MOROCCO: NATIONAL BIO-DIGESTATE STANDARD DEVELOPMENT EXPERT

INTRODUCTION TO GGGI

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) is a treaty-based international, inter-governmental organization dedicated to supporting and promoting strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth in developing countries and emerging economies. To learn more please visit about GGGI web page. 

Most greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the waste sector are methane from the decay of organic matter in anaerobic conditions which represents 20% of total anthropogenic methane emissions. Methane is responsible for about 30% of global warming to date. Due to its short atmospheric lifetime and the availability of technologies, reducing methane gas can be a fast and cost-effective way to address climate change in the short term. While methane reduction is crucial for short-term climate action, many developing countries, including Morocco, face challenges due to a lack of data, technical knowledge, and capacity to attract developers and investors for methane reduction initiatives.

Leveraging its expertise in circular economy and climate-smart agriculture, GGGI has been supporting the Government of Morocco with the development of organic waste to biogas program, to reduce methane emissions from landfills, create valuable resources and green jobs. The government’s strong support for biodigester projects is evident through the GCF readiness funding access granted to GGGI for conducting two prefeasibility studies in Tangier and Rabat in 2022. During these studies, one key barrier identified by the government is the lack of formal standards to allow the beneficial utilization on land of the digestate generated from the bio-digestion process. This specific barrier prevents the implementation of the program due to increased disposal cost leading to revenue loss, and most importantly the negative impact on the environment.

The responsible government agencies, particularly the Moroccan Institute of Standardization (IMANOR) and the National Office of Health Safety of Food Products (ONSSA), have expressed keen interest and engagement through direct consultations, to support the development of an initial standard for the utilization of bio-digestate in various land areas such as forestry, agriculture, and city parks in Morocco. This is the objective of this GGGI project, which is financed by the Global Methane Hub as part of a broader program in North and West Africa.

The objective of this assignment is to develop a draft standard for the specification and production of bio-digestate in Morocco, submitted to the Fertilizing Materials and Culture Support Standardization Commission. The ultimate objective of this project is to finalize the standard and legal process, providing the legal framework to enable the activity to take place. This will remove a key barrier to investing in the installation of commercial biogas in the country, providing an additional source of income for the developers, and an affordable, climate friendly and safe soil amender for end users.

Under the guidance of the Program Manager, and in close collaboration with the technical commission for the Standardization of Fertilizing Materials and Culture Support established at the National Food Safety Office (ONSSA), the consultant will:

• Assess the Moroccan legal framework of standardization steps to develop the standard;
• Map stakeholders;
• Assess potential end uses of biodigestate;
• Review existing international standards and conduct a benchmark study;
• Draft the biodigestate specification standard (Scope of application, definitions, regulatory and normative references, physical and chemical composition, etc.);
• Conduct thorough consultations including through preparing and leading three project workshops (launch, consultation, restitution);
• Map out next steps for incorporation in the legal framework and implementation;
• Prepare and lead one capacity-building & awareness-raising workshop to promote good practices for the use of bio-digestate amongst key public and private stakeholders.

The assignment will consist of four main deliverables:

Task 1: Hold a scoping meeting, then develop a work plan and methodology outlining the proposed process for the development of the standard, stakeholder mapping, initial engagement and kickoff workshop report.

Task 2: Development of a report through literature review, stakeholder surveys, and secondary data collection which includes the following:

• Assessment of the Morocco legal framework and regulatory steps to develop the standard
• Assessment of potential end uses of bio-digestate, while considering existing biodigester technologies and different methods of digestate production.
• Review of existing international standards and development of a benchmark study
• Development of a working document defining the requirements of the standard. These requirements must be clear, scientific basis and quantifiable. They must also apply to all types of digestates and their possible uses. They must also apply to all types of digestates and their possible uses.
• List and make available the international standards (ISO, AOAC, etc.) relevant to the scope for adoption in the Fertilizing Materials and Culture Support Standardization Commission.

Task 3: Drafting of the Standard using the following (non-exhaustive) example of a Specification Standard Plan, and endorsement by key stakeholders:

• Introduction
• Scope
• Regulatory and Standards references
• Terms and definitions
• Description and different type of processes and bio-digestates
• Physical and chemical composition
• Effectiveness criteria
• health safety and environmental criteria
• Contaminants including pesticides
• Labelling
• Analytical and Sampling Methods
• Annexes

Task 4 : Consultations, capacity building and final draft standard

• Conduct a final restitution workshop
• Finalize the draft standard and map out next steps for incorporation in the legal framework and implementation
• Prepare and lead one capacity-building & awareness-raising workshop to promote good practices for the use of bio-digestate amongst key public and private stakeholders.

NB :

a) The specification standard must address all aspects of the product and especially aspects related to product characterization and health aspects.

b) The draft standard should be presented to the Fertilizing Materials and Culture Support Standardization Commission, established at ONSSA since 2015, for examination and validation of the technical content of the draft standard. Once consensus has been obtained, the text is finalized with a view to submitting it to a public inquiry for 1 to 3 months (depending on the members of standard commission).

At the beginning of the assignment, GGGI will arrange and facilitate an initial meeting between the Consultant and the relevant stakeholders to define the tasks and establish the collaboration approach. Within one week of this meeting, the Consultant will present a work plan outlining how and when the objectives will be accomplished.

To ensure effective communication and maintain a high standard of service, the Consultant is expected to conduct regular update calls/meetings with GGGI to review key outcomes and monitor the progress of the engagement.

All reports and results must be prepared in English and French, adhering to GGGI’s formatting requirements, and submitted in both hard copy and electronic formats. The submission should include complete sets of raw data, research materials, and interview notes in editable format.

The Consultant’s progress will primarily be assessed through periodic review meetings, typically held every two weeks. The exact timing of these meetings will be agreed upon with the Consultant. During these sessions, the project’s status, actual achievements compared to the initial schedule, and any support required to address encountered challenges will be evaluated.

Payment terms:

GGGI is seeking a highly qualified individual consultant who can conceive the standard as specified in these TORs, and as outlined below:

Qualifications and experience:

An expert specialized in agricultural domains, with documented experience collaborating with Government Authorities, non-governmental organizations, agricultural professional associations, or equivalent entities, with the following qualifications and experience:

• Advanced degree in a relevant field (agriculture, science, policy, regulatory, food safety, standardization) with at least 10 years of experience.
• At least 5 years of experience in waste recovery, risk management or sustainability.
• Extensive experience in environmental training or education is required.
• Solid knowledge and experience in standard framing, with a proven track record.
• Working experience with the Government, including participation in working groups to consider and develop new standards.
• Demonstrable knowledge of the standardization system in Morocco with at least five years’ experience of standard elaboration in Morocco or internationally with extensive experience in providing legal analysis.
• Experience in fertilizer and bio-fertilizer in Morocco is highly appreciated.

Core competencies:

• Strong network and relationships among stakeholders involved, especially IMANOR and ONSSA.
• Good understanding of Morocco’s development, agriculture strategy Green Generation, climate change and green growth objectives and policy frameworks.
• Knowledge of relevant standards is required & highly appreciated.
• Understanding of biodigestate properties and characteristics
• Ability to interpret and apply standards
• Ability to work independently under pressure with minimal instruction or supervision.
• Fluency in French and English with excellent writing and presentation skills. English is strongly required for all reports. Arabic is an advantage.

All incidental project costs, including travel on official business to a location other than the Consultant’s duty station during the period specified in the contract, will be at the charge of the consultant.

All costs related to the organization of the workshops will be covered by the GGGI.

The closing date is February 10, 2024, at 6 p.m. Korean Standard Time (KST). Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered. The cover letter and CV must be submitted in English. A consortium or company cannot be hired for the individual consultant assignment.

It is highly expected from the selected individuals to maintain the highest level of confidentiality to the aforementioned information, during and after the completion of the assignment. The Consultant shall practice highest standard of professional and ethical values and norms in providing this consultancy.