REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK
Immeuble CCIA, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
African Natural Resources Centre
E-mail : P.ADERIBIGBE@AFDB.ORG
Telephone : +225 20 26 57 18
Department issuing the request : AFRICAN NATURAL RESOURCES CENTRE (ANRC)
Position : CONSULTANT – Resource-backed Loans and Public Debt in Africa
Place of assignment : Home based
Duration of the assignment : 6 Months
Tentative Date of commencement : July 2021
Deadline for applications : June 18, 2021
Applications to be submitted to : PROMISE ADERIBIGBE (P.ADERIBIGBE@AFDB.ORG )
Any questions and requests for clarifications may be sent to:
MAALI HARRATHI (M.HARRATHI@AFDB.ORG )
SEYDOU COULIBALY (S.COULIBALY@AFDB.ORG)
INTRODUCTION :
The African Development Bank (hereafter ‘AfDB’) Ten Year Strategy and the Bank’s High 5s identify natural resources as a critical factor in the transition to green growth in Africa. In response to the challenges facing sustainable management African natural resources, the AfDB created the African Natural Resources Centre (ANRC) in 2013, situated in the Economic Governance and Knowledge Management Complex (ECVP). The Centre provides advisory services and technical assistance to the Bank’s Regional Member Countries (RMCs) to harness their natural resources for sustainable development. The scope combines renewable (water, forestry, land and fishery) and non-renewable (oil, gas and minerals) resources.
The Centre’s Policy Analysis Division provides a systemic, integrated lens on the management of renewable and non-renewable natural resources for sustainable development. This is achieved through high-quality research and policy analysis, policy advocacy and knowledge dissemination, and technical assistance and capacity building for the Bank’s RMCs in the following thematic areas: natural resource conservation, natural resource planning, natural resource economics, and natural resource governance.
The AfDB is developing a new debt action plan. Under this framework, the analysis and governance of resource-backed debt has been identified as an important area for support to low- and middle-income African countries that are increasingly adopting collateralised debt to finance fiscal deficits and infrastructure needs. To this end, the African Natural Resources Centre (ANRC) in collaboration with the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI), is undertaking a project on resource-backed loans and debt in Africa. The Centre’s Policy Analysis Division requires the services of a consultant with specialisation in fiscal policy and natural resource economics to support the research and analytical work.
THE CONSULTANCY :
Through this activity, the ANRC seek to consolidate its contribution to the development and the implementation of the African Development Bank Group’s debt action plan which identifies the governance of resource-backed debt as an important area for support to low- and middle-income African countries that are increasingly adopting collateralised debt to finance fiscal deficits and infrastructure needs.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES :
The report will adopt a combination of quantitative and qualitative techniques. Firstly, this will involve descriptive statistical analysis on the prevalence and key features of resource-backed loans (RBLs) in Africa, supported by quantitative analysis of datasets using econometric modelling, as required. This will be complemented by desk review of key policy documents, reports analysing individual loans, and where possible, interviews of a small group of key informants. The study will build on the NRGI’s existing analysis of RBLs and its global expertise in this field on public debt management and natural resource revenue management by the Bank’s RMCs. Under the supervision of the Division Manager, Policy Analysis ANRC, the consultant will perform the following specific tasks :
- Analyse the structure and composition of public debt for African countries and the role of resource-backed loans as a driver of debt dynamics in resource-dependent economies ;
- Analyse the role of RBLs in African countries’ borrowing strategy ;
- Analyse the opportunities and risks for African resource-rich countries to efficiently utilise RBLs as a financing tool, as part of the post COVID-19 recovery efforts ;
- Make policy recommendations and provide evidence-based lessons for the modalities and issues to be considered in assessing, negotiating, and renegotiating RBLs ;
- Examine the usage of RBLs and their impact on African economies. Granted most of these loans are used for infrastructure, suggest how these infrastructures can be linked to industrialization to leapfrog the economy ;
- Examine the AfDB’s support and intervention frameworks for RMCs to enable them to maximise the potential gains and minimise the losses associated with the RBLs. This includes “de-risking mechanisms” for the impacts of volatility of commodity prices on RBL contracts ;
- Make policy recommendations to inform the Bank’s new debt action plan and specific interventions in African countries with RBLs, in order to reduce the risks of debt distress and crisis ;
- Suggest policy guidelines to improve the overall transparency and governance of RBLs.
SELECTION CRITERIA : (including desirable skills, knowledge and experience)
Education : Post-graduate qualification in Economics, Public Finance or International Development, or related field, with a specialisation in macroeconomics and natural resource economics as an advantage.
Work Experience :
- Five (5) years of relevant experience in policy analysis and research, with a specific focus on the economics of natural resources and/or debt and fiscal policy in resource-rich countries, accumulated in public or private policy institutions, research institutes, academia or think tanks ;
- Good knowledge of public debt issues and resource-backed loans in Africa ;
- Strong research skills, particularly in quantitative techniques and practical knowledge of econometric modelling ;
- Skills/experience in the collection, management, and in-depth analysis of data, including the use of statistical packages ;
- Proven writing skills, ideally through a good publication track record of relevant research and policy documents ;
- Good communication skills in English and/or French, with working knowledge of the other language ;
- Experience of working with multilateral organisations, African government agencies and other development organisations, with direct experience of working with the African Development Bank preferred.
Language : Excellent proven written and spoken English; working knowledge of French is highly desirable; Strong communication skills.
| IV. | CONSULTANT SELECTION | ||
| The Consultant will be selected in accordance with the African Development Bank’s Implementation | |||
| Manual relating to the Procedures for Acquisition of Consulting Services funded by the Administrative or | |||
| Capital Expenditure Budget of the Bank Group. The candidate shall be evaluated based on the following | |||
| technical criteria: | |||
| CRITERIA | Marks (%) | ||
| General qualifications and adequacy for the assignment to be undertaken | 30 | ||
| Similar experience in the area of expertise of the assignment | 50 | ||
| Knowledge of the region (environment of the assignment) | 5 | ||
| Experience with the Bank and/or multilateral institutions | 10 | ||
| Language Proficiency | 5 |
| TOTAL | 100 |
Applicants are to submit a cover letter, resume, copies of academic certificates and transcripts, and three samples of written work. Appendix 1 gives a template for submission of CVs. Only the best candidates earning 70% and above will be shortlisted.
TIMEFRAME : The consultant will work remotely on a fulltime basis for a period of six months starting in July 2021.
REMUNERATION : The Consultant will be hired for a period of six (06) months and paid a lump sum according to the agreed deliverables. The consultant’s tasks will be delivered according to the following schedule :
| Activity/sub-activity | Outputs/milestones | Timeline | |
| 1 | Pre-commencement meeting | Agreed formats, work plan and | 2 weeks after |
| with the consultant | report template | signature | |
| 2 | Provide first draft of report for | Interim report reviewed by the | 12 weeks after |
| review by ANRC and partners | Centre, internal and external | signature | |
| peer reviewers | |||
| 3 | Provide revised draft report | Corrected reports submitted and | 14 weeks after |
| approved by the Centre | signature | ||
| 4 | Consultant’s report consolidation | Final report | 23 weeks after |
| signature | |||
VII. SERVICE CONDITIONS :
The African Development Bank conditions for retaining short-term consultants will apply.
Appendix 1:
Please attach an updated Curriculum Vitae on the basis of the template below :