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Ali Machemba

Ali Machemba

Agribusiness Contract Grants and Procurement Specialist

Highest degree :

Bachelors

Field of study :

Agricultural Engineering

Location :

Pemba

Citizenships :

Mozambican

Experience :

17 Year(s)

Countries :

Mozambique

Gender :

Male

Sectors :

Agribusiness

Agribusiness, Entrepreneurship and Climate Action

Agricultural

Community Development

Community engagement

Grants and Partnership Management, Monitoring & Evaluation, Team Building, Networking and collaboration, Conflict Resolution & Consensus Building with diverse stakeholders,

Grants Management

Procurement Management

WASH

I am an agronomist with 17 years of experience in managing and successfully delivering agribusiness, humanitarian, and WASH projects across northern Mozambique, specifically in the provinces of Zambezia, Niassa, Nampula, and Cabo Delgado. I possess strong skills in collaborating with a diverse range of stakeholders, including those in remote areas, as well as local governments, private sector organizations, NGOs, and donors.

Experience

Grants and Procurement Manager

Nampula

Tetra Tech

February 2023

-

April 2025

• Provide clear and concise grant administration policies and procedures for staff and grantees. • Collaborate with the Project Technical Grant Team to develop the SOW/RFA, and create a timeline for managing the grant solicitation, evaluation process, selection, and award. • Ensure compliance with Tetra Tech ARD and U.S. government policies, best practices, and procedures for managing grants under contract (GUC). • Review grants/subcontracts budgets and provide support to continue for budget tracking. • Keep track of deliverables and reporting requirements for grants/subcontracts. • Ensure timely preparation and execution of grant and subcontract budget amendments. • Provide information to and collaborate with supervisors regarding subcontractors’ and grantee performance accountability. • Maintain oversight to ensure that subcontractors and grantees perform in accordance with the terms, conditions, and specifications of their contracts or grant agreements. • Coordinate with other departments to align procurement operations phases with organizational strategy and overseeing RFQ/RFP processes as needed. • Collaborate with key individuals to ensure clarity of the specifications and expectations of the Transform WASH project. • Collaborate with members of the review and evaluation committee, providing them with tools based on the requirements or evaluation criteria in the RFQ/RFP to review the vendors' proposals. • Conduct technical analysis of supplier proposals, negotiate business and legal terms and conditions, and review and execute contracts agreement or purchase orders. • Oversee the procurement transactions to ensure full and open competition, in accordance with Transform WASH procurement procedures. • Monitor the procurement accounts payable process to ensure accurate and timely invoice payments, and compliance with policies. • Fulfill any other duties or responsibilities to support Transform WASH as assigned by the Chief of Party.

Project Management Support Associate

Pemba

UNOPS

October 2022

-

February 2023

• Support the Community Development Specialist (CDS) in ensuring adherence to UNOPS Policies and Procedures, Financial Rules, and Regulations for efficient project implementation and progress. • Ensure the unit work plan is up to date and inform the CDS of activity end dates and reporting requirements. • Manage and assist in organizing unit planning meetings and partner capacity-building training. • Liaise with the internal procurement and logistics team regarding all transport, inventory, and procurement issues directly supporting the unit. • Track the Unit's expenditure and take relevant action in consultation with the Finance Team. • Financial monitoring and financial report review for cost-reimbursable grant instruments. • Provide valuable inputs to help the CDS prepare project reports and documents. • Facilitate the flow of information and keep records of all relevant internal and external communication in the Unit's Google Drive under the project-level drive. • Support the compilation of lessons learned as per the defined reporting format. • Contribute to disseminating and sharing best practices and lessons learned for planning and knowledge building.

Grants Officer

Pemba and Nampula

DAI Global

January 2020

-

December 2021

• Grant Management cycle. • Provide support during the entire activity life cycle to include: a) Lead pre-award responsibility determination. b) Negotiate, justify, and lead the grantee selection and vetting process. c) Develop and analyze budgets for proposed activities to ensure allowability, allocability, reasonableness, and consistency in coordination with the proposed local partners. d) Manage and control expense for procuring goods and services in-kind within the scope of partnerships. e) Ensure full compliance with DAI and US government policies, best practices, and procedures for managing grants under contract. f) Manage and track the completion of milestones and the respective payment requests for milestones. g) Ensure that all grant milestones are accurately entered into the project’s Activity Database (TAMIS or DAI’s subsequent systems) and on SharePoint. Maintain up-to-date and complete files for each grant award. h) Provide assistance to program staff and grantees to ensure compliance with the Grants Manual and USAID policies and timely delivery of technical excellence, evidence, and learning under the grants fund. i) Manage the team to provide updates on the ongoing interventions. j) Act as the team's focal point for presenting results and weekly plans to project managers and donors. k) Conduct field visits to monitor and evaluate activities and gather feedback from direct beneficiaries and stakeholders. l) Financial reconciliation during activity close-out. • Perform additional or other duties as needed to meet the project's requirements by supporting the program team in designing short-term activities and serving as a Program Development Officer.

Finance Intervention Manager

Nampula

DAI Pty

December 2017

-

December 2019

• Facilitate financial market players and encourage them to innovate financial services to deliver to the smallholder farmers (SHF), specifically the agency banking model. • Identify potential financial partners to promote financial inclusion and literacy for SHFs in the targeted value chain to develop agribusiness. • Develop deal notes, conduct due diligence, and manage partnership agreements between InovAgro and local NGOs in project locations. • Increase SHF participation in the higher value chain through the development of affordable agribusiness by the private sector. • Promote financial savings at the community level through Village Savings and Loan Associations to facilitate the purchase of inputs and payment for agricultural services.

Market Systems Change Officer

Nampula

DAI Pty

November 2015

-

December 2017

• Support the private sector in developing commercial distribution networks for Agri-input products and stimulating product demand through aggressive market promotional campaigns, including identifying lead farmers, demo plots, field days, and agro-dealers. • Support marketing traders in identifying optimal buying points and establishing commercial relationships with Farmer Associations for bulk produce marketing. • Support contracted service providers in strengthening SHF's financial capacity through participation in savings groups and direct links with financial institutions. • Support service providers in developing and marketing mechanization products to smallholder farmers. • Work closely with the Supervisor to manage relationships with local authorities, ensuring that the SDAE office and other relevant government departments are adequately engaged and updated on the project activities in the location. • Organize field visits for project stakeholders (donors, DAIs, government officials, etc.) to review project performance at the project location. • Follow up on the activities and evaluate the performance of our partnerships. • Working with the MEL Team to conduct quarterly risk assessments to identify threats that may limit the project intervention impact and suggest viable mitigation strategies for identified threats.

Community Liaison Officer

Palma

Impacto - Anadarko Mozambique Area 1

July 2013

-

March 2015

• Ensure effective communication with communities inside and outside the DUAT Area for construction LNG. • Conduct community meetings about the LNG Afungi project. • Support consultants and contractors in community communication. • Register affected community members and their assets using YUMA and GPS. • Establish resettlement committees to address grievances and forward them to AMA1. • Support the agricultural team with activities in affected communities. • Collaborate with smallholder farmers and local government to develop new crop production plans • Organize and conduct demonstration plots to address production issues. • Advise smallholder farmers on farming techniques and practices. • Monitor operations and collect community grievances related to the LNG project. • Key person for interpreting during the community meeting from Portuguese or English to the local language.

Regional Coordinator Assistant

Nampula

Water Regulatory Authority (AURA)

August 2010

-

July 2013

• Support the Regional Coordinator (RC) in managing their daily schedule and ensuring efficient time management. This involves tracking issues and priorities and following up on them. • Coordinate and oversee various work processes and activities to ensure that decisions and directives are carried out effectively, leading to the timely delivery of products. • Supervise the team responsible for water supply systems in the North region. • Assist the RC in monitoring the quality of service provided by the systems under the North Office. • Support the RC in gathering data on water utility performance and planning related activities. • Manage the budget allocated to the North Regional Office. • Prepare reports on the performance of water supply systems.

Research Station Manager

Chiure

Ecoenergia

September 2008

-

September 2009

• Coordinate activities at the Research Station. • Develop technical and financial proposals for implementing activities at the Research Station. • Manage the budget for the Research Station. • Supervise technical and seasonal personnel at the research station. • Provide Support and Follow-up sweet sorghum and sugar cane trials. • Coordinate fostering activities for sweet sorghum crop trials on the farm.

Languages
Portuguese
Speak
Excellent
Read
Excellent
Write
Excellent
English
Speak
Very Good
Read
Very Good
Write
Very Good
Skills

a good team player, honest, well-organized, hardworking, cooperative, and a good communicator

Experience with financing agencies

4 years