What exactly am I doing there?

Just as an fyi - here's a copy of the job descriptions I have been given for the two projects I'll be working on, and a description of who Technoserve is etc etc. You can read up more about the company if you like at www.technoserve.org ...

God bless
john


COMPANY DESCRIPTION

TechnoServe is a non-profit business development organization focused on promoting rural economic growth in developing countries. Based in Norwalk, CT, TechnoServe has offices in 9 countries in Latin America and Africa. Since its founding in 1968, TechnoServe has successfully used a private enterprise approach to assist low income people in the developing world to build businesses that create income and economic growth for their families, their communities, and their countries.

TechnoServe has been operating in Mozambique since November 1997 when it received a $2.4 million grant from USAID to implement the Trade and Enterprise Development Program (TREND). Initially focusing on agribusiness opportunities (such as cashew, oil seed, pulses, and fruit), the organization is currently defining its strategy for developing new sectors in Mozambique – such as eco-tourism – and revitalizing existing sectors – such as wood products. TechnoServe Mozambique currently has three field offices (Lichinga in Niassa Province, Nampula in Nampula Province, and Chimoio in Manica Province) and services clients across several agribusiness sectors – confectionary nuts, high value horticulture, and field crops / animal feed / livestock – as well as non-agribusiness sectors, such as tourism and furniture.



DESCRIPTION OF POSITION 1 – BUSINESS ANALYST FOR NEW SEED INVESTMENT

In late 2003, TechnoServe Mozambique received funding from the IFC to assess the
potential for high value horticulture production in Mozambique’s Beira Corridor. As a
result of this study, TechnoServe is currently providing technical assistance to key clients in
vegetable, fruit, and floriculture production.

One of the needs for many of these clients is access to high quality seed. Qualita is a new
seed company recently created in Mozambique to produce top quality seed for export and
sales within Mozambique. The company’s founders are Bernard and Brenda Van Dyk,
who between them have over 20 years of experience in the seed and grain sectors in
Mozambique and South Africa. Presently, the company is negotiating with numerous seed
breeders such as INIA and CIMMYT for the multiplication, marketing and retail rights of
their genome. The company has secured horticultural seed that is expected to be sold to
central and northern Mozambique in March 2005.

The objective of this volunteer position is to create investor-ready business plan (which
includes a market assessment), financial model, and short investor presentation for
Qualita, which can be used by the client to raise additional capital.

PROJECT CONCEPT

Qualita is proposing to secure seed multiplication rights with existing seed genome
producing institutions. With these rights, Qualita will be able to contract out growers to
multiply the seed, which is then graded, packaged and marketed to farmers. The
profitability of this investment depends on efficient marketing and retailing in order to
ensure that the seed reaches the farmers. Qualita proposes to market seeds through field
days and retail seed through rural traders. Internationally, Qualita will export seed to
wholesalers and NGOs within the region.

1. Brief description of project.
2. Sponsorship, management and technical assistance:
§ History, structure and business of sponsor(s), including financial information.
§ Proposed management arrangement(s) and names and curricula vitae of managers.
§ Description of technical arrangements and other external assistance (management, production, marketing, finance, etc.).
3. Market and sales:
§ Basic market orientation: local, national, regional, or export.
§ Projected production volumes, unit prices, sales objectives, and market share of proposed venture.
§ Potential users of products and distribution channels to be used. Present sources of supply for products.
§ Future competition and possibility that market may be satisfied by substitute products.
§ Tariff protection or import restrictions affecting products.
§ Critical factors that determine market potential.
4. Technical feasibility, manpower, raw material resources, and environment:
§ Brief description of seed production and replication process.
§ Comments on special technical complexities and need for know-how and special skills.
§ Possible suppliers of equipment.
§ Availability of manpower and of infrastructure facilities (transport and communications, power, water, etc.).
§ Breakdown of projected operating costs by major categories of expenditures.
§ Source, cost, and quality of raw material supply and relations with support industries.
§ Import restrictions on required raw materials.
§ Proposed location in relation to suppliers, markets, infrastructure and manpower.
§ Proposed size in comparison with other known seed companies.
§ Potential environmental issues and how these issues are addressed.
5. Investment requirements, project financing, and returns:
§ Estimate of total project cost, broken down into land, construction, installed equipment, and working capital, indicating foreign exchange component.
§ Proposed financial structure of venture, indicating expected sources and terms of equity and debt financing.
§ Type of financing (loan, equity, quasi-equity, a combination of financial products, etc.) and amount requested from each potential source
§ Projected financial statement, information on profitability, and return on investment.
§ Critical factors determining profitability.
6. Government support and regulations:
§ Project in context of government economic development and investment program.
§ Specific government incentives and support available to project.
§ Expected contribution of project to economic development.
§ Outline of government regulations on exchange controls and conditions of capital entry and repatriation.
7. Timetable envisaged for project preparation and completion.

JOB LENGTH

Approximately 3-4 weeks commencing Friday, January 14 2005.


DESCRIPTION OF POSITION 2 – ‘TECHNOSERVE WAY’ TRAINER

In 2003, TechnoServe Mozambique launched the TNS Way training module for its professional business advisor staff. The purpose of this training is to help advisors learn a hypothesis-driven approach to problem solving for their rural enterprise clients. The TNS Way is modeled on McKinsey & Company’s successful business case approach and introduces tools such as issue trees, financial modeling, and matrices to better enable our staff to serve our clients’ needs.

As part of this new training approach, TechnoServe now wants to introduce a new set of diagnostic tools to be used by our advisors to better understand the profit drivers of their client’s businesses.

The primary activities of this volunteer position are to lead the two-day training module for all six TechnoServe Mozambique business advisors during the week of February 7th and then spend 3-5 days with each business advisor, helping the advisor use the new diagnostic tools for one of their existing clients. Following this exercise, each business advisor should be able to:

§ Perform the diagnostic analysis for every new client
§ Perform the diagnostic analysis for existing clients who are not necessarily analyzing their businesses in this way

JOB LENGTH

Approximately 6 weeks based on the following schedule:

February 7 – 11: Lead training and work with Quality advisor in Maputo
February 14 – 18: Work with Agribusiness advisor in Lichinga
February 21 – 25: Work with Tourism advisor in Lichinga / Manda Widlerness
February 28 – March 4: Work with Cashew advisor in Nampula
March 7 – 11: Work with Timber advisor in Beira
March 14 – 18: Work with Horticulture advisor in Chimoio