Africa: Invitation to bid for consultancy - Oxfam

INVITATION TO BID FOR CONSULTANCY
Terms of Reference
Consultant to Prepare State Capacity Needs Assessments
For the Oxfam GB “Raising Her Voice” project

I. Consultancy Objective:
Oxfam is hiring two consultants to conduct state capacity needs assessments in Nigeria, Liberia and Tanzania to determine the problems, challenges and opportunities being faced by the respective states which affect their ability to ratify and domesticate the African Union Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa. The assessments will identify possible initiatives that could be put in place to build the capacities of states to deliver on the Protocol. The consolidated assessment report will be tabled to an experts’ and state parties’ conference organized by the African Union Commission (AUC), the United Nations Fund for Women (UNIFEM), and the Solidarity for African Women’s Rights Campaign on the African Union Protocol on the Rights of Women (SOAWR) in April 2009.

II. Background on the “Raising Her Voice” project:

The capacity needs assessments are one component of a larger project Oxfam is implementing in eight African countries called “Raising Her Voice”. “Raising Her Voice” is a portfolio of projects in 17 countries across the world and focuses on improving governance and transparency by recognizing and increasing the significant contribution poor women can make to public life and in promoting their own rights. Oxfam is working with women’s organizations and civil society groups in each country to identify and address the specific obstacles faced by particular groups of women. The project employs four approaches to reach its objectives: networking, lobbying and advocacy with poor women activists; working with public/traditional institutions and decision making forums; empowering and building capacity of CSOs to achieve the rights of poor women through campaigns and policy work; and learning lessons and disseminating good practice through innovative media and communications work.

In Africa, the “Raising Her Voice” (RHV) project is being implemented in Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Gambia, Mozambique, Liberia, Nigeria and South Africa. All 8 participating countries will pursue the same goal, which is to strengthen national legislation, adequate budgeting and implementation of the African Union Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa AU Women’s Rights Protocol), through community popularization and advocacy activities. Oxfam is supporting women’s organizations in each country to work with the African Union and their respective governments to make the AU Women’s Rights Protocol a force for freedom and effective empowerment for women in the continent.

However, in order to reach the RHV Africa program’s objective of ratification and domestication of the Protocol, states must have the capacity to respond, institute, implement and monitor implementation. More often than not, states face capacity constraints that include financial, technical, structural, procedural and political barriers, which impede the implementation of the Protocol. Therefore, Oxfam is hiring two consultants to work with local women’s associations and grassroots women leaders in three of the eight countries in the Africa programme (Liberia, Nigeria and Tanzania) to assess the capacity constraints of the state, and identify their support needs to ratify and/ or domesticate the Protocol and respond to women’s needs and demands, as expressed through the RHV programme.

III. Scope of Assignment
There will be two consultants, who will compile findings and suggest initiatives that are needed for the state to be able to deliver on its commitments under the Protocol (financial, technical etc) in each country. The Lead Consultant will develop the assessment template for all three assessments, conduct interviews and consultations with women NGO leaders and relevant state representatives to prepare one of the country assessments, and ultimately compile one needs assessment report covering all three countries. The Lead Consultant will present the assessment report at a continent-wide meeting organized by the African Union Commission, UNIFEM and SOAWR on the Protocol’s domestication, in April 2009. The implication for launching these assessments at this African Union Commission conference is that it will create a momentum for taking up recommendations and conducting actual state capacity building activities in a second phase of this project. The needs assessment template should cover the following questions:

a. Are there existing government programmes to ratify/ domesticate the Protocol? Are they achieving results? What constraints impede faster/ more efficient implementation?
b. If there are no programmes/ initiatives in place, what are the challenges and opportunities to ratifying/ domesticating the Protocol, as the case may be? e.g. What are the capacity constraints and where are the opportunities for further capacity growth?
c. Which state institutions are key in ensuring that the Protocol is domesticated, ratified, or enforced (depending on the country)?
d. Are there locally available capacities that can be brought into a capacity building programme for the relevant state institutions/ actors? e.g. are there existing national government programmes or regional research and training institutions, women’s NGOs etc engaging with the state on the implementation of the Protocol? Do these CSOs have capacity building needs?
e. What sorts of capacity building initiatives could be put in place in each context to address these challenges for the government and to maximize existing opportunities?
f. How can CSOs continue a dialogue with government beyond this consultation and engage in a sustained support for the implementation of state capacity building activities?

The following table lists the consultant’s duties and responsibilities with the associated timelines:
Duties/ responsibilities Timeline
Prepare for consultancy:
1. National women’s NGO in the RHV programme provide consultant with all background documents needed to understand the country context and state capacities for the interviews and consultations e.g. NGO or government reports on the Protocol’s implementation at the national level, budget reports, recent bills in parliament related to the Protocol, any previous capacity assessments previously conducted on the state’s capacity to deliver on gender equality commitments.
2. Devise a state capacity needs assessment template/ instrument that can be used by both consultants in all three countries
3. Prepare interview instruments for validation with women’s organizations for use at meetings with state representatives
Collaborate with the women’s NGO and Oxfam Pan-African programme to schedule meetings/ consultations with relevant state representatives and civil society to gather information on their needs and capacity constraints.** Last week of February 2009 to
Early March 2009 (8 days)
Field work:
4. Conduct country consultations and interviews with local women’s associations and state institutions;
5. Draft the assessment
Validate the results of the assessment with civil society and government representatives in preparation for the continental conference in April 2009. (Lead Consultant) Mid March 2009 (10 days)
Follow-up:
6. Prepare synthesis report of all three assessments for continental workshop
Prepare a presentation on synthesis report for the workshop (Lead Consultant) Last week of March (4 days)
Present report at the continental workshop (Lead Consultant) Mid April 2009 (3 days)
Finalise the assessment report, with a estimated budget for capacity building activities in each context, based on the outcome of the continental workshop (Lead Consultant) April 2009 (2 days)
Total number of days: 27 days

NB: ** All draft products submitted by the consultant will be reviewed by Oxfam, including the interview and assessment templates, and the consultant will be expected to incorporate Oxfam’s feedback before using the instrument.

IV. Expected outputs:
• Draft and final interview instrument and state capacity assessment template for use in all three countries (with slight modifications depending on context) – Lead Consultant
• Draft and final state capacity needs assessment (max 20 pages)
• Draft and final synthesis capacity assessment report (including tentative suggestions for capacity building initiatives/ activities with the state) for all three country assessments (max 30 pages)- Lead Consultant
• Power point presentation on the above synthesis report and presentation of the PowerPoint at the continental conference- Lead Consultant

V. Timing:
The consultancy will be implemented from late February 2009 to April 2009. The consultants will monitor and regularly report on the number of days used for certain activities. The total number of days calculated above can be reallocated among different activities, with the total number of working days under this contract not to exceed 27.

VI. Management of consultancy:
The consultant will report directly to Irungu Houghton, Pan-Africa Director for Oxfam [email][email protected]; tel: +254-20-2820155) with all expected outputs and for overall guidance. The consultant will be supported by the Oxfam Pan-Africa Office in Nairobi, Kenya and the women’s NGOs participating in the RHV in the three countries under assessment. The consultant will travel to the assessment country, but will prepare for, and follow-up on, the in-country visit from their home or another base in Africa, so they are able to travel economically to participate in the continental conference in April.

VII. Required Skills and Experience
• Masters’ Degree in public administration/ public policy, political science, development, law and/or gender studies;
• 8 years relevant working experience in similar projects in the area of capacity development, training, facilitation and/or organizational management/ evaluation with civil society and/ or with state representatives;
• Knowledge of, and experience working in, government legal and regulatory environments, especially any experience working on women’s rights and gender equality concerns for a government;
• Demonstrable knowledge of how to devise an interview instrument and assessment/ evaluation templates;
• Extensive knowledge of the African Union Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa and how it is being ratified/ domesticated in different countries participating in the RHV programme;
• Excellent writing and research skills, including a proven track record in writing assessments, guidelines and evaluations;
• Strong interpersonal skills including a proven ability to liaise and mediate between a diverse group of stakeholders (civil society and state counterparts in particular);
• Fluency in spoken and written English; knowledge of French an asset.

VIII. Competencies
• Ability to plan, strategize, and monitor a programme of work;
• Supervisory experience, including overseeing and guiding the work of at least one other person;
• Understanding of the major international conventions as well as the continent-specific conventions on women and gender equality, including CEDAW and MDGs, and the African Union’s Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa;
• Experience convening and moderating meetings/ focus groups/ interviews with diverse participants, such as senior government counterparts and civil society representatives;
• Ability to prepare succinct, analytical publications and reports;
• Excellent organisational skills including the ability to work with minimal supervision, to set priorities and to deliver tasks on time;
• Local contacts and experience working in the country under the consultant’s responsibility, including in the government and in civil society;
• Track record of managing a similar project, with limited budget and time, but with demonstrated results;
• Willingness to travel.

IX. Expressions of interest

Interested consultants should email their applications to: [email][email protected] and copy in [email][email protected] by Wednesday 18th February 2009. Applications should include:

• An up to date CV;
• Cover letter indicating interest and a daily professional fees in US$; and
• An indicative list of at least 8-10 sources that you would consult to answer the questions contained in section III above.