Bente Topsøe-Jensen has a long-term NGO management career as Country Coordinator for Ibis in Mozambique and International Director for Danish Association for International Cooperation in Denmark with responsibility for programme development and strategic processes; human resource management, staff training and development; fundraising and liaison with government authorities and funding agencies.
Chief Programme Adviser for Danida Agricultural Sector Programme Support in Mozambique with overall responsibility for liaison with government authorities and donor groups; programme implementation, planning, monitoring and reporting; management of international advisers.
Bente has full command of project cycle management, including strategic planning and establishment of results-based monitoring and evaluation systems, elaboration of strategic plans and policy papers, gained through hands-on involvement in programme formulation, appraisals, reviews and evaluations, as well as management of implementation.
She is familiar with current aid and development effectiveness agendas on ownership, alignment, harmonisation, results and mutual accountability; as well as OECD DAC evaluation criteria on relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability.
She has undertaken identification, preparation and formulation of sector programme support in the fields of environment / climate change, agriculture, rural development, health and HIV/AIDS.
She has hands-on experience from sector budget support and PRSP / MDG monitoring, including joint donor budget monitoring and expenditure reviews; MTEF (Mid-term Expenditure Framework) formulation; and design and implementation of monitoring system for Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Mozambique.
She has worked with institutional and organisational development, including direct involvement in institutional reform processes, organisational restructuring, human resource management and staff development, as well as specific attention on HIV/AIDS and gender in relation to HR.
She has been responsible for administration of project and programme funds from EU, Danida, Sida and USAID. Familiar with aid management guidelines from a broad range of donor agencies (EU, Danida, DFID, Sida, NORAD, Finnida).
Bente has worked on several long-term contracts:
- CTA at the Danida Agricultural Sector Programme Support in Mozambique (2000-04)
- Project Manager at a Danida-funded Rural Extension Project in Mozambique (1992-95)
- Monitoring & Planning adviser for Sida in Guinea-Bissau (1985-88)
Short-term assignments in the area of aid management include:
- Design and implementation of baseline study for the new SCC civil society and natural resources management program (2012)
- Evaluation of two programmes (SCORE-NRM and FAPIM) and formulation of outline for a new women-focused civil society and natural resource management programme (2012)
- Quality assurance and editing of winning technical proposal for the DFID-funded Citizen’s Engagement Programme (2012)
- Evaluation of support to civil society engagement in policy dialogue (2011-12)
- Implementation assistance and quality assurance for Civil Society Support Mechanism (MASC/CSSM) M&E System Action Plan (2011-12)
- Desk appraisal of KVINFO program application for implementation programmes on women’s rights in the Middle East & North Africa program (2011)
- Consultancy on roles and responsibilities of UniBRAIN partners (2011)
- Preparation of the Danish HIV/AIDS and Health Sector Programme Support in Mozambique (2010-11)
- Strengthening of results based monitoring at DFID/IrishAid-financed CS-support in Mozambique (2010-12)
- Formulation of the Danish Environmental Sector Programme Support in Mozambique (2010)
- Mid-term review of Swedish Cooperative Centre's civil society support programme in Niassa Province (2009-10)
- Programme formulation of UniBRAIN initiative under the Africa Commission (2009)
- Identification mission for a EC-financed Rural Development Sector Programme in Mozambique (2009)
- Screening and appraisal of NGO project proposals for innovative women’s projects in Africa (2008-10)
- Evaluation of Danida’s Information Grant (2008)
- Analysis of donor agencies use of Country Programme Evaluations in policy development (2007)
- Formulation of country strategy for Ibis Angola (1998)