Procurement Notices

PARTNERSHIPS CONSULTANTS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE UNDP RENEWED STRATEGIC OFFER IN AFRICA

Terms of Reference

1. Background Information and Rationale, Project Description

UNDP Africa officially launched the African Influencers for Development (AI4Dev) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on the 22nd of September 2019, on the margins of the 74th UN General Assembly. In keeping with the “Decade of Action”, and adhering to the core tenet of the “Next Generation UNDP”, the Influencers initiative reimagines UNDP’s relationships in Africa by harnessing Africa’s creative, intellectual and entrepreneurial energy through a powerful coalition of current and future African influencers in business, academia and the arts.

The AI4D is a part of UNDP Africa’s  Renewed Strategic Offer in Africa, which seeks to build partnerships and communications around people, products and platforms as a gateway to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Union’s Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want.  People predisposes UNDP’s duty to convene Africa’s entrepreneurial, intellectual and artistic energy with the aim of positioning Africans more centrally as the architects of Africa’s development narrative in partnership with UNDP and development partners. The Products pillar crafts and implements new innovative development products that can help to realise the new offer in Africa. And Platforms envision the creation and utilisation of bespoke events such as the annual Presidential Dialogue, the Renewable Energy Forum, the Fourth Industrial Revolution Forum and UNGA side events.  These are selected for their catalytic impact on advancing, through both narrative and partnership, the goals of the transformative pillars in the Renewed Strategic Offer. Platforms also include the positioning UNDP at existing conventions such as the World Economic Forum, Mining Indaba, the AfDB’s Africa Investment Forum, among others.

UNDP’s COVID 2.0 offer – is designed to help decision-makers look beyond recovery, towards 2030, making choices and managing complexity and uncertainty in four main areas: governance, social protection, green economy, and digital disruption. It encompasses UNDP’s role in technically leading the UN’s socio-economic response to COVID 19.

The service provider is expected to support the roll out of key deliverables related to the Renewed Strategic Offer and the COVID 2.0 Offer.  The services will support implementation of the six impact areas of the Renewed Strategic Offer which are: 1) Natural Resource Governance; 2) Youth Employment and Empowerment; 3) Structural Economic Transformation; 4) Sustainable Energy; 5) Climate Change; and 6) Peace and Security. 

Specific Objectives

• Forge enduring partnerships with African business sector to inform, support and promote equitable economic transformation across the continent.
• Motivate transformational change by celebrating the accomplishments of African leaders and opportunities for sustained socioeconomic progress.
• Create an effective network of high-level African business leaders, scholars, and thought leaders to act as a sounding board for AI4Dev. 
• Curate and communicate diverse perspectives on Africa’s post-COVID-19 development, to contribute to accelerating achievement of both the SDGs and Agenda 2063 – with a focus on recovery and resilience.
• Support UNDP’s thought leadership role by strengthening branding and dissemination of knowledge products and platforms.

1. Scope

Under the supervision of the Head of the RBA Strategic Analysis and Research Team, working in close collaboration with the Partnerships and Communications Team, the provider will carry out the following tasks:

1. Establish partnerships with internationally renowned thought leaders to consider and promote strategic objectives in the UNDP Strategic Offer in Africa – using key platforms like AU, REC and other key Summits.
2. Contribute to implementation of the AI4D initiative.
3. Organize the roll out of key platforms to implement the Renewed Strategic Offer in Africa.
4. Develop innovative products that communicate the intent and accomplishment of UNDP programs and activities in Africa.

1. Approach and Methodology

The AI4Dev Supergroup – a scalable and powerful group of 17 African influencers from business, academia and the arts in partnership with UNDP co-discovers, co-creates and co-implements innovative solutions for rapid and sustainable African development. It comprises of current and future leaders in African business, academia and the arts who collaborate with UNDP on a wide range of development areas such as building innovative products and platforms for sustainable development, encouraging infrastructure development and financing, supporting national development agendas, mobilizing resources, fostering regional integration and the connectivity of Africa, and exchanging knowledge and skills.

The Hekima Series is a dialogue series bringing together Africa’s leading intellectuals from the worlds of academia, science and technology, medicine, business and the arts to explore responses to the impact of COVID-19 on Africa. The series, which launched in June, 2020 with Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka as its first guest, and has since hosted Nobel Laureate H.E Madame Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, explores new ideas and solutions that can influence more people-centric policies to alleviate the impact of COVID-19 on African societies and support sustainable development on the continent. The Hekima Series is a monthly webinar lasting approximately 60-90 minutes in duration.

The African Genius is proposed as the first major video series to be produced as part of the UNDP RBA’s AI4Dev. Scheduled to begin production in the last quarter of 2020, African Genius is a series of films from inspirational Africans that are designed to share knowledge and ideas, and provide guidance and lessons learned to support Africa’s transformation and sustainable development. It is a celebration of African thinking, accomplishment and talent.

1. Deliverables and Schedules/Expected Outputs

1. Governance and Accountability

The provider will report to the Head of the RBA Strategic Analysis and Research Team, working in close collaboration with the Partnerships and Communications Team. Progress reporting will be monthly on the basis of an agreed work plan.

1. Facilities to be provided by UNDP

UNDP will support the needed logistics and facility for the implementation of planned initiatives through the Partnerships and Communication Team.  The provider will also be able to draw on UNDP’s Bureau of External Relations and the Regional Service Centre for Africa, as needed.

1. Expected duration of the contract/assignment

The consultancy services will be provided for a duration of 150 days within a period of 1 year from November 2020 to October 2021.

i.      Duty Station

This is a home-based assignment. The successful provider must be able to travel to facilitate consultations in countries based on demand, if required. When such a request comes, the organization shall bear the cost of travel including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses based on extant policies and rules. Should the provider wish to travel on a higher class, any additional costs above approved travel costs shall be borne by the provider using own resources. In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and the provider prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

j.     Professional Qualifications of the Successful Contractor and its key personnel

1. Existence of high-level contacts and deep relationships of very influential leaders in Africa with capacity to impact development in the fields of trade, investment, finance, digital technology and industry.
2.  Established evidence of leveraging top-tier networks in the arts as a field for job creation and diversification for Africa’s economic development – in areas like film, music, and fashion.
3. A proven track record of building partnerships in Africa for innovative development models in line with African priorities.
4. Demonstrable evidence in creative ability for strategic communication solutions.
5. Experience leading convening of multi-disciplinary/sectoral high-level platforms engaging on advancing pan African aspirations and development objectives such as AU Agenda 2063.
6. Evidence of ability to use partnerships to drive, influence and spotlight accelerated SDG implementation for impact.
7. The Team Leader and experts should have the following qualifications:

• A post graduate degree in communications or related field.  A minimum of a graduate degree in combination with 10 years of experience in international partnerships and communications in Africa may be accepted in lieu of the post graduate degree in communications.
  • All Team members should have a graduate degree in communication or related field.
• A minimum of 10 years of work experience in project planning, implementation and reporting on similar projects.
• Demonstrable networking capability, interpersonal skills and strong ability to promote teamwork.
• Strong organizational and multi-tasking skills coupled with ability to work under pressure and to accommodate change.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English. Working knowledge of French desirable.

k.    Price and Schedule of Payments

Please direct all application to otis.wilson@undp.org and rba.purchrement@undp.org