Operating Procedures of the Agribusiness SME Action Plan Working Group

Operating Procedures of the Agribusiness SME Action Plan Working Group

1.1Role of the SME Action Plan Working Group for Agribusiness

The Working Group will be responsible for prioritising, coordinating, and overseeing implementation of the Agribusiness Action Plan. While some of the actions will require external resources (e.g. technical and financial assistance), there are also actions that can be achieved through the existing, internal resources of participating members in the Working Groups. Key responsibilities of the Working Group include:

• Identifying, securing, and coordinating the necessary resources to implement the sector plan
• Identifying potential partners (investors, private sector associations, BSPs, government, development projects, etc.)
• Converting priorities into projects that can qualify for funding and/or attract private investment
• Monitoring implementation progress and modifying the Action Plan through regular reviews

The detailed ToR for the Working Group is available in Appendix 1.

1.2Membership

Each sectoralWorking Group will be chaired by a representative from MoCI or, where applicable, from the partner Ministryleading the sector action plan. Its core membership will consist of key government ministries/agencies and private sector representatives. Government representatives should be drawn from the General Directorate level (or be a nominee appointed by the Director General) to ensure that they have the ability to make decisions and delegate resources from within their directorates to assist with the implementation of actions and the execution of the Working Group’s responsibilities.

Depending on the priority actions selected by the permanent members, relevant ad-hoc members will be invited to participate and/or to even take the lead on that action. The permanent and ad-hoc representatives for the Agribusiness Working Group are as follows:

# / Institution / Representative
Permanent Members
1 / Ministry of Commerce and Industries (MOCI) / Mr. Abdul Rahim Saeedi, Director General of Private Sector Development
2 / Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) / Mr. Tamim Assey, Director of Private Sector Development
3 / Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) / Ms. Ghizaal Haress, Executive Director of AREDP
4 / Afghanistan Investment Support Agency (AISA) / Mr. Salam Zahid, Interministerial Adviser
5 / Export Promotion Agency (EPAA) / Mr. MirzaAmiri, CEO
6 / Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI) / Mr. Gholam Nabi Eidizada, Chair of Agricultural Committee
7 / Afghanistan National Standards Authority (ANSA) / To be confirmed
Ad-Hoc Members
1 / Asia Development Bank (ADB)
2 / Afghanistan Business Innovation Fund (ABIF)
3 / Afghan National Standards Authority (ANSA)
4 / Raisins, Fruits and Vegetables Export Promotion Agency (RFVEPA)
5 / Shomali Farms
6 / USAID TAFA
7 / Aga Khan Foundation (AKF)
8 / Welfare and Development Organisation for Afghanistan (WDOA)
9 / World Bank
10 / USAID
11 / JICA
12 / Harakat
13 / ISAF
14 / FAO
15 / MISFA (Microfinance Investment Support Facility Afghanistan)

Proposals for additional permanent or ad hoc members can be made at any Working Group meeting. Reasons should be provided as to why the person/institution should participate and why they should participate as either a permanent or ad-hoc member. Additional members will be admitted through a majority decision made by existing permanent members who are present during thatWorking Group meeting.

1.3Reporting and Support for the Working Group

The MoCI’s PSD General Directorate will provide secretarial support to the SME sectoralWorking Groups. This will include the following tasks:

• Organising meeting logistics: drafting the agenda, inviting relevant parties, and preparing the venue
• Preparing and circulating minutes from each Working Group meeting
• Providing research and general support as requested by the Working Group, including concept notes, proposals, consultant scopes of works, business cases, supporting documents, etc.
• Compiling progress updates for the Minister and other stakeholders

The Secretariat will report to the Chair. The Director General of PSD will be responsible for reporting regularly on the implementation of theAgribusiness SME Action Plan to the Minister of Commerce and Industry (MOCI) and Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock (MAIL).

Written reports on progress will be prepared by the Secretariat every six months and submitted to the Working Group for approval. The Secretariat will secure the signature of the relevant Deputy Ministers at MOCI and MAIL on the approved report before circulating to all permanent and ad hoc members and making the report available online through the MOCI website.

1.4Procedures for Meetings

Frequency of meetings

The Working Group will meet monthly, with the option of additional meetingsas required to efficiently and effectively deliver its mandated terms of reference.

Issuing agenda and documents for each meeting

The Chair of the Working Group will approve the date of each meeting and instruct the Secretariat to issue invitations to the core members and those ad-hoc members appropriate to the meeting. Members can suggest and send agenda items/supporting papers via email to the Secretariat.

The Secretariat will circulate the following items by email at least six working daysbefore the meeting:

• Official invitation letter confirming the date, time, and location of the meeting
• Agenda detailing all topics for consideration at the meeting
• Supporting documents for agenda topics

The hard copies of the official invitation letter will be provided to members at the Working Group meeting.

Procedure at the meeting

The Chair will manage and coordinate the meeting, ensuring that all agenda items are allocated sufficient time for members to consider and discuss in sufficient depth. The Chair will assist the members at the meeting to reach a consensus on agenda topics that require a decision and will ensure that all decisions and agreements on future actions are clearly understood and recorded and that a responsible agent and deadline are assigned to each action point.

Issuing and finalising minutes after each meeting

The Secretariat will circulate the draft minutes to participants of the meeting within five working daysafter each meeting. The draft minute will include action points with responsible agents and clearly defined deadlines.

Participants of the meeting will have three working days to comment or request any changes to the draft. The Secretariat will then finalise and circulate the minutes to the full membershipof the Working Group (permanent and ad-hoc members) and any other guests that participated at the meeting.

Discussions at the meeting

Discussion at the Working Group meetings will befocused on three main categories of items:

• Items for Information: Governmental agencies, donors, and private sector associations may be involved or engaged in a number of programmes and initiatives that are of relevance for the SME action plans. This is an opportunity for members to highlight existing or proposed activities from their own institutions (or from other stakeholders) and to inform other members of any relevant policy discussions and decisions. Items for information may also include updates on the implementation progress of Action Plan priorities and action points agreed upon in previous Working Group meetings. In short, these items are simply to informthe rest of the members and do not require any decisions by the Working Group.
• Items for Brainstorming:Before developing proposals to be approved by the Working Group, the Secretariat can solicit ideas and feedback from Working Group members on specific topics. This is an opportunity for members to draw on their experience and provide guidance to the Secretariat. This may also include suggestions for future agenda items or areas that the Working Group should explore. In summary, the focus of the discussion is to brainstormand generate ideas.
• Items for Decision/Action:This may include proposals and measures to implement the SME Action Plan and address emerging issues/bottlenecks identified by stakeholders. The focus of the discussion is to reach a decision on the proposals or measures being discussed.