tomatoes and onions, as well as poultry meat and eggs offering smallholder farmers guaranteed markets for their produce.

Through the provision of free extension services and structured market access, Omia has contributed to enhancing smallholder productivity, resilience, and income security.

As Omia Agribusiness expands its operations across Uganda and seeks to increase its impact, there is a critical need to strengthen internal systems, governance structures, human resource capacity, and strategic planning processes. Responding to this identified need, CABI, in collaboration with Omia Agribusiness seeks to engage a qualified and experienced consultant to design and implement a tailored organizational strengthening program. This initiative will support Omia’s efforts to enhance institutional performance, promote operational efficiency, and ensure the delivery of high-impact, sustainable agribusiness services.

Objectives of institutional strengthening

The overall objective is to improve the institutional capacity and performance of Omia Agribusiness Development Group by strengthening its systems, governance, operations, and strategic direction.

Specific objectives are to:

• Assess the current organizational capacity, structures, and systems of Omia Agribusiness Development Group.
• Identify key gaps and challenges affecting efficiency, performance, and growth.
• Develop a capacity strengthening plan aligned with Omia’s mission and vision.
• Provide support in developing/improving policies, procedures, and tools.
• Build staff capacity in key areas in identified gaps and other areas such as leadership, financial management, operations, marketing, and compliance.

The scope of work

The consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:

1. Organizational Review

This will include a comprehensive assessment of the following:

• Conduct a comprehensive institutional assessment (SWOT and capacity needs).
• Review existing policies, strategies, structures, and governance systems.
• AnalyZe HR structure, skills gaps, and performance management processes.
• Review current operational, financial, and procurement systems

2. Leadership and Governance

• Review and update the organizational structure and organogram.
• Provide guidance on roles, responsibilities, and reporting lines for key leadership positions.
• Facilitate alignment between operational and strategic functions.

3. Policy and Systems Development

• Review or develop core organizational policies such as human Resources, Financial Management, Procurement, Governance Manual
• Recommend or support implementation of management tools such as a human resource information system (HRIS) among others.

4. Capacity Strengthening

• Design and deliver short trainings or coaching sessions for leadership and management staff on: Strategic planning and execution, decision-making and accountability, team management and cross-functional collaboration

5. Monitoring and Reporting

• Develop tools for management performance monitoring and periodic organizational self-assessment.
• Advise on a sustainable performance management system linked to organizational goals.

6. Operational Management Framework

• Identify operational gaps and inefficiencies,
• Strengthen coordination across department,
• Improve the documentation and standardization of procedures and
• Set up better monitoring, reporting, and accountability mechanisms

7. Gender and Youth Inclusion in Agribusiness Engagement

• Assess the composition and dynamics of the current group, including the roles of women and youth within the organization and their representation in the leadership structure.
• Identify barriers and opportunities for strengthening the inclusion of women and youth in agribusiness activities and use these insights to guide the development of inclusive policies and targeted leadership training interventions.

Deliverables

The consultant is expected to deliver the following:

1. Inception report outlining the methodology and work plan. This will be discussed and agreed upon with CABI and Omia
2. Organizational Capacity Assessment Report, including a SWOT and gap analysis.
3. Provide a corrective plan of action and capacity-building sessions on gaps identified. This should be accompanied with reports detailing the training materials, attendance, evaluations, practical tools or templates provided, and suggested areas for improvement.
4. Prepare a Final Completion Report summarizing the outcomes, lessons learned, and recommendations.
5. Deliver a final presentation to the leadership team summarizing the key results and proposed next steps.

Duration

• The assignment is expected to last 60 working days over 3 calendar months, with specific milestones and deliverables agreed upon at inception starting July 2025.

  The consultant must be available for progress review meetings.

Required Qualifications

• At least 6 years of relevant experience in organizational management, particularly in nonprofit or agri-enterprise settings.
• Demonstrated experience in developing governance structures, institutional policies, and organizational frameworks.
• Excellent facilitation, interpersonal, and coaching skills.
• Familiarity with agricultural sector organizations or farmer-focused enterprises in Africa is an added advantage.

Submission Requirements

Interested firms or individuals are invited to submit the following:

• Technical proposal outlining understanding of the assignment, approach, and methodology.
• Work plan and timeline.
• Organizational Profiles and CVs of key personnel.
• Examples of relevant past work.
• Financial proposal.