Market Dev. Consultant - Domestic and Export Market Specialist

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Market Development Consultant — Domestic and Export Market Specialist

Zowasel is agribusiness, trade finance and compliance infrastructure company operating an integrated platform that combines an agricultural commodity marketplace, alternative credit scoring, sustainability measurement and embedded trade finance.

Zowasel supports farmer cooperatives, merchants and agribusinesses across Nigeria, deploying its technology to provide market access and finance. Its commodity marketplace connects them with enterprise buyers nationally, regionally and internationally; its measurement, reporting and verification system supports quality and sustainability compliance; and its alternative credit evaluation and scoring system facilitates supply chain and trade finance.

GIZ is supporting Zowasel through the EU-VACE TARED programme as part of investment readiness, investor engagement and trade finance deployment support to scale. This consultancy is established under that support.

Background

Zowasel’s marketplace operations currently focus on aggregating commodity supply from cooperatives and merchants and linking it to enterprise buyers in the domestic market. The model is established in grains, oilseeds and tree crops, and Zowasel has an operating relationship with processors, millers and manufacturers purchasing at scale.

This consultancy is established to provide the technical expertise required to lead both workstreams: deepening domestic market linkages and opening export channels, including market assessment, buyer identification and engagement, compliance and certification readiness, logistics design, commercial analysis, and pilot transaction execution.

Key Objectives

Strengthen Domestic Market Linkages: Assess demand, buyer requirements and pricing structures in the domestic market for each focal commodity, and establish practical pathways to secure and grow offtake.

Unlock Export Markets: Assess and prioritise viable export markets for the exportable focal commodities, establishing clear pathways for market entry, buyer engagement and long-term trade relationships.

Ensure Compliance and Standards Readiness: Map and guide adherence to the regulatory, phytosanitary, food safety, certification and quality standards required for domestic institutional supply and for export market access.

Strengthen Commercial Viability: Build clear business cases for each focal commodity and channel, including cost structures, logistics pricing, margin and profitability across scenarios.

Design the Go-to-Market Approach: Develop a practical commercialisation roadmap covering buyer partnerships, aggregation and logistics arrangements, and execution plans by chain and corridor.

Support Pilot Execution: Guide initial domestic and export transactions, including shipment and delivery planning, documentation and performance tracking.

Build Internal Capability: Provide knowledge transfer, templates and tools to strengthen Zowasel’s ability to manage and scale market development independently.

Scope of Work

The consultant will provide end-to-end advisory and execution support to strengthen domestic market development and establish an export function within Zowasel’s market access operations.

4.1 Domestic Market and Demand Assessment

Map and assess domestic demand for cocoa, dairy, ginger and tomato, including processors, millers, manufacturers, institutional buyers and organised retail. Evaluate volume requirements, quality specifications, pricing basis, payment behaviour and seasonality. Deliver a prioritised assessment of domestic offtake opportunities by chain and corridor.

4.2 Export Market and Opportunity Assessment

Identify and assess viable export markets for the exportable focal commodities, with particular attention to ginger and cocoa. Evaluate market demand, price dynamics, entry barriers and competitiveness relative to other regional suppliers. Deliver a prioritised shortlist of target markets with entry rationale, and state clearly where export is not viable for a given commodity and why.

4.3 Buyer Intelligence and Relationship Development

Identify and profile credible domestic enterprise buyers and international buyers, off-takers and trading houses in target markets. Define demand requirements, volume thresholds, quality specifications and pricing benchmarks. Develop an outreach and engagement strategy to initiate and advance buyer relationships, and support first engagements.

4.4 Regulatory, Compliance and Certification Mapping

Map the documentation, phytosanitary requirements, food safety and product registration requirements, import-country regulations and certification standards applicable to the focal commodities and target markets. Address deforestation-free supply chain requirements applicable to cocoa exports to the European Union, and dairy and tomato food safety and product registration requirements for domestic institutional supply. Develop a compliance checklist and readiness framework, and advise on certification pathways.

4.5 Logistics and Supply Chain Design

• Inland transportation, aggregation and consolidation points.
• Storage, drying, grading and packaging requirements by commodity.
• Cold chain and perishable handling requirements for dairy and tomato.
• Port of exit procedures and customs clearance for export consignments.
• Freight and shipping arrangements, container and bulk.
• Insurance and risk mitigation for cargo in transit.

4.6 Commercial and Margin Analysis

Develop cost structures, pricing models and profitability scenarios for each focal commodity by channel. For export, include free-on-board and cost, insurance and freight pricing comparisons. Provide sensitivity analysis across volume, price and exchange rate scenarios, and identify the break-even conditions for each channel.

4.7 Go-to-Market and Pilot Execution

Design the commercialisation strategy for each focal chain and support pilot transactions in at least two chains, of which at least one export pilot where viable. Coordinate documentation, buyer confirmations, aggregation and logistics for the pilots. Capture learnings and refine the approach for subsequent scale-up.

4.8 Capability Transfer

Deliver working sessions for Zowasel commercial, field and operations personnel, and provide the templates, standard operating procedures and tools required for Zowasel to continue and scale the work independently.

5. Deliverables

Domestic Market Assessment Report

An analysis of domestic demand across cocoa, dairy, ginger and tomato, covering buyer requirements, volumes, quality specifications, pricing basis, payment behaviour and prioritised offtake opportunities by corridor.

Export Market Assessment Report

An analysis of priority export markets for the exportable focal commodities, including demand trends, buyer requirements, pricing, competition and market entry opportunities, with a clear statement of where export is not viable and why.

Buyer and Off-taker Pipeline

A validated database of prospective domestic enterprise buyers and international buyers and off-takers, with engagement strategies and prioritised partnership opportunities.

Compliance and Certification Readiness Framework

A structured guide setting out the certification, phytosanitary, food safety, product registration, regulatory and quality parameters required for domestic institutional supply and for destination market access, including deforestation-free supply chain requirements for cocoa.

Logistics and Supply Chain Blueprint

A logistics plan setting out how volumes move from aggregation through storage, handling, cold chain where applicable, transport, packaging, documentation, customs clearance and final delivery or shipment.

Commercial and Margin Analysis

A financial evaluation and model of channel viability by commodity, detailing cost frameworks, pricing mechanisms, profitability scenarios, margin metrics and break-even thresholds, together with an analysis of the principal commercial risks.

Go-to-Market Roadmap

A commercialisation roadmap by chain and corridor, covering buyer partnerships, aggregation and logistics arrangements, sequencing and execution plans.

Pilot Outcome Report and Knowledge Transfer Pack

Documentation of pilot execution, outcomes, lessons learned, buyer engagement and compliance processes, with practical templates, standard operating procedures and guides enabling Zowasel to manage future market development independently.

Qualifications

At least ten (10) years of relevant experience in agricultural market development, commodity trade, export development or agribusiness commercial strategy, including senior responsibility for live transactions.

Demonstrated work in at least two of the focal value chains. Cocoa or ginger export experience and dairy or tomato cold-chain experience are strongly preferred within the proposed team.

Strong knowledge of Nigerian export procedures and agencies, destination-market standards, Incoterms 2020, logistics, buyer contracting and commercial risk.

Evidence of converting market analysis into buyer engagements, contracts or completed transactions, supported by redacted samples or references.

Advanced editable financial modelling, scenario analysis and concise executive reporting, with strong stakeholder engagement and negotiation capability.

Ability to work ethically with farmers and cooperatives, manage confidential information, and integrate gender, youth, safeguarding, environmental and climate considerations.

Business fluency in English at C1 level.

Submission

Interested Service Providers should submit a technical and financial proposal to [email protected], quoting “Market Development Consultant — Domestic and Export Market Specialist” in the subject line.