AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK GROUP

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

CONSULTING SERVICES FOR LONG TERM CONSULTANT

INFRASTRUCTURE AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT (PICU)

URBAN AND MUNICIPAL DEVELOPMENT FUND (UMDF)

Avenue Jean Paul II | 01 BP. 1387, Abidjan 01 | Cote d’Ivoire

1. The African Development Bank hereby invites Individual Consultants to indicate their interest in the following Assignment : Long-term consultancy under the Urban and Municipal Development Fund (UMDF) ;

2. The objective of the Long-term consultancy is to support the operationalization and roll-out of the UMDF, and deepen the engagement with AfDB partner cities in terms of knowledge management, technical assistance, project preparation and improved capacities for managing sustainable and resilient urbanization ;

3. The services to be provided under the Assignment include: The Long-term consultant is expected to provide technical contributions UMDF projects and programs and continue his/her knowledge on sustainable urban development and climate actions for AfDB and UMDF relevant processes and projects. S/he is expected to support and/or facilitate the delivery of technical outputs, knowledge management products and events, and implementation of technical assistance interventions at city-, national, or regional level. Tasks related to the UMDF operationalization are the development and calibration of foundational documents and processes, review and assessment of project proposals and progress reports, partner liaison, and monitoring and evaluation. The Consultant will work primarily but not exclusively on UMDF beneficiary cities and UMDF institutional development. The position will involve subject matter contributions and also administrative and procurement duties, and as the Fund (and role) will evolve over time, so will the roles and responsibilities of the long-term consultant ;

4. The Infrastructure and Urban Development Department invites Individual Consultants to indicate their interest in providing the above-described services. Interested Consultants shall provide information on their qualifications and experience demonstrating their ability to undertake this Assignment (CV, Documents, reference to similar services, experience in similar assignments, experiences with African urban development, Nordic cities, and climate change etc). The Consultant will be a key member of the UMDF Secretariat and wider Urban Development Team and it is expected that s/he will be based in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, as soon as the Bank deems it safe ;

5. The eligibility criteria, the establishment of a short list and the selection procedure shall be in conformity with the Bank’s Procurement Policy and Procedure for Corporate Consultants Recruitment. Please, note that interest expressed by a Consultant does not imply any obligation on the part of the Bank to include him/her in the shortlist ;

6. The estimated duration of services is 12 months, with the option of renewal upon satisfactory performance and availability of funds. The estimated starting date is Q1 2022 ;

7. Interested Individual Consultants may obtain further information at the address below during the Bank’s working hours: 9am to 5pm, Monday – Friday (UTC) ;

8. Expressions of interest and CVs must be sent by E-Mail, preferably in PDF, to the address below no later than Friday 21 January 2022 at 23:59 hours Abidjan local time (UTC).

Please mention “Expression of Interest for Long-term consultancy under the Urban and Municipal Development Fund (UMDF).

Contacts :

To : Marcus MAYR – m.mayr@afdb.org 

CC : Yéné O. OUATTARA COULIBALY – Y.OUATTARA-COULIBALY@AFDB.ORG

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SHORT LIST :

9. A shortlist of three to six individual consultants will be established at the end the request of expressions of interest. The consultants on the shortlist will be judged on the following criteria on the basis of their updated resume. This position is supported by the Nordic Development Fund, familiarity with and knowledge about ‘Nordic’ sustainable urban development experiences and the ability to transfer such knowledge for the benefit of African cities is sought and will be considered an advantage.

Terms of Reference

UMDF Long Term Consultant

Background :

Africa is urbanizing rapidly. The African Development Bank recognizes that cities and towns are major drivers for socio-economic development. To underscore the importance of cities, in April 2019 the Bank launched its Urban and Municipal Development Fund (UMDF), a technical assistance fund designed to support municipalities. The UMDF will support African cities and municipalities to improve their resilience and better manage urban growth and development through planning, governance and quality of public services. The UMDF is structured around four main pillars that will define the Fund’s mandate and work program: (a) improved urban planning, (b) improved project preparation (i.e., pre-investment), (c) improved governance and fiscal management, and increased capacity to support integrated urban development. The UMDF is a vehicle to support achievement of the objectives of the AFDB Group in cities of the continents: inclusive growth and green growth and the High five development priorities meant to accelerate the Bank’s long-term strategy, namely to Light up and Power Africa; Feed Africa; Industrialize Africa; Integrate Africa; and Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa. Further, the African Development Bank Group recently approved its Guidelines for Subnational Finance with the aim of increasing transactions with subnational entities.

Objective of the Consultancy :

The objective of the Long-term consultancy is to support the operationalization and roll-out of the UMDF, develop the secretariat functions further, and deepen the engagement with the AfDB & UMDF partner cities in the key UMDF pillars in terms of knowledge management, technical assistance, project preparation and improved capacities for managing sustainable and resilient urbanization.

The services to be provided under the Consultancy :

The Long-term Consultant will contribute to UMDF’s activities related to sustainable and climate-proof urban development and creation of liveable cities and towns in the Banks Regional Member Countries. The candidate is expected to provide technical contributions to sustainable urban development, improving municipal finance and subnational financial markets, and climate actions for cities in the program.

S/he is expected to support the delivery of outputs, knowledge management products and events, and implementation and executions of related technical assistance interventions at city level. The Consultant will work primarily but not exclusively on UMDF beneficiary cities and UMDF institutional development. As this position is supported by the Nordic Development Fund, familiarity with and knowledge about ‘Nordic’ sustainable urban development experiences and the ability to transfer such knowledge for the benefit of African cities is sought and will be considered an important aspect of work. The Consultant will be a key member of the Urban and Municipal Development Fund and it is expected that s/he will be based in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. The estimated starting date is Jan/Feb 2022.

Detailed workstreams and indicative responsibilities :

UMDF Annual Workplans are subject to the requests by partners, operational priorities of the Bank and subject to approval and review of key committees of the UMDF. It is therefore expected that detailed outputs and projects may vary from year to year, as will the detailed deliverable and partners cities. At this point, two main work streams can be identified:

Workstream 1: UMDF roll-out and operationalization :

The UMDF is a new trust fund which began operations in 2020. The consultant is expected to support tasks, work and outputs related to the fund’s development and operationalization. Indicative responsibilities include (i) contract management, (ii) development of outputs and knowledge products contained in the annual work programme of the Fund, (iii) partner liaison and the development of collaboration and partnerships with existing and new partners, (iv) communications related activities and outputs, (v) supported by administrative and procurement assistants, assure an efficient contracting, supervision and reporting of third-party contractors, (vi) calibration and development of templates and workflows, and (vii) review and assessment of project proposals and service providers.

Workstream 2: Improving Urban Planning and Governance :

The Bank is in the process of developing its Sustainable Urban Development Action Plan (SUDAP) focusing on 3 main Pillars, Urban Planning, Governance and Infrastructure, and has recently approved its Guidelines for Subnational Finance with the aim of increasing transactions with subnational entities. Based on the consultant’s experience and focusing on the Bank’s partner cities, typical responsibilities will include (i) continuous engagement with partner city administrations and service providers, (ii) developing and

support implementation of technical assistance (either directly or through procurement of service providers), (iii) advisory services supporting partner cities in improving urban planning and municipal (financial) governance, (iv) organize and co-lead capacity development activities, (v) support the roll-out of the AfDB CFO Network, and UMDF Cities Network, (vi) monitoring and evaluation of new and existing initiatives, (vii) support development of knowledge products.

The estimated duration of services is 12 months, with the option of renewal upon satisfactory performance and availability of funds.

Required qualifications and experience :

The candidate shall have a Master’s Degree (or equivalent) and at least 5 years of working experience in urban development, environmental management, urban Geography/Architecture, Development Finance, Urban Economy or a similar urban development relevant education and work experience. A Bachelor’s Degree (or equivalent) plus at least 10 years of experience can be considered. We seek a candidate with ample experience in urban development in Africa, and working directly with (or in) cities of the continent. Ideally s/he has experience in one or more of the following areas : urban planning, (ii) urban governance, and (iii) infrastructure and service delivery. Experience working with Multi- or bilateral Development Banks will be an added advantage, as will be experience working with other similar international institutions.

The candidate is expected to demonstrate knowledge and experience in ‘Nordic’ Urban

Development and the ability to transfer such to the African context.