Consultancy to Develop the Food Safety and Quality Authority Strategic Plan (2025-2030) 163 views
Job Overview
Background/Context
Food safety is key to sustaining life and promoting good nutrition and health. Unsafe food threatens human health and causes the unacceptable status quo in levels of food insecurity, poverty, and a range of health-related problems making national development more challenging. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) estimate in 2015, 91 million people in Africa fall ill each year due to food-borne diseases, and 137,000 die of the same cause, representing one-third of the global death toll for foodborne diseases. The economic impact of unsafe food is being increasingly understood. In 2018, the World Bank estimated the cost of unsafe foods to be about $110 billion in lost productivity and medical expenses each year, particularly in countries in the Global South.
Additionally, food safety is an important precondition for access to global agricultural markets, and increasingly, for high-value domestic markets in developing countries. Therefore, raising food safety and quality standards at par with the rest of the world is important to make Gambian agriculture a competitive and vibrant sector that promotes trade leading to increased jobs and development.
In response to the above-described scenario, the Government of the Gambia established The Food Safety and Quality Authority of The Gambia through the enactment of the Food Safety and Quality Act, 2011. Placed under the Office of the Vice President, the Food Safety and Quality Authority (FSQA) plays a critical role in ensuring food products’ safety, quality, and integrity within the country. The Authority oversees food safety regulations, monitors food safety standards, and facilitates public health protection through effective policy implementation, enforcement, and stakeholder engagements. In 2023, The Gambia developed a National Food Safety Policy to provide a strategic direction to ensure an efficient and effective national food control system. The policy also identified and set national food safety structures and priorities.
Given the evolving challenges in food safety, including increasing global trade, emerging foodborne diseases, climate change, growing consumer awareness, new food sources, and production systems, there is need for a comprehensive Food Safety Strategy to guide FSQA in the implementation of stated policy goals and objectives. Due to these realities, the FSQA seeks to develop a comprehensive strategic plan for food safety and quality mechanisms that align with national, regional, and global standards and priorities. This strategy will help address, food safety risks, strengthen the regulatory framework, improve coordination among stakeholders, ensure compliance with national and international standards, and support the prioritization of competing food safety challenges.
Purpose of the consultancy
The objective of this consultancy is to develop the FSQA strategic plan to facilitate the achievement of her mandate thereby facilitating trade, improving market access, and enhancing consumer protection. The strategy shall:
· Align with national, regional, and global food safety standards, policies, and regulations.
· Define clear strategic goals, priorities, and actions for the FSQA in the medium to long term.
· Identify key stakeholders and propose mechanisms for enhancing coordination and collaboration across sectors.
· Strengthen the capacity of FSQA in official food safety control, (risk assessment, risk management, and risk communication)
· Promote public awareness, consumer confidence, and compliance with food safety requirements.
Scope of Work
The consultant will be responsible for performing the following tasks:
· Map out relevant food safety initiatives and institutions in the Gambia
· Conduct gap analysis (SWOT Analysis).
· Review examples of relevant regional, continental, and global best practices to (ensure the strategic plan aligns with relevant regional and global standards, including Codex Alimentarius strategic plan, Food Safety Strategy for Africa, and ECOWAS)
· Undertake relevant stakeholder consultations to identify strategic priorities, relevant stakeholder roles and responsibilities, resource mobilization strategies, and delivery mechanisms.
· Draft the strategic plan and convene stakeholders meeting to validate it.
· Develop actionable steps and a roadmap for implementing the strategic plan.
· A draft the strategic plan, including a monitoring and evaluation framework.
Deliverables
Elements of the plan will include but not limited to:
1. Report of desk review including global best practices
2. Report of stakeholder’s consultations, (summary of the consultation and key findings) including gap analysis (SWOT)
3. Draft Food Safety Strategy
4. Validation workshop report
5. Final Validated FSQA Strategic plan (revised plan incorporating feedback from stakeholders)
Duration
The consultancy shall be 3months, starting from February 2025 and ending In April 2025
Qualifications/Competencies/ Experience
§ Advanced degree in Food safety or related fields
§ At least 10 years of experience in policy development and implementation.
§ Strong knowledge of international food safety standards, guidelines, and regulations (e.g., Codex Alimentarius, ISO).
§ Proven record in developing food safety strategies, policies, or related frameworks
§ Excellent analytical, writing, and communication skills.
§ Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
Application Process
Interested candidates are requested to submit the following documents:
- Cover letter outlining relevant experience and qualifications.
- Curriculum Vitae (CV).
- References from previous Clients.
- Sample of previous work related to strategic planning or food safety.
- Technical and financial proposals
Application timeline
Applications should be delivered to: Food Safety and Quality Authority, 103 Kairaba Avenue, PO Box 2047, Serrekunda,
or by email: info@fsqa.gm or mbah@fsqa.gm by March 7th, 2025.
