The Kingdom of Eswatini has identified the constraints the government is facing in its efforts to make the country’s strategic planning effective. Some of these constraints and problems include shortage of capacity among planning personnel, inadequate planning guidance including planning tools, shortage of statistical capacities resulting in the sub-optimal allocation of resources.
The volume and complexity of planning work has increased quite rapidly in recent years. Unlike in the past, the planning processes do not only focus on the allocation of government funds but also need to balance a multitude of issues including climate change, gender equity, environment, youth and many others. The aim for broader incentive setting to support the implementation of the key policies along with the supply of public goods is vital. There are some particular problems faced by the Kingdom of Eswatini with respect to strategic economic planning:
1) The vulnerability of the Eswatini economy to external shocks due to its small size, and openness, particularly within the Southern African region.
2) Limited scope to pursue own economic policy due to Eswatini’s membership of the Southern African Customs Union and the Common Monetary Area.
3) Domination of Eswatini’s economy by agricultural products and agro-processing, itself vulnerable to external shocks (weather, international commodity prices etc.,).
Along with economic factors, the structure of government agencies has also been evolving. New units have been established, along with new agencies and institutions. Highly skilled staff are required to respond to the identified challenges and support the government in designing targeted effective and coherent policies. The requirement implied by the most recent international commitments of the Kingdom of Eswatini such as the adoption of the Paris Agreement increases the demand for expertise and management the public authorities need to deliver. MEDP is keen to update its Planning Officers Manual to allow it to respond effectively to the evolving demands and deliver science and evidence-based policy support to its policymakers.
Results of the consultancy are expected to:
a) Prepare an Inception Report detailing the approach to the assignment including a work plan.
b) Review the current version of the Planning Officers Manual and identify major shortcomings and areas of improvement, based on a benchmarking exercise.
c) Consult with senior officials from the relevant government agencies.
d) Prepare an annotated outline and structure for the new Planning Officers Manual.
e) Draft the updated version of the manual.
This assignment requires a complex mix of technical knowledge of economics, fiscal policy design, planning and budgeting, public sector governance, population issues, gender issues, environmental issues, climate change issues, and substantive research skills, as well as experience working with key government institutions, preferably in the Sub-Saharan Africa region.
The expertise of a consulting firm is sought to conduct the assignment. A lead consultant will work under the supervision of the MEDP Chief economist and collaborate closely with his Climate Change Economic advisor. The other team members of the firm, including a national consultant, will report directly to the lead consultant and support him on the specific inputs relating to their area of specialization as detailed below. The overall team will cooperate closely with the Climate Change Economic advisor and incorporate his inputs into the planning manual covering specifically the mainstreaming of climate change into the Planning Officers Manual.
Consultants will carry out the following tasks:
Propose a work plan. The work plan shall identify the sequence of specific tasks with respective timelines needed to meet the project goals. The work plan shall also include a review of the relevant literature (official documents, guidelines, laws, academic literature), set the overall context for the planning manual, prepare an indicative list of the key stakeholders for consultations, and propose an annotated outline for the structure of the planning manual.
a) Carry out an in-depth review of the approach to economic planning in the Kingdom of Eswatini and compare it with a number of other country peers. The review should be based on a set of objective indicators identified from countries’ practices to economic planning mapping.
b) Consult with senior officials from the relevant government agencies. Ultimately the updated Planning Officers Manual must be universally accepted by the government. Consult senior officials to allow for collecting more information and context on the structure and process of planning and fiscal policies.
c) Prepare an annotated outline and structure for the updated version of the Planning Offices Manual. The structure will be agreed upon with relevant representatives of the MEDP and should reflect the overall logic of the document as well as the current state of the art of the practice of economic planning.
d) Draft the updated version of the Planning Officers Manual building on the inputs from the previous tasks.
e) Design materials for training activities for the new staff at the MEDP and organize at least three capacity-building events.
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