UNDP Jobs

The development path pursued by many African countries in the immediate post–independence period has not produced the expectations and aspirations of the populace. With an eye to rectify this unsatisfactory performance, a consensus emerged (in 1990 at Maastricht, Netherlands) on the need to adopt a long term perspective as an appropriate framework for promoting sustainable development in Africa. Following this, many African countries, including Swaziland, with the support of international donors including UNDP, engaged in the formulation and implementation of their own long term visions and strategies.
Swaziland is pursuing development initiatives with the primary objectives of economic growth, self-reliance, social justice and stability.  In 1988, the government decided to embark on an improved and more comprehensive planning system designed to meet emerging serious challenges. Views were collected from the general public through extensive consultations as well as detailed analysis to inform the National Development Strategy (NDS) which rolled out in 1999. The NDS articulates the country’s development vision and aspiration for 25 years from 1997 until 2022. It focuses on improved standard of living in the country particularly poverty eradication, employment creation, gender equality and environmental protection. According to the strategy, by the year 2022 the Kingdom of Swaziland will be in the top 10 % of the human development group of countries founded on sustainable development, social justice and political stability. In practice, the NDS provides a long term framework within which short and medium-term actionable programmes will be formulated by the government.  The strategy embraces the vision, key macro, sectoral and sub-sectoral strategies presumed primarily to advance the country’s socio-economic development process. Since its adoption in 1999, the NDS is serving as the overarching framework that guides all socio-economic interventions which seek to advance the lives of the Swazi populace.  Within the umbrella of the NDS, government has produced the Poverty Reduction Strategy and Action Programme-PRSAP (2007-2015), Economic Recovery Strategy (ERS), Sector Wide Approach (SWAp), and   all these tools are tailored made to implement the NDS.

The primary objective of the consultancy is to review and update the NDS by conducting an in-depth assessment of the progress made thus far in its implementation. Based on the review results, produce an updated and well-shared National Development Strategy that will spearhead the country’s socio-economic development direction in the forth coming years. More specifically, the consultancy aims to:

• Review the progress made towards the attainment of the Vision 2022 and appraises the overall state of implementation of the NDS from different perspectives as it unfolds in the 13th year of its endorsement.  This will be done through inclusive consultations and broad-based participation;
• Analyze and evaluate the development benefits attained as spearheaded by the NDS as well as identify basic challenges and development gaps including new and potential areas of opportunities to be considered for future endeavours; and
• Revise and update the NDS considering the lessons learnt during the last 12 years and taking into account the dynamics of the new emerging development challenges and directions at national, regional and international levels for the foreseeable future.

• Produce an inception report reflecting the overall implementation status of the National Development Strategy  and a detailed work plan agreed with the Head of the Poverty Reduction, and Monitoring and Evaluation Division and the MEPD Poverty Advisor and approved by the Chief Economist to take the work forward;
• Appraise the relevance of the NDS in catering the development vision and aspiration of the Swaziland population as well as assess critically the socio-economic performance of the country during the last 13 years and its links towards the attainment of the NDS tenets and long-term development goals;
• Identify and ascertain the national aspirations and dynamic trends in the Swaziland society that have future bearing on events (and of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) facing the country as it endeavours  to create a desired future direction;
• Update and develop a widely shared national vision through national dialogue that will serve as the guiding framework for future national development actions;
• Review the overall viability of the PRSAP and its complementary strategies in particular the Fiscal Adjustment Roadmap (FAR), and the Economic Recovery Strategy (ERS) as workable mechanisms to operationalize or realize the vision and development goals of the NDS and their actual contributions towards this end thus far;
• Assess the inter-alignment and integration, quality and relevance of the basic macroeconomic, sector/thematic policies, strategies and action plans particularly in terms of implementing the NDS and realizing the associated long-term development goals  of the country;
• Identify key national development issues and concerns that emerged  after the NDS formulation and endorsement, and identify means  to systematically align and integrate them into the revised NDS;
• Assess and specify the core development challenges and potential opportunities of the country and propose an appropriate long-term strategy to address them;
• Derive appropriate lessons from the experience of other relevant African countries in the management and implementation of long term development goals but keeping intact Swaziland’s objective realities and concerns;
• In collaboration with the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development (MEPD), advise and design workable and inclusive consultative mechanisms that will competently facilitate the revision of the NDS at different levels of the country.  This, among others , could involve the establishment or appointment of various teams with different functions like: review coordination team, review commission, sectoral working committees for sector studies,  etc. and preparation of Terms of Reference for  each team including schedules of meetings;
• In addition to MEPD, Identify potential champions in the form of institutions, personalities and marketing strategies,  which help to familiarize the entire development community with the long-term NDS process;
• Conduct extensive consultations and broad-based participatory approaches to collect necessary data, information, ideas and views on what should the country’s future development direction be;
• Develop or construct alternative future NDS scenarios for consideration based on facts gathered through extensive consultations and broader participation at different levels (i.e. develop the real vision of the society);
• Organize and conduct  a series of workshops and meetings to collect and exchange constructive ideas and information as well as derive common consensus on different outstanding issues including the way forward;
• Submit  reports on the revised NDS reflecting the findings of the review consultancy service both in soft and hard copies; and   
• Undertake other functions and activities as MEPD might indicate.

Deliverables:

During the assignment, the consultant will be expected to ensure the production, delivery and execution of the following outputs as per the indicated timeframes:

• Within the first two weeks, produce an inception (scoping) report reflecting the overall status of the NDS and detailed work plan agreed with the Head of the Poverty Reduction, Monitoring and Evaluation Division and the Poverty Advisor and approved by the Chief Economist to take the work forward; By the end of the first month, prepare TORs for and ensure the establishment  of the NDS review Coordination, NDS review commission, sectors/thematic technical teams;
• By the end of the second month, produce a draft report of the revised NDS  supplemented with alternative scenarios as well as conduct the first round of workshop;
• Conduct periodic briefing sessions on work progress to the Minister and Principal Secretary of  MEPD; and
  
• By the end of the assignment, submit the report of the revised NDS both in hard and soft copies.

• NDS expert and skilled in formulation of development strategies;
• Have strong ability to analyse and synthesize information from different sources, and to draw from it key themes and issues;
• Familiar with operations of the central government, line ministries and Civil Society
• Have ability to, and experience of managing and leading teams;
• Capable of working with very little supervision, taking own initiative and control of programmes and to implement tasks to accomplish stated goals and objectives through effectively delivered results;
• Working with government in Sub-Saharan Africa will be an advantage;
• Hard-working and easily adaptable to new cultural working environments;
• Strong interpersonal skills and facilitation skills as well as persistence and initiative in pursuit of strategic goals and ability to work in a team.
  

• Master’s degree in development economics, or a related development area.

• 10 years of relevant development experience especially in development planning, poverty reduction strategies/programmes;
• Be conversant with economic management concepts and instruments such as PRSPs, MTEFs, SWAPs, national budget, program budgeting, etc.
• Familiarity with international/regional development frameworks with a bearing on the Swaziland development context such as the MDGs and NEPAD would be an advantage.