Agribusiness and Market Linkage Officer

ForAfrika is an African-founded and led organisation with over 40 years of impact across the continent. We partner with communities through our integrated development continuum: saving lives and building resilience to reach self-sufficiency through our Humanitarian & Development work and unlocking commercial viability through our Social Enterprise activities. We are Africans, delivering African-led solutions for Africa, and we stand by our promise: we’re committed to the long run, until the job is done and communities are enabled to thrive. Project Overview:The Agriculture Market Support (AMS) Programme, funded by the UN World Food Program and implemented by ForAfrika, is designed to strengthen food systems, promote agricultural value chains, and enhance sustainable youth employment for refugees and host communities in Uganda. The program aims to benefit 17,195 smallholder farmers, with a focus on women and youth, by creating 11,545 jobs by 2026.AMS aligns with Uganda’s Strategic Outcome 4 (2018-2025) and focuses on improving the livelihoods of smallholder farming households by leveraging market demand and fostering collective action. The program promotes market access, reduces post-harvest losses, and facilitates value addition, aiming to empower youth and women in the targeted districts.Position SummaryThe Agribusiness and Market Linkage Officer will be responsible for facilitating market linkages, supporting agribusiness initiatives, and creating employment opportunities for youth and women in both refugee and host communities. The role will involve the development of partnerships, strengthen market systems, and ensure the active participation of smallholder farmers (SHFs) in demand-driven markets. The officer will play a critical role in reducing risks for market entrants, enhancing income opportunities, and building resilient agri-food systems.Key Roles and Responsibilities: 1. Market Linkage Facilitation:-Facilitate access to markets by establishing strong relationships between youth, women, smallholder farmers, and institutional buyers (e.g., WFP, PMO).-Enhance digital trade platforms and market information systems to promote wider market access for SHFs, including digital solutions for record-keeping and financial transactions.-Develop models for village aggregation centres (VACs) with storage and warehousing facilities to facilitate group marketing and bulk selling. 2. Capacity Building and Youth Empowerment:-Provide capacity-building support to SHF, youth and women in commercial production sectors, financial linkages, Bulking and Collective marketing, financial planning and records.-Strengthen capacity of village savings and loan associations to operate efficiently and effectively.-Facilitate skill development and short-term training sessions for youth to improve marketable skills and link them with decent work opportunities in agriculture and agribusiness.-Strengthen financial inclusion by linking youth to financial service providers for access to working capital and entrepreneurial support. 3. Market System Strengthening:-Foster partnerships with financial institutions, buyers, and cooperatives to enhance youth and women’s engagement in competitive agricultural markets.-Strengthen the capacity of farmer groups (FGs) and farmer organizations (FOs) to promote collective marketing strategies and improve their negotiation power for better pricing.-Facilitate the award and implementation of subsidy projects for youth groups to ease the movement of produce to markets. 4. Monitoring and Technical Support:-Provide continuous technical support to youth and farmer groups in business management, financial literacy, and market access.-Regularly monitor the implementation of market linkage activities and youth access to business development services to ensure quality and sustainability.-Document and report progress, challenges, and lessons learned to improve future interventions.Knowledge, Skills and Abilities1. Bachelor’s degree in, Agribusiness, Agricultural Economics, Agriculture Enterprise Development, BSC Agriculture, or a related field. A master’s degree is a plus2. At least 3 years of experience in agribusiness, Market System development projects (market linkages, private sector Engagement, Investment Match making for Private sectors, or a related area.3. Strong knowledge of digital financial solutions (DFS), market information systems, and digital trade platforms.4. Demonstrated experience working with smallholder farmers, youth groups, and women in rural/agricultural contexts.5. Proven ability to facilitate partnerships and market linkages between SHFs and institutional buyers.6. Excellent communication, negotiation, and capacity-building skills.7. Experience in the agricultural sector within refugee or host community contexts.8. Familiarity with market dynamics in Uganda’s agricultural value chains, particularly with a focus on youth and women’s empowerment.HOW TO APPLYInterested candidates should submit the following documents by 27th Feb 2026.1.Cover Letter explaining motivation and suitability for the role2.Detailed CV including relevant experience and achievements3.Contact details for three professional referencesClick HERE to applyPlease note that due to high volumes of applications, correspondence will be limited to short-listed candidates only. If you do not hear from us within one month of the closing date, please consider your application unsuccessful.