REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

FOR RECRUITMENT OF A JUNIOR CONSULTANT – RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANCY

1. BACKGROUND :

The African Development Bank (the Bank) is a Multilateral Development Bank established in 1964 to catalyze sustainable economic development and social progress in its regional member countries (RMCs) individually and collectively thus contributing to poverty reduction. The Bank currently has 80 members consisting of 54 regional and 26 non-regional countries.

The Office of the Secretary General and the General Secretariat (PSEG) supports the delivery of the objectives of the Bank’s Ten Year Strategy (TYS), High 5s, and Development and Business Delivery Model (DBDM) by facilitating greater institutional and Board effectiveness through more efficient decision-making, business processes and corporate infrastructure as well as acting as the strategic interface and forging a better working relationship between management and the Bank’s shareholders. PSEG serves as the Secretariat of the Boards of Governors and Boards of Directors and is comprised of the :

• Immediate Office of the Secretary General (PSEG.0) which includes the Corporate Governance and Shareholders Relations Section, Records Management and Archives Section and Conferences and Meetings Section;
• Board Affairs and Proceedings Division (PSEG.1); and
• Protocol, Privileges and Immunities Division (PSEG.2).

OBJECTIVE :

The Corporate Governance and Shareholders Relations Section serves as the focal point for expertise on corporate governance matters in PSEG, assisting the Secretary General in promoting an efficient corporate governance culture that will enhance the ability of Management to deliver on its commitments to the Boards by improving the rules based systems and processes, enhancing shareholder relations, and instituting innovative ideas and structures that work for the benefit of stakeholders within a framework of transparency and accountability. Notably, it is mandated to :

1. Enhance corporate governance through the development and review of relevant soft law instruments of the Bank in order to improve the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the Boards ;
2. Ensure the systems and processes in PSEG and the Board are streamlined through cost effective best practices and leveraging of ICT tools ;
3. Promote increased awareness internally and externally on contemporary and best practices related to corporate governance at the Bank ;
4. Enhance effective communication, mutual understanding and a transparent and effective collaboration among internal stakeholders through team building, training and capacity development tools and exercises ;
5. Establish effective communication links to improve the relations between the Bank, the Shareholders, member countries, and other international financial institutions and organizations.

The Corporate Governance and Shareholders Relations Section seeks to hire a Research Consultant to undertake a range of research and legal drafting activities related to its Section’s responsibilities.

1. SPECIFIC TASKS AND DELIVERABLES :

In the framework of the 2020 work plan of the Corporate Governance and Shareholder Relations Section, the Section has embarked upon a review of a number of Governance instruments as well as the development of new initiatives to enhance corporate governance at the Bank and the institutional capacity of PSEG.

It is in the above context and under the supervision of the Chief Corporate Governance and Shareholder Relations Officer that the consultant will be expected to deliver on the following tasks :

1. Develop an online database of the Status of Ratification/Accession for all instruments for which the African Development Bank acts as the Depositary. In this connection the consultant will, in collaboration with the Records Management and Archives Section, identify and centralize the originals of all such instruments of ratification/accession for easy reference by Bank staff and the general public ;
2. Develop an AfDB New Membership Manual as a practical guide to countries seeking membership of the African Development Bank and participation in the African Development Fund ;
3. Develop a Governance Brochure and a Glossary/Lexicon on governance conventions/practices at the Bank ;
4. Contribute to final revisions to the draft Handbook for Executive Directors of the Bank Group. In this regard, the consultant will undertake background research and ensure that the Handbook accurately reflects the legal instruments relevant to the governance and decision-making processes of the Bank Group ;
5. Complete, in collaboration with the Board Secretariat Section, updates to the Manual for Executive Directors to ensure that the Manual is reflective of the relevant instruments related to the protocol, administrative and financial matters concerning Executive Directors ;
6. Perform other duties that may be assigned by the supervisor.

DELIVERABLES :

Expected deliverables and timelines include :

Inception Report – including a work plan: This should be submitted by the end of week 1.

Submission of monthly progress reports by the last week of the month.

Submission of the following instruments:

1. The Executive Directors Handbook on the Governance Architecture of the African Development Bank – By end of week 3 ;
2. The Revised Executive Directors Manual on Protocol, Administrative and Financial Matters – By end of week 4 ;
3. The Governance Brochure and a Glossary/Lexicon on governance conventions/practices at the Bank – By end of week 8 ;
4. Submission of the Draft AfDB Membership Manual – By end of week 14 ;
5. Submission of template for an online database of the Status of Ratification/Accession of relevant instruments for which the Bank is a Depository – end of week 18;
6. Submission of Preliminary Report on the assignment for review– By end of week 21 ;
7. Submission of Final Report – By end of week 23.

REQUIRED EXPERTISE AND QUALIFICATIONS :

The consultant is expected to have the following qualifications and experience :

• Minimum of a master’s degree in International Law, Economics, Governance, Management or related field ;
• Relevant or related experience in research and data analysis, drafting and summarizing of reports and publications ;
• Good knowledge of and/or experience working with multilateral development banks or international finance institutions in a similar capacity ;
• Good understanding of corporate governance issues in IFIs ;
• Research experience in a public or private enterprise ;
• Familiarity with African institutions, development frameworks and legal systems ;
• An excellent oral and written command of one of the Bank Group’s working languages which are English and French. Fluency in one of the two languages is required; but fluency in both is highly desirable ;
• Ability to work under pressure, prioritize work programs, and handle multiple tasks simultaneously ;
• Competence in the use of Microsoft Suite of applications such as Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint.

FINANCIAL PROPOSAL :

The Consultant will be paid total lump sum remuneration per calendar month. Other details related to the Bank’s contribution and obligations will be specified in the Service Contract for Consultants.

DURATION OF ASSIGNMENT :

The assignment will be for a cumulative period not exceeding 6 months starting from 16 March 2020 and ending 15 September 2020. The contract may be renewed once based on performance and budget availability.

SELECTION CRITERIA :

A shortlist of three to six individual consultants will be established at the end the request of expression of interest. The consultants on the shortlist will be assessed against the following criteria :

SUBMISSION OF INTEREST :

Electronic zipped copies of expression of interest must be sent to the following email addresses not later than 5 March 2020 at 17:00 hours Abidjan time (GMT) :

LILIANE KOUAWO Email : L.KOUAWO@AFDB.ORG

KODJO AGBEWONOU Email : K.AGBEWONOU@AFDB.ORG