TOR – TARGETED REVIEW INDIVIDUAL INTERNATIONAL CONSULTANT ON “DECENTRALISATION IN DJIBOUTI”
African Peer Review Mechanism Secretariat (APRM)
P.O. Box X09, Halfway House • Midrand 1685, South Africa.
Physical Address:
No. 230 15th Road, 1st Floor; Raandjies Park, Halfway House, Midrand
South Africa
Tel: +27 (0) 11 256 3401 • Fax: +27 (0) 11 256 3456 • Website: www.aprm-au.org
TERMS OF REFERENCE
TARGETED REVIEW
INDIVIDUAL INTERNATIONAL CONSULTANT
ON “DECENTRALISATION IN DJIBOUTI”
Targeted Review Mission: Djibouti
Description of the Assignment: Targeted Review on Decentralisation in Djibouti
Period of Assignment: November 2018 to December 2018
1.0 BACKGROUND
The African Peer Review Mechanism was established in 2003 by the African Union Heads of State and Government with the primary purpose of fostering practices that lead to political stability, high economic growth, sustainable and inclusive development, as well as accelerated regional and continental integration. It seeks to rectify underlying deficiencies in governance and socioeconomic development processes among member states of the African Union. The APRM covers four thematic areas: (i) Democracy and political governance; (ii) Economic management and governance; (iii) Corporate governance; and (iv) Socio-economic development. Participating countries go through detailed review processes (including consultations with government, the private sector, civil society and other stakeholders), culminating in a peer review exercise at the level of Heads of State and Government.
Annex 3 to this ToR presents details of the APRM structures and review processes. A key feature of the APRM is that it is home grown. This, as well as its voluntary nature, are important in buttressing and consolidating Africa’s ownership of its development agenda. As an assessment and monitoring tool, the APRM can also help to track progress towards meeting regional and international development aspirations and commitments including AU’s Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The African Union and the Heads of State are cognizant of this and in January 2017 expanded the mandate of the Mechanism from the core reviews to monitoring and evaluation role for the African Union Agenda 2063 and the SDGs. This is a reflection of the confidence reposed in the Mechanism and will contribute to the universalization of the APRM where all AU member states will become members of the APRM.
Description of the Project
On 28th March 2018, the Board of Directors of the African Development Bank approved the APRM Institutional Support Project. The project will help strengthen the APRM and contribute to the delivery of its mandate. It will support the implementation of the 2016-2020 Strategic Plan and reposition the APRM as an instrument for monitoring AU Agenda 2063 and the SDGs. Apart from addressing the immediate challenges faced by the Mechanism, the grant will help in the review and refinement of the APRM tools and processes, to ensure that the Mechanism remains relevant in a rapidly changing world and is also able to take on board the expanded mandate and expectations of member countries. In this regard, the project is expected to support the refinement of the APRM Methodology and Processes, including the revision of the questionnaire and development of indicators for the expanded mandate and reinforcement of modalities for ensuring the implementation of the National Programme of Action that emerge from the reviews and tracking progress over time through a well-articulated M& E Framework. The project will also help the Mechanism to undertake research and diagnostic works and to develop a repository of knowledge in the form of a knowledge hub, targeting policy makers, academia, the private sector and civil society, among others.
In order to come up with effective solutions to particular African problems, the Base Document of the APRM envisages the Secretariat conducting a targeted review or periodic review. This review will cover a particular theme/sector of interest within the socio-economic and political life of African states to bring about the positive change needed on the continent.
In the context of the implementation of the APRM Institutional Support Project, the APRM intends to recruit one (1) experienced International Consultant to undertake the assessment of Targeted Review on the theme: “Decentralization in Djibouti” for the Mechanism, for which these terms of Reference (TORs) are prepared.
2.0 OBJECTIVES
The objective of the Targeted Review is to identify key issues on “Decentralization” as a way for Djibouti to fulfil its economic and social development mandate; within the Context of Socioeconomic Development (SED), Democracy and Political Governance (DPG), Economic Governance and Management (EGM); Corporate Governance (CG). In other words, the Targeted Review Report will raise any challenges where possible to ensure that the local population in different regions of Djibouti benefit from the Country’s resources.
The Consultants shall follow and be guided by the objectives of the Decentralization thematic area within the Socioeconomic Development (SED), Democracy and Political Governance (DPG), Economic Governance and Management (EGM); Corporate Governance (CG) and will raise all relevant issues under each of the objectives.
The specific objectives are as follows:
Socioeconomic Development (SED)
i) Promote and accelerate broad-based sustainable socio-economic development;
ii) Encourage, broad-based participation in development;
iii) Poverty, unemployment and inequality; and
iv) Progress towards gender equality, particularly equal access to education for girls at all levels.
Democracy and Political Governance (DPG)
i) Constitutional Democracy and the Rule of Law;
ii) The Separation of Powers;
iii) Prevention and reduction of intra and inter-state conflicts;
iv) Promotion and protection of civil and political rights;
v) Ensuring accountable, efficient and effective public service delivery at the national and decentralized levels;
vi) Promotion and protection of the rights of women;
vii) Promotion and protection of the rights of children and young persons; and
viii) Promotion and protection of the rights of vulnerable groups.
Economic Governance and Management (EGM)
i) Design and implement economic policies for sustainable development;
ii) Encourage ownership and participation of key stakeholders in policy formulation and implementation;
iii) Promote sound public finance management;
iv) Fight corruption and money laundering;
v) Accelerate and deepen regional integration in the monetary, trade and investment domain; and
vi) Develop and implement trade and investment policies that promote economic growth.
Corporate Governance (CG)
i) Promoting an Enabling Environment and effective Regulatory Framework for business organizations and other entities;
ii) Ensuring effective leadership and accountability of Organizations;
iii) Ensuring ethical conduct within Organizations;
iv) Ensuring that Organizations treat stakeholders fairly and equitably; and
v) Ensuring that Organizations act as Good Corporate citizens.
3.0 SCOPE OF SERVICES
Under the supervision of the Targeted Review Coordinator at the APRM Secretariat, the Consultants shall:
3.1 Familiarization with APRM documents and specific information developed for Djibouti.
i) The experts are expected to familiarize themselves with the Base Documents of the and the APR Questionnaire.
ii) The experts will also be provided with the Background Paper on Djibouti and copies of the all the necessary documents. (i.e. Country Self-assessment, draft National Programme of Action and APR Questionnaire) and specific information developed for Djibouti.
3.2 Identification of Issues should be informed by the following:
After analyzing all the collected and compiled documents, the identification of the issues should be informed by the following:
i) Issues related to the Codes, Law, Rules and Regulations (Decentralization) in Djibouti;
ii) Issues addressed in the Self-Assessment but needing reinforcement;
iii) Issues that have been understated or inadequately addressed;
iv) Issues that have been identified in the past but continue to have serious implementation problems;
v) Issues missed completely in the self-assessment report; and
vi) Areas of discrepancy or divergence (from cross-checking with the Background paper).
3.3 The structure should follow the Objectives under each of the APRM thematic areas as outlined in the APRM Questionnaire. Cross-cutting or issues of an overarching nature have to be separately addressed.
3.4 The Beneficiaries of the final Report are the following:
i) The APRM Secretariat;
The APRM Panel; and
The Country undergoing the assessment.
3.5 Prioritization of Issues
Some effort should be made to prioritize the issues, and this may be aided by perusing the draft Programme of Action.
3.6 Participation and Rapporteur
i) The expert will be expected to participate in the Targeted Review visit and capture the unfolding of the visit, which will inform the final Targeted Review Report.
ii) The expert will be expected to capture and explore the specific issues that have been identified in his/her thematic area and to feed this into his/her section of the final country report.
iii) The expert will be expected to participate in breakaway sessions or bilateral meetings focusing on his/her specific thematic area and to keep a record of these sessions. This may include meetings and workshops outside of the capital.
iv) The expert may also be required to investigate further specific issues for the thematic area either before, during or after the visit.
v) Further, the expert is required to participate in every briefing meeting of the team relating to the review. A briefing session will be held at the end of every day during the review mission.
3.7 Incorporating the Unfolding and Outcome of the Targeted Review Visit to the Report
Following the conclusion of the review visit, the experts will incorporate the relevant details of the unfolding and outcome of the country review visit to the report. This section of the report should be circulated to the members of the team for comment, revision and finalization.
3.8 Finalization of the Targeted Review Report
3.8.1 The expert is then required to finalize his/her thematic section of the country review report based on comments or input received from the team and the APR Panel. The expert will ensure that correct feedback is given to thematic team members and will incorporate all team member changes in the final draft for the thematic section.
3.8.2 The thematic section of the report is to be satisfactory and acceptable to the APR Panel.
3.8.3 Compile and collect the information necessary to develop the Targeted Review Report on the proposed theme:
i) As per research ethics and requirements all the data available and sources used must be specified to allow for an overall perspective and verification of information;
ii) Data must have proper citations on the source of information and must be of quality, up-to-date and relevant to the topic under discussion.
iii) Questions that arise as a result of the research and require further exploration by members of the review team should be highlighted.
iv) The paper should be analytical rather than descriptive.
v) Tables can be used to highlight areas of good practice and gaps requiring more study by the review mission.
vi) Tables and figures should be subtitled and sequentially numbered.
vii) Use the foot of each page for citations and other supplementary information (author, title, date, page numbering) that is tangential to the topic under discussion on the main page.
viii) Bibliography – provide a complete listing in the Harvard style.
3.9 Format for drafting the Targeted Review Report
A standard template for all Targeted reports is necessary to ensure comparability.
3.10 The content of the Report should be sufficiently comprehensive as the end-users, the Heads of States and Government, would not have to review related documents. In particular the Report should encompass a synthesis of the entire process (i.e. from accession stage to completion), and the substance of the thematic findings (along thematic lines and by objectives and recommendations), flowing along:
i) Thematic lines covering particularly the assessment and status of the mineral resources and the mining sectors including the identification of the expected Results and Impacts;
ii) the objectives of the Public Policy, the Programs and the on-going and Planned Projects); and
iii) the Recommendations in order to avoid or minimize the Risks and to reach the Results and Impacts including a SWOT (Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats) analysis of the on-going and planned projects with regards to all the stakeholders.
3.11 The report shall provide Djibouti’s position with regard to the Standards and Codes, as well as the Objectives of the APRM.
3.12 The Targeted Report will follow the Framework enumerated under deliverables.
3.13 Division of Labour
13.3.1 The International Consultant shall lead and coordinate deliberations and is responsible for drafting the Targeted Review Report.
3.13.2 The International Consultant shall be the team leader and is expected to contribute and/or supervise the consolidation and collation of the overall report as necessary. It is imperative that the team leader takes note of all details pertaining to the events and work of the mission that he/she took part in.
In that respect, she/he is expected to:
i) include the observations made by the Djibouti Technical Committee in the final Report; and
ii) to analyze the short paper provided by the National Consultant and indicating the main areas requiring further exploration by the members of the country review mission.
3.13.3 The International Consultant is principally expected to draft a report for his/her agreed area/thematic, and to supervise the work of all review mission participants working within his/her agreed/thematic area.
4.0 DELIVERABLES
4.1 Prepare and submit a zero-draft report on the last day of the field work;
4.2 Prepare and submit a 50 page report a week after the completion of the field review mission. If it is necessary, revise and edit the report to reflect comments from the APR Panel, Secretariat, and other collaborators. The report shall include the following:
i) An Executive Summary of 5 pages with conclusions on the nature of issues discovered and the status of the theme under investigation. The Executive Summary should conclude with a bullet point summary of the main strengths and challenges Djibouti faces in this area;
ii) a short paper indicating the main areas requiring further exploration by the members of the country review mission; and full disclosure of sources and citations and a full bibliography as mentioned under the scope of work.
4.3 The Reporting Framework shall be as follows:
4.3.1 Executive Summary
A one or two pages synthesis of the process and findings of the review, highlighting two or three good practices the Country wishes to share; two or three lessons it has learned; two or three challenges on which it wishes to hear about other Countries’ good practices; and two or three areas where it would need support in terms of decentralization, capacity building, technology, partnerships and so on.
4.3.2 Introduction
The Context and objectives of the review shall be presented here. The introduction may briefly describe key features of the Country context as it pertains to the theme of the Targeted Review, with a discussion of National priorities and targets as well as the critical challenges.
4.3.3 Methodology and Process for Preparation of the Targeted Review
This section may discuss the methodology adopted for the Targeted Review, including its scope, depth and limitations. Information on the process for preparation of the Targeted Review may be presented, and should include, for example, how different levels and sectors of Government contributed to the review; whether the Parliament was engaged; whether National evaluation/oversight Institutions contributed; how stakeholders from Civil Society, Academia, and the Private/Business sectors were involved; which consultations took place, and possibly whether another Member Country or other Institutions contributed to the review and so on.
4.3.4 Policy and Enabling Environment
i) Creating ownership at National level; and
ii) Incorporation in National Frameworks.
4.3.5 Institutional Mechanisms
i) The Review shall provide information on how the Country has adapted its institutional framework to the theme of the Targeted Review.
ii) In this regard, the Review shall bring to light how the views of different Ministries, Agencies, levels of Government and Non-Governmental Stakeholders are considered, and give prominence to the Institution in charge of coordination and integration.
iii) The Review shall consider highlighting efforts to mobilize Institutions around the theme of the Targeted Review, improve their functioning, and promote change.
iv) The Review shall also come up with information on how responsibility is allocated among various levels of Government (National, Regional and Local) for coherence. It would be useful to highlight how the Country intends to manage the review and monitor the post-review process.
4.3.6 Thematic Analysis
4.3.7 Best Practices
4.3.8 Means of Implementation
Based on the challenges identified and the trends highlighted, the Review shall discuss how the means of implementation are mobilized, what difficulties this process faces, and the additional resources required, in relation to the theme of the Targeted Review, including financing, capacity development needs, as well as data and statistics knowledge sharing, technology, and partnerships.
4.3.9 Subsequent Steps and Commitments
The Review shall outline what steps the Country is taking or intends to take to consolidate its best practices and address the challenges identified.
4.3.10 Conclusion
i) A summary of the analysis, findings and policy implications shall be presented in this section together with the highlights of discussions on new or emerging issues identified during the review exercise.
ii) Finally, the reviewed Country shall indicate what lessons it has learned from the review process, what support it would need in the future for preparation of such reviews, and any adjustment it recommends be made to the guidelines to make them more use
5.0 TIME FRAME
The consultancy will be conducted in Fourteen (14) days.
6.0 QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
6.1 Education
The Consultant should have one of the following education profile:
- A PhD in Socio-Economic Development-Decentralization or in Political Sciences or in Social Sciences or in Business Administration and Management, or related fields with a minimum of seven (07) years’ experience or:
- A Master’s degree in Socio-Economic Development-Decentralization or in Political Sciences or in Social Sciences or in Business Administration and Management, or related fields with a minimum of ten (10) years’ experience.
6.2 Experience
i) Have at least 10 years progressively responsible in International experience in areas of Decentralization, its impact on economic and social economic development, with particular emphasis on broad based economic growth and poverty reduction in various capacities;
ii) Have produced research relevant to Decentralization and pertinent to Socio-Economic Development (SED), and/or Democracy and Political Governance (DPG), and/or Economic Governance and Management (EGM); and/or Corporate Governance;
iii) Have produced Project or Programme Reports when participating to or coordinating National or Regional Programme or Project relevant to Decentralization with contribution to the Report Publication;
iv) Have participated to, or carried out activities in Democratic and Developmental Decentralization intending (a) to widen the opportunities for citizens to participate in local decision-making processes or (b) to foster inclusive economic development to reduce poverty by making public services more responsive to the needs of people;
v) Extensive knowledge of the Constitutive Act of the African Union as well as the overall objectives of the APRM, in the thematic area of Socioeconomic Development (SED), Democracy and Political Governance (DPG), Economic Governance and Management (EGM); Corporate Governance (CG);
vi)Broad knowledge of international relations, economic issues, development issues in Africa and in general global terms;
vii)Broad knowledge of international relations and development issues in Africa in the sectors of Decentralization;
viii)Demonstrate effective ability for teamwork, as well as the ability to work independently;
ix)Have project management experience and able to respect deadlines;
x)Have Broad knowledge of the Country (Djibouti); and
xi)Language: The applicant must be able to communicate and write in French fluently. Knowledge of English or other AU languages may be an added advantage
7.0 FACILITIES AND SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED BY THE CLIENT
The APRM Secretariat shall:
7.1 Provide access to all information and stakeholders necessary for the consultant to carry out the assignment adequately; and
7.2 To the extent a meeting may be necessary between the consultant and the staff of the APRM Secretariat, facilitate travel and pay other related expenses from APRM resources.
8.0 PERIOD OF THE ASSIGNMENT AND PAYMENT
8.1 The assigned shall be from Mid-November to Mid-December 2018.
8.2 The Consultant shall be paid 50% of the consultancy fee upon submission and acceptance of Final Background Paper.
8.3 The outstanding 50% of the consultancy fee shall be paid upon successful completion of the field mission.
9.0 LOCATION
The Consultant shall carry out the assignment in the Country, Djibouti.
10.0 GENERAL INFORMATION
- All consultancies will be advertised on an equal opportunity basis.
- The performance criteria to be used to assess the consultant shall be based on the deliverables and scope of work defined in this ToR.
11.0 LANGUAGE OF ASSIGNMENT
The Background Paper shall be French.
12.0 EVALUATION CRITERIA
Mandatory criteria
12.1 Education
- A PhD in Socio-Economic Development-Decentralization or in Political Sciences or in Social Sciences or in Business Administration and Management, or related fields with a minimum of seven (7) years’ experience or
- A Master’s degree in Socio-Economic Development-Decentralization or in Political Sciences or in Social Sciences or in Business Administration and Management, or related fields with a minimum of ten (10) years’ experience.
12.2 Experience, Skills and Competencies
i) Have at least 10 years progressively responsible National and/or International experience in areas of Decentralization, its impact on economic and social economic development, with emphasis on broad based economic growth and poverty reduction in various capacities.
ii) In-depth knowledge of Decentralization and its impact on socio-economic growth in Djibouti.
iii) Fluent in French (verbal and written); and
iv) Have Broad knowledge of the Country of Djibouti.
Additional evaluation criteria Max. Point
i) Have produced research relevant to Decentralization in Djibouti and/or in any similar African Country and pertinent to Socio-Economic Development (SED), and/or Democracy and Political Governance (DPG), and/or Economic Governance and Management (EGM); and/or Corporate Governance. 15
ii) Have produced Project or Program Reports when participating to or coordinating National or Regional Prgramme or Project relevant to Decentralization with contribution to the Report Publication 10
iii) Have participated to or carried out activities in Democratic and Developmental Decentralization intending (a) to widen the opportunities for citizens to participate in local decision-making processes or (b) to foster inclusive economic development to reduce poverty by making public services more responsive to the needs of people. 15
iv) Extensive knowledge of the Constitutive Act of the African Union as well as the overall objectives of the APRM, in the thematic area of Socio-Economic Development (SED), Democracy and Political Governance (DPG), Economic Governance and Management (EGM); Corporate Governance (CG). 20
v)Broad knowledge of international relations and development issues in Africa and in general global terms. 10
vi)Broad knowledge of international relations and development issues in Africa in the sectors of Decentralization 10
vii)Demonstrate effective ability for teamwork, as well as the ability to work independently. 10
viii)Have project management experience and able to respect deadlines. 10
Total Score 100%
12.3 The pass mark is 70%.
13.0 REMUNERATION
The Consultant shall provide their financial proposal on a different paper.
14.0 MODE OF APPLICATION
All applications in writing should be accompanied by up-to-date detailed Curriculum Vitae with the names and addresses of three referees, one of which should be the last consultancy.
The Consultant is required to send her/his CV with information (on her/his education, experience, expertise, skills and former position capability) pertinent to the items describes in the paragraph 12.0 related to the evaluation criteria.
The applications should be addressed to:
African Peer Review Mechanism Secretariat
Private Bag XO8, Halfway House
Physical Address: 230 15th Road, 1st Floor,
Raandjies Park, Midrand, 1685,
South Africa
Contact: Project Coordinator
Email: [email protected]
