Background

The goal of the UNDP Regional Project to Strengthen Institutional Capacities to Accelerate Pro-Poor Growth and Accountability in Sub-Saharan Africa (CD Project) was to strengthen the capacities of Africa’s apex institutions to promote pro-poor growth and accountability by addressing strategic capacity gaps of regional significance through selected “flagship” CD programmes. In addition, the project would strengthen partnerships at the regional level to facilitate concerted action to address CD needs in the region, and strengthen African ownership and leadership of CD initiatives. At the country level, strengthened regional mechanisms would reinforce capacities of key institutions, systems, and processes to assure the sustainability of development programmes.

The CD Project offered a good platform at the regional level for the coordination of multi-partner CD interventions in Africa, with prospects for leveraging technical and financial resources for a regional CD agenda. Therefore, from the beginning of its implementation the Project established a very strong partnership and collaborative relations with NPCA’s Capacity Development Programme, working together to identify key entry-points for holistically supporting capacity development needs in the region. Partnership with the NPCA was in recognition of its mandate as the “technical arm” of the Africa Union, and the central role that it could play in the implementation of the Project. In addition to being one of the key regional institutions and beneficiary of the project, being a continental apex organization gives the NPCA a unique comparative advantage: its ability to mobilize a broad range of actors at policy and implementation levels.

Duties and Responsibilities

The overarching objective of the assignment is to document the ‘story’ of building and strengthening partnerships to facilitate concerted action to address identified CD needs in the region, and strengthening African ownership and leadership of the CD agenda. The assignment comprises three major components:

Review, collation and synthesis of reports on CD mapping and scoping for all eight (8) AU RECs into a 2015 – 2030 Capacity Development Strategy and Implementation Plan;

  • Review, collation, harmonization of inputs, finalization, and presentation in a logically flowing narrative of the Africa Capacity Development Outlook; and
  • Undertake a thorough review and analyses of relevant documentation, including (a) and (b) above, and present a coherent overview of the project and its outcomes.
  • Component (iii) will present a coherent account of the Regional CD Project, identifying relevant policy, institutional, technical and, if necessary, financial factors that contributed to project outcomes, or hindered achievements.

RECs CD Strategy and Implementation Plan

A mapping and scoping of CD initiatives has been conducted for all RECs to provide practical and strategic guidance for rolling out an AU Multi-Agency Capacity Development Support Programme for RECs (M-MCP), a flagship initiative to implement CDSF.

Africa Capacity Development Outlook

The Africa Capacity Development Outlook (Africa-CDO) aims to fulfil the dire need for a knowledge-based product to assist in tracking, monitoring, and evaluating CD outcomes for continuous learning in building and nurturing capable institutions. As a flagship AU knowledge resource, the Africa-CDO will serve as a mechanism to further inform the effective operationalization of the CDSF. The Africa-CDO is a collaborative product being produced under the technical leadership of the NPCA with key support from the UNDP.

CD Project Overview and Synthesis

The CD Project has made very significant contributions to strengthening Africa’s apex institutions in terms of leadership on the CD agenda. The same can be said about strengthening regional stakeholder engagement, consultation, African ownership, partnerships, and strengthening the African voice in global development effectiveness debates. However, given the challenge of attribution, these are not always immediately obvious. Therefore it is necessary to document the ‘story’ of the project and its outcomes, presenting a coherent overview and lessons.

Competencies

Functional Competence

The ideal candidate should have the following competencies:

  • In-depth understanding, knowledge and extensive experience of sustainable development, and capacity development in the African context;
  • Good knowledge of NEPAD as a development programme of the African Union;
  • Familiarity with, and understanding of the AU/NEPAD architecture, delivery mechanism and processes;
  • Demonstrated knowledge of capacity development approaches and understanding of the key strategies, tools, and case studies;
  • Good understanding of the NEPAD Capacity Development Strategic Framework;
  • Good knowledge of UNDP and its approach to capacity assessments/development;
  • Demonstrated analytical and quantitative skills with emphasis on assessment approaches;
  • Demonstrated writing skills and demonstrated effective oral and written communication skills;
  • Demonstrated ability to deliver on assignments on time.
Core Competence
  •  Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
  • Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
  • Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
  • Treats all people fairly without favoritism;
  • Fulfils all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Required Skills and Experience

Education
  • Master’s degree or equivalent in development studies, institutional development or related field with work experience related to capacity building and institutional development may be considered.
Work experience:
  • Relevant work experience of at least 15 years in the field of institutional development, economic and social development policy analysis and research with a focus on capacity development experience in the context of Africa is desirable;
  • Experience in policy advice and evidence of having undertaken similar assignments is strongly desirable;
  • Understanding, knowledge and extensive experience of sustainable development, and capacity development in the African context;
  • Experience in institutional capacity development, with evidence of having undertaken similar assignments, including editorial experience on capacity development, and/or economic and social issues of relevance to Africa’s development;
  • Knowledge of NEPAD as a development programme of the African Union;
  • Familiarity with, and understanding of the AU/NEPAD architecture, delivery mechanism and processes;
  • Knowledge of capacity development approaches and understanding of the key strategies, tools, and case studies;
  • Understanding of the NEPAD Capacity Development Strategic Framework;
  • Knowledge of UNDP and its approach to capacity assessments/development;
  • Experience in institutional capacity development, with evidence of having undertaken similar assignments, including editorial experience on capacity development, and/or economic and social issues of relevance to Africa’s development.
Language:
  • Fluent in English (spoken and written).
 Application Instruction:
  •  Follow the following link: http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=16956
  • Download both TOR and Procurement Notice from the above link;
  • Submit your application according to instruction given on the TOR and Procurement Notice.

Documents Required:

  • Technical Proposals in pdf;
  • Financial Proposals in pdf;
  • CV and full address of at least three references.

Those applicants who have submitted their CV, without submitting technical and financial proposals will be automatically disqualified from further considerations.