IC: Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use

Please note that the deadline is based on Korean Standard Time Zone (KST, UTC+9)

INTRODUCTION TO GGGI

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) is a treaty-based international, inter-governmental organization dedicated to supporting and promoting strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth in developing countries and emerging economies. To learn more please visit about GGGI web page. 

Project background

The Ministry of Environment of Angola (MINAMB), in its role as the National Designated Authority (NDA) for Climate Finance, is implementing Readiness and Preparatory Support project financed by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), with technical support from the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI). The project seeks to strengthen Angola’s institutional, technical, and strategic capacity to access climate finance and to accelerate the implementation of the country’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and broader climate-resilient development objectives.

The project focuses on two priority mitigation sectors identified in Angola’s updated NDC (2021): (i) Energy, including transport; and (ii) Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use (AFOLU). Within this framework, the AFOLU sector represents a particularly strategic entry point for climate action and investment. AFOLU is the largest contributor to national greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for approximately 70% of total emissions[1], while simultaneously being one of the sectors most vulnerable to climate change impacts such as drought, land degradation, deforestation, and declining agricultural productivity.

Angola possesses significant natural capital, including extensive forest resources, diverse ecosystems, and substantial agricultural potential. However, unsustainable land-use practices, deforestation, forest degradation, shifting cultivation, charcoal production, and climate variability are undermining ecosystem services, rural livelihoods, and food security. At the same time, the AFOLU sector offers high potential for integrated mitigation and adaptation outcomes through sustainable landscape management, forest conservation and restoration, climate-resilient agriculture, and improved water–energy–land nexus solutions in rural areas.

In this context, strengthening the AFOLU sector is critical to advancing Angola’s low-emission and climate-resilient development pathway. Well-designed AFOLU interventions can deliver multiple co-benefits, including greenhouse gas emission reductions through avoided deforestation and enhanced carbon sequestration, increased agricultural productivity and resilience, improved food security, protection of biodiversity, and enhanced livelihoods for rural and vulnerable communities. These outcomes are directly aligned with Angola’s NDC mitigation and adaptation priorities, the National Strategy for Climate Change (ENAC 2022–2035), and relevant national development and sectoral strategies.

Against this backdrop, the AFOLU-focused consultancy under this Readiness project is intended to provide the analytical foundation, prioritization, and technical justification required to support evidence-based decision-making, inform national strategies, and catalyze investment-ready AFOLU project concepts aligned with GCF investment criteria and Angola’s long-term climate and development objectives.

The AFOLU Consultant will lead and provide strategic technical expertise to  the Government of Angola, through the Ministry of Environment (MINAMB) and relevant sector institutions, in strengthening the evidence base, policy coherence, and investment prioritization required to advance sustainable landscapes, forest conservation and restoration, and climate-resilient agriculture. The assignment will contribute to enhancing climate change mitigation and adaptation outcomes, improving ecosystem resilience, and supporting the development of a robust pipeline of AFOLU-related climate investment projects aligned with national priorities and GCF investment criteria.

Specifically, the Consultant will lead the preparation and provide authoritative technical guidance on a Sectoral Policy, Prioritization and Assessment Report for the Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) sector, which will assess sectoral contributions and interlinkages in relation to Angola’s NDC commitments and climate policy actions, and provide evidence-based prioritization of interventions and an implementation-oriented roadmap to support coordinated execution and climate investment pipeline development.

Building on this analytical foundation, the Consultant will drive and technically steer climate finance pipeline development, including:

• Preparing a pre-feasibility study for at least one prioritized AFOLU intervention, covering technical, economic, financial, environmental, social, and institutional aspects, with the objective of demonstrating investment readiness and informing subsequent project preparation; and
• Developing or improving a GCF Concept Note, using the official GCF Concept Note template, ensuring full alignment with the GCF Investment Criteria—including impact potential, paradigm shift potential, sustainable development potential, needs of the recipient, country ownership, and efficiency and effectiveness—and consistency with Angola’s Country Programme Document and national AFOLU priorities.

All deliverables, including the final reports, must be approved by GGGI with the agreement of MINAMB. The Consultant should strive to integrate GGGI’s and MINAMB’s comments within 14 days from the receipt of the comments or modification requests. The Consultant shall submit the reports in both hard copies and electronic versions readable by a Microsoft Office application. All outputs must be in English.

The Consultant is expected to possess the following qualifications and experience:

• Master's degree in agriculture development, Agriculture economics, development economics, nature resources management, AFOLU-related disciplines, or a closely related field.
• 8 – 15 years of relevant professional experience in the AFOLU sector, including policy analysis, programme or project design, capacity building, training, or applied research; recent experience in Angola or similar contexts is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in the development and refinement of Green Climate Fund (GCF) Concept Notes, including the application of the official GCF Concept Note template and alignment with GCF investment criteria, climate rationale requirements, and country ownership principles.
• Strong research and analytical skills, with proven ability to produce high-quality policy-oriented reports, technical studies, and policy briefs that clearly and concisely communicate complex information to diverse audiences.
• Strong research and analytical backgrounds, excellent drafting skills, as well as proven ability to produce police report/briefs conveying information concisely and plainly is mandatory.
• Fluence in written and spoken English and Portuguese is required.

The consultant will report to the Project Manager and the NDA GCF Focal Point in the Ministry of Environment. During the first week of assignment, the consultant will define the consultancy's reporting arrangements, consulting with the NDA and the Project Manager. Date to close is Korean Standard Time (KST). Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered. Cover Letter, and CV must be sent in English. A consortium, or a firm may not be engaged for the individual consultant's assignment.