Helen Keller International is a global health organization dedicated to eliminating preventable vision loss, malnutrition and diseases of poverty. Cofounded by Helen Keller – and guided by her fierce optimism and belief in human potential – the organization delivers life-changing health solutions to vulnerable families where the need is great but access to care is limited. In the US, Africa, and Asia, Helen Keller’s proven, science-based programs empower people to create opportunities in their own lives and build lasting change.
We are recruiting to fill the position below:
Job Title: Consultant to Draft Code of Practice for Bouillon Fortification in Nigeria
Location: Abuja (FCT)
Background
- In Nigeria, bouillon cubes are used extensively for food preparation, and a dish never seems to be complete without one or more of these seasonings added to it. Indeed, the preliminary results of the 2021 National Food Consumption and Micronutrient survey showed that in some regions as high as 100 percent of sampled households purchased and consumed bouillon products in the week prior to interview.[1] While the amounts of bouillon consumed per capita vary regionally, by locale (rural versus urban), and by socioeconomic status, it is clear that the vast majority of households routinely purchase and consume some bouillon products in Nigeria. This very large demand for bouillon products has (of course) led to a rise in production and sales. For example, over 100 million Maggi brand bouillon cubes are reported to be sold in Central and West African region daily. [2] Therefore, bouillon could be an excellent vehicle for delivering micronutrients in Nigeria, and in west Africa generally.
- Due to the broad routine consumption of bouillon products, especially among low-income populations that are hard to reach with other large-scale food fortification (LSFF) vehicles (e.g., wheat flour), some bouillon producers have begun to enrich bouillon cubes with micronutrients, adding vitamin A or iron during the production process on a voluntary basis.
- Recognizing broad bouillon consumption patterns and the technical potential for including micronutrients in them, bouillon cubes are now being considered a possible vehicle for mandatory fortification, a new and potentially critical element of the strategy to address micronutrient deficiencies in Nigeria. But harnessing the potential micronutrient-distributive power of bouillon requires, a national plan that identifies which and how much of each micronutrient to be included, and the specific fortificants to be used.
- Helen Keller International (Helen Keller Intl) is working with national governments and partners to facilitate an evidence-based and constructive dialogue to inform policy discussions regarding the multi-micronutrient fortification of bouillon cubes. In the context of Nigeria, Helen Keller Intl provides support to the National Fortification Alliance (NFA) to establish and manage a Country Working Group (CWG) for bouillon fortification.
- The CWG consists of representatives from various institutions, including government departments, professional and consumer associations, academia, private sector industries, and others.
- The CWG meets regularly and has developed a list of research questions that it feels needs to be addressed to fill knowledge gaps. Over the past two years, Helen Keller Intl and its partners (UC Davis, CSIRO, RISE, and others) have developed much of the evidence required to address the technical and other knowledge gaps, many related to the depth and spatial patterns of micronutrient needs, the contributions of existing LSFF programs to meeting these needs, and the nutritional impacts and costs associated with bouillon fortification, involving different combinations and amounts of micronutrients in bouillon premixes.
- With this evidence base at hand, the NFA has approved the recommendation of the CWG on the need for a Code of Practice to guide and control the current voluntary fortification of bouillon and to provide a point of departure for eventually developing mandatory standards. Thus, there is the need to urgently develop this Code of Practice specifically for bouillon fortification in Nigeria.
Purpose
- The Consultant is to develop a Code of Practice (CoP) for bouillon fortification, in collaboration with the Standards Organization of Nigeria and the Country Working Group for bouillon.
- A key expected outcome of this work is to identify the micronutrients to be included in fortified bouillon cubes, and the types and amounts of fortificants recommended for inclusion in premixes in Nigerian.
- The CoP would be relevant for national production at all scales of production, and for all imported bouillon cubes.
Methods
- Qualitative and quantitative methods will be used to obtain data for this consultancy.
- The entire evidence base prepared for the CWG will be made available to the consultant.
- The consultant will work with Helen Keller Intl (with input from bouillon consortium collaborators) and the CWG to design and undertake the study.
Expected Results of the Consultancy
The consultant is expected to:
- Submit a proposal to Helen Keller Intl including a proposed methodology and a budget,
- Liaise with key officers in the SON responsible for the development of Standards/Codes of Practice,
- Support the SON in coordinating meetings with key stakeholders to review the draft bouillon Code of Practice document,
- Continued follow-up to fast track the process to meet the timeline of the last week of March 2023.
- Produce a documented report with concrete timeline and recommendations for a bouillon for actions leading to the approval of the code of practice. Report to be delivered by the last week of March 2023.
Scope of Work
The consultant will work under the technical supervision of the Country Working Group (CWG) on bouillon and Helen Keller Intl, with support from UC Davis, CSIRO, RI.SE, and other bouillon consortium members, as needed, for the successful completion of this consultancy. Steps associated with this consultancy will include:
- Design of an appropriate methodology to draft a Code of Practice for bouillon fortification,
- Share the proposal with Helen Keller Intl and the CWG team for review and comments prior to commencing work,
- Have weekly check-in calls to inform Helen Keller Intl and CWG of the progress of the work,
- Promptly notify Helen Keller Intl of any problems encountered during data collection or analyses, and of delays or other necessary changes to the proposal, along with proposed solutions,
- Write a detailed report on data collection procedures, including interview procedures,
- Share the report with Helen Keller Intl and bouillon consortium collaborators, and the CWG, for review, comments, and amendments, as required, and
- Produce and submit the final report of the study incorporating all amendments suggested by Helen Keller Intl and the CWG.
Activities And Deliverables
| Deliverables/Tasks | Content | |
| 1. | Liaise with the CWG and SON to initiate the process of Code of Practice drafting | Working with Helen Keller Intl and bouillon consortium collaborators, the CWG, and SON in the entire process of developing the draft code of conduct |
| 2. | Map out of stakeholder institutions | List of key stakeholders to be involved |
| 3. | Draft a Code of Practice for bouillon fortification.(In collaboration with SON and support from CWG, Helen Keller International, and bouillon consortium collaborators) | For each micronutrient to be included in the fortified bouillon cube, identify the specific fortificants to be used and the ranges to be included in bouillon premixes |
| 4. | Work with SON to facilitate the required review meetings with stakeholders for review of draft Code of Practice for bouillon fortification | Initial and final versions of the draft Code of practice (revised, incorporating comments from Helen Keller Intl, bouillon consortium collaborators, and the CWG) |
| 5. | Proposed recommendations for next actions | Make actionable recommendations for approval of Code of Practice |
| 6. | Support SON to initiate the formal approval process for the Code of Practice. | Support SON in submission of the fortified bouillon Code of practice, and follow-up for approval |
| 7. | Preparation and submission of the final technical and financial report | Submission of preliminary technical report for review by CWG, Helen Keller Intl, and bouillon consortium collaboratorsIntegrate feedback received and finalize the reportValidation of final report by CWG and Helen Keller IntlFinancial report submitted to Helen Keller Intl |
Please note that the activity period will span to 5 months.
Application Closing Date
7th February, 2023.
Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Cover Letter and Resume to: [email protected] using the Job Title as the subject of the email.
Note
- Applications will be reviewed as received.
- In the spirit of our founder and namesake, Helen Keller is dedicated to
- building an inclusive workforce where diversity in all its forms is fully valued.
Helen Keller Intl
- Does Not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, test, interview meeting, processing or training.
- Does Not ask for information on applicants’ bank accounts.
- Does Not recruit through any recruitment agency.
