Job Function: Reports to the Director of Programmes

Classification: Grade: Grade: P4 (out of a P1 – P5 professional grading structure)

Date Posted: 20 Oct. 2023

Background:

AMCOW is an intergovernmental, non-budgetary institution working under the Specialised Technical Committee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment of the African Union (AU). AMCOW’s mission is to provide political leadership, policy direction and advocacy in the provision, use and management of water resources for sustainable social and economic development and maintenance of African ecosystems. For more information, refer to: http://www.amcow-online.org/.

The position of Senior Monitoring, Evaluation and Results Officer (SME&R Officer) is one of the key management functions under the Director of Programmes at the AMCOW Secretariat located in Abuja, Nigeria. The SME&R Officer will be the focal point person on all issues related to monitoring and evaluation of the AMCOW Work Programmes and project portfolio. The SME&R Officer provides technical guidance and advice to task teams on appropriate results management frameworks.

The scope of responsibilities of the role is described below.

Responsibilities:

Key responsibilities of SME&R Officer include overseeing the process of developing high-quality Water and Sanitation Sector Progress Reports and their submission at the African Union Commission (AUC) and development partners. The SME&R Officer will also lead the development and implementation of AMCOW’s monitoring and evaluation work. Further, the incumbent will lead the development of a result-based management system and support building capacity for implementation.   Other responsibilities will include systematizing existing results frameworks for greater consistency. This will involve scaling up and refining AMCOW’s monitoring systems to generate rich analysis that track progress of annual plans and implementation of AMCOW’s strategy. The SME&R Officer will also support project managers to develop realistic plans, reviews, and evaluations. This will include developing progress reports for various stakeholders. The SME&R Officer will also coordinate independent evaluation of AMCOW work including operational plans. The SM&E Officer, under the guidance of the Senior Management Team, will coordinate all the teams in the development of the AMCOW Annual report and corporate reports.   The detailed SME&R Officer’s primary scope of responsibilities consists of the following:  

Results and Reporting:

1. Lead and coordinate processes for the development and submission of high-quality annual reports of the Commission on the implementation of the July 2008 Assembly Declaration on the Sharm El Sheikh Commitments for Accelerating the Achievement of Water and Sanitation Goals in Africa.
2. Coordinate donor-funded projects’ reporting processes, ensuring that all accountabilities and responsibilities are met, in line with AMCOW’s obligations. This also include monitoring all project activities, expenditures, and progress towards achieving the project output.
3. Devise ways and strategies to support building capacity for water and sanitation reporting at Member State level.
4. Promote alignment of Continental and Global Reporting processes
5. Lead and conduct sector resource mapping and manage resource mapping database. This includes providing various sector resource/financing analysis.
6. Design and operationalize a functional Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning and results system which aligns with the AMCOW strategy and accountability needs.
7. Assist AMCOW’s Project development team in smartly integrating AMCOW monitoring, evaluation and learning systems into partnership agreements, with a view to effectively tracking progress, minimizing deviation from, and misalignment with AMCOW’s core mandate.

Frameworks:

1. Lead the development and updating of AMCOW’s multi-year organizational results frameworks and strategic operational plans (SOPs).
2. Coordinate the development of AMCOW’s annual organizational objectives, key performance indicators and targets that guide programmatic work.
3. Support staff in developing programmatic and continental level results frameworks to measure progress against program and continental strategies – including work led in partnership with other organizations.

Systems and Analysis:

1. Coordinate monitoring, evaluation, and results analysis across projects and programmes and ensure data standardization and quality.
2. Facilitate and support capacity building activities towards water and sanitation sector system performance monitoring.
3. Refine and improve AMCOW’s existing monitoring systems towards increased access and use by staff. This includes the automation and visualization of analysis, and integration of new data points, for individual and group learning as well as internal and external accountability.
4. Commission and coordinate research and studies on key topics to help fill information gaps in the water and sanitation sector.
5. Oversee the development of quarterly monitoring reports against organizational objectives; Lead analysis of progress against results, bi-annual analysis of research and data metrics.

Learning:

1. Lead and facilitate reflection opportunities, including meetings and retreats, towards developing a strong organizational learning culture.
2. Organize brown bag seminars with staff and, where relevant, externals.
3. Draw lessons from analysis to deepen reflection to improve program design.
4. Develop strategies for improving efficiency and effectiveness of projects by identifying bottlenecks.
5. Contribute to processes of drafting learning papers to capture lessons from AMCOW’s work to inform policy in the water and sanitation sector in Africa.
6. Input into the development of impactful case studies, to showcase insights and instances of success in AMCOW’s work.
7. Lead initiatives and communities of practice that aim to share lessons, good practices and models in the water and sanitation sector in Africa.  

Evaluation:

1. Commission and oversee independent evaluation of AMCOW’s work.
2. Work with the institutional leadership team to define focus and research questions that generate maximum learning and value to inform AMCOW’s strategies.
3. Support AMCOW staff in designing and implementing program evaluations.  

Management and Capacity:

1. Manage consultants and or interns to undertake relevant analysis.
2. Coordinate and facilitate technical working groups with development partners to harmonize efforts and improve the overall water and sanitation sector performance.
3. Forge and consolidate working relationships with Universities and Academic Research Institutions to support filling information gaps at different levels. This includes streamlining work programme with the AUDA-NEPAD Centers of Excellence and capacity building networks and institutions.
4. Work in close collaboration with team members to raise funding in support of AMCOW activities including monitoring and reporting.
5. Perform other duties as required and assigned.

Experience and Requirements:

1. At least a Master’s Degree in water or related disciplines including health, economics, statistics, social sciences, monitoring and evaluation, and international development.
2. At least 10 years of direct relevant work experience in monitoring, evaluation and systems at senior level.
3. Direct experience working with partners supporting monitoring, reporting as well as work programmes for the African Union Commission (AUC), AMCOW, AUDA-NEPAD, UN Agencies, and Development Partners.
4. Experience in qualitative and quantitative operational research across countries, with substantive experience in preparing case studies.
5. Experience in providing the following types of support: technical assistance, policy analysis, sector systems performance reviews, policy advocacy, and grant making; and targeting one or more of the following stakeholders: the AUC, governments, civil society, development partners towards improvements in governance policy and practice.
6. Excellent diplomacy and relationship building skills, with an ability to prioritise, negotiate, and work with a variety of cross-cultural and high-profile technical experts and development partners.
7. Experience in analyzing and presenting cross country data effectively, for a wide range of audiences, with attention to detail.
8. Excellent oral and written communication skills.
9. Ability to work well under pressure, to meet multiple deadlines in a fast-paced work environment.
10. Multi-tasking skills, able to wear many hats in a fast-paced, challenging and rewarding environment.
11. Strong facilitation and capacity building skills.
12. Strong analytical skills and data/results visualization.

Technical Expertise:

Required Expertise:

Ability to effectively manage complex databases and systems. Interpret and implement different monitoring and results measurements strategies and also ensure a proper system is in place.

Language Requirements:

1. Fluent and superior mastery of English and/or French through education and experience in a work context.
2. Portuguese and/or Arabic languages would be an asset.

Skills:

1. Strong proactive business development skills.Superior communication and presentation skills.
2. Highly refined diplomacy and persuasive skills.Very good learning and knowledge sharing skills.
3. Strong team building and motivating skills.

Computer Literacy:

1. Expert-level use of the Office suite of applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).Familiarity with project management tools.
2. Good knowledge and preferably work experience with Cloud-based technologies.

Age Requirement:

Candidate shall not be more than 55 years as at the publication of this job advert

Values:

1. High professional ethics beyond legal compliance.
2. Commitment to the public good.
3. Commitment to quality and excellence, knowledge sharing and maintaining public trust.
4. Accountability to AMCOW Secretariat, the AU member States and AMCOW Partners and Stakeholders.
5. Transparency, honesty, and integrity including cross-cultural openness and flexibility.

Citizenship Requirement:

Citizen of any of the AU countries.

Submissions of Applications:

Interested candidates for this position should submit their formal application not later than 20^th November 2023 at the address/email below.

The Executive Secretary,
African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW), No. 11, T.Y. Danjuma Street, Asokoro District, Abuja, Nigeria.
Email: info@amcow-online.org;  
Female candidates are encouraged to apply.  

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Institutions: AMCOW with the support of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF)

Detailed Description of the Activity:

Background

The African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) has the primary mission of providing political leadership, policy direction and advocacy in the provision, use, and management of water resources for sustainable social and economic development and maintenance of African ecosystems. The African Union Commission considers AMCOW serves as a support mechanism to its Specialized Technical Committee (STC) to drive the achievement of impactful results in the water and sanitation sectors. At the African Union Heads of State and Government Summit of July 2008, the African Minister’s Council on Water (AMCOW) was mandated to report annually on progress achieved in implementing the African Union (AU) commitments made in the 2008 Sharm El-Sheikh Commitments on water and sanitation, taking into account several international agreements including the Africa Water Vision 2025, the Africa Agenda 2063, as well as the global Sustainable Development Goals 6 (SDG-6) targets on clean water and sanitation.

In response to this directive, AMCOW in collaboration with the African Union Commission, and with financial support from Africa Water Facility (AWF) through the Africa Development Bank (AfDB), developed a web-based reporting system, the African Water and Sanitation Sector Monitoring and Reporting System (WASSMO) in October 2015: https://www.africawat-sanreports.org/Ui. This platform provides for reporting on water and sanitation sector indicators under seven themes: water infrastructure for growth; managing and protecting water resources; water supply, sanitation, hygiene, and wastewater; climate change and disaster risk reduction (DRR); governance and institutions; and financing.  

In June, AMCOW launched the 2023 WASSMO data collection campaign. This year’s data drive is focused on completing the missing baseline information and addressing the current data gaps from 2016 to date. The Secretariat of AMCOW will be conducting in-country missions to provide technical support to Member States as a means of strengthening their capacity to adequately collect the required quality of data for developing Africa’s Water and Sanitation Sector (WASSMO) 2023 Report. It is for this purpose that AMCOW requires the technical assistance of a data analyst expert that will support the cleaning, quality checks, analysis, and visualization of the WASSMO data. The aim is to contribute to the development of a high-quality WASSMO report that is of international reporting standards.  

The AMCOW Secretariat is seeking a data analyst and visualisation consultant to support in the analysis and interpretation of the data for developing the 2023 WASSMO report that includes strategic high-level findings and recommendations for insightful decisions by water and sanitation sector decision makers. Data analyst consultant will present the key findings of the different sections of the WASSMO report to AMCOW Secretariat

Tasks and Responsibilities

Through a consultative and participatory process, the consultant will work with the AMCOW Secretariat to perform the following activities:

• Interpret data, analyse results using statistical techniques and provide periodic updates on activity progress.
• Review the existing excel data analytics tools and ensure their compatibility with the WASSMO data collection systems and explore other strategies to enhance statistical efficiency and quality.

• Identify, analyse, and interpret trends or patterns in data sets.
• Filter and “clean” data by reviewing computer reports, printouts.
• Assist the team in improving and streamlining processes regarding data flow and data quality to improve data accuracy, viability, and value.
• Support the delivery of analytics and reporting solutions using Power BI/Data Visualization software or others.
• Present the analysis per themes and country status.

Deliverables

• WASSMO data exploration, analysis and modelling performed on the database, resulting in a clean data set to inform the 2023 WASSMO report narrative.  
• Any additional deliverables that are part of the WASSMO data analytics outputs (infographics, charts, etc.)

Qualification and Experience

• Minimum of a master’s degree in Statistics, Economics, Information Systems, Mathematics, Business Analysis, Management, or related field. PhD is an added advantage.
• At least 15 years experiences as senior statistician or related field.
• High Intelligence Quotient, Computer Science, or Knowledge in working with several Statistical Software is required.
• Relevant work experience as a data analyst or business data analyst and visualisation for both quantitative and qualitative data.
• Familiarity with AMCOW Secretariat work and water and sanitation sector landscape in Africa.
• Strong writing abilities with articulative skills to develop a concise quality research analytic report on the results of Member States’ WASSMO data.
• Excellent command of written and spoken English. French will be an added advantage.

Skills and abilities

• Highly skilled in research and analysis: Very strong qualitative and analytic skills; keen attention to detail and data accuracy.
• Technical expertise regarding data models, database design development, data mining and segmentation techniques
• Knowledge of statistics and experience using statistical packages for analysing datasets (Excel, SPSS, STATA, SAS etc.)
• Excellent communication skills: Strong knowledge of and experience with Data reporting packages (Business Objects etc.), databases (SQL etc.), and data visualization tools (Microsoft Power BI, Tableau, etc.)
• Other: Demonstrated competence with using standard data software packages (MS Excel, MS Access, etc.).

Contract duration

The contract will be effective from date of signing and for a maximum of 90 days

Reporting language

English

Mode and logistics

The consultancy service will be provided remotely

How to apply

Interested candidates who meet the required qualifications and experience are invited to submit updated profile and cover letter explaining their motivation and why best suited for the assignment. Candidates are also encouraged to provide samples of previous related works.

AMCOW only accept applications sent via email – info@amcow-online.org

Please forward the application in English through the stated email no later than 29 September 2023.

The Executive Secretary,

African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW)

No. 11 T. Y. Danjuma Street, Asokoro District, Abuja, Nigeria.

For more information about AMCOW and its work programme, kindly refer to AMCOW website www.amcow-online.org

Grade : P4 (dans une grille de gradation professionnelle allant de P1 à P5)

Contexte de base : AMCOW est une institution intergouvernementale et non budgétaire qui travaille sous l’égide du Comité technique spécialisé sur l’agriculture, le développement rural, l’eau et l’environnement de l’Union africaine (UA). Notre mission est de fournir un leadership politique, une orientation politique et un plaidoyer dans la fourniture, l’utilisation et la gestion des ressources en eau pour un développement social et économique durable et le maintien des écosystèmes africains. Pour plus d’informations, veuillez consulter : http://www.amcow-online.org/. Le poste de Chargé de mission principal, Gestion des ressources en eau, est l’une des principales fonctions de gestion relevant du directeur des programmes au secrétariat de l’AMCOW, situé à Abuja, au Nigeria. L’étendue des responsabilités du poste est décrite ci-dessous. Responsabilités : Le Chargé de mission principal, Gestion des ressources en eau, sera responsable de la programmation et de la coordination de la mise en œuvre des activités du Secrétariat visant à assurer la gestion durable des ressources en eau de l’Afrique. Ses principales responsabilités sont les suivantes : 1)     Arrangements politiques, réglementaires et institutionnels : Diriger les initiatives de l’AMCOW visant à renforcer les systèmes de gouvernance de l’eau et les structures de gestion en Afrique. Les interventions connexes promeuvent et facilitent la gestion et la gouvernance transfrontalières des ressources en eau de l’Afrique, axées sur l’investissement. L’accent est mis en particulier sur le respect des engagements pris par les dirigeants politiques africains en vue de : a)     augmenter les dotations nationales au secteur de l’eau, de l’assainissement et de l’hygiène, et attirer les investissements pour le développement, l’utilisation et la gestion des ressources en eau. L’une des principales stratégies de l’AMCOW consiste à renforcer les arguments économiques en faveur des investissements dans le secteur de l’eau en Afrique afin d’améliorer les capacités humaines et institutionnelles, de construire des infrastructures et d’améliorer les systèmes d’information à l’appui de la gestion de l’eau ; b)     innover dans les mécanismes de gestion de la demande et améliorer l’efficacité de la production, de l’approvisionnement et de l’utilisation de l’eau dans l’agriculture ; c)     contribuer à l’amélioration de la gouvernance en matière d’assainissement et des mécanismes de prestation de services en ce qui concerne: i)       améliorer l’intégrité environnementale par la gestion des eaux usées et de la qualité de l’eau ii)     promouvoir les systèmes circulaires pour les cycles de l’eau urbaine et l’assainissement productif ; et, iii)    un programme WASH résilient. d)     mobiliser les réseaux d’eau souterraine et les acteurs vers une approche commune, harmonisée et basée sur des preuves de l’utilisation et de la gestion durable des eaux souterraines dans le cadre de la Vision africaine de l’eau 2025, des ODD et de l’Agenda 2063 de l’UA ; e)     renforcer les liens institutionnels et les accords opérationnels entre l’AMCOW et ses partenaires techniques, de mise en œuvre et de financement dans le cadre du nexus eau, énergie, alimentation et écosystèmes (WEFE) ; et f)      renforcer les mécanismes de suivi du financement du secteur – au niveau de l’AMCOW – et renforcer les mécanismes de coordination, d’effet de levier et d’amélioration de l’efficacité de l’utilisation des fonds de l’aide publique au développement (APD) dans le secteur. 2)     Engagement des parties prenantes : Contribuer au renforcement des processus décisionnels en facilitant techniquement l’interaction, à tous les niveaux, des acteurs gouvernementaux et non gouvernementaux, y compris le secteur privé. Le titulaire du poste dirigera les efforts du secrétariat pour traduire le programme d’action prioritaire de l’AMCOW en matière de gestion des ressources en eau en partenariats d’action visant à : a)     promouvoir la comptabilité économique de l’eau en tant que discipline pour, entre autres, améliorer les perspectives de financement et d’investissement pour la gestion des ressources en eau en Afrique ; b)     motiver les actions visant à améliorer les capacités nationales de collecte de données hydrométéorologiques et piézométriques complètes et fiables dans l’ensemble des 64 bassins fluviaux partagés de l’Afrique ; c)     appliquer des solutions fondées sur la perspective du lien entre l’eau, l’alimentation et l’énergie pour assurer la sécurité de l’eau, de l’alimentation et de l’énergie en Afrique ; d)     améliorer la gestion de l’eau agricole, notamment en facilitant l’utilisation des déchets comme ressource agricole au niveau national ; e)     catalyser la mise en œuvre des projets prioritaires relatifs aux eaux transfrontalières dans le deuxième plan d’action prioritaire du programme pour le développement des infrastructures en Afrique (PIDA) ; f)      promouvoir et faciliter le développement multifonctionnel des bassins “verts” axé sur les infrastructures naturelles et construites afin de fournir un continuum de solutions de stockage de l’eau ; g)     aider les États membres et les organisations de bassins fluviaux et lacustres à réaliser des évaluations des ressources en eau, en évaluant la disponibilité des ressources en eaux souterraines et l’impact du changement climatique sur la disponibilité de l’eau douce ; h)     aider les États membres à surveiller et à gérer l’utilisation des eaux souterraines ; i)       promouvoir l’élaboration de cadres juridiques, politiques et institutionnels pour la gestion des eaux usées et le déversement en toute sécurité des effluents dans les cours d’eau et les aquifères transfrontaliers ; j)       améliorer l’accès et le contrôle des ressources, des actifs, des capacités, de l’agence et des opportunités pour les groupes vulnérables au climat et marginalisés ; et, k)     mobiliser les partenariats institutionnels pour renforcer la sécurité de l’eau. 3)     Mobilisation des ressources  : Travailler en étroite collaboration avec le Chargé de mission principal – Gouvernance et partenariats pour mobiliser des fonds et coordonner des initiatives à l’appui des activités d’AMCOW. Les activités s’articulent autour des plans de travail du secrétariat, des plans d’engagement avec les partenaires et des projets PIDA-PAP sur les eaux transfrontalières. Les responsabilités du titulaire sont les suivantes : a)     instituer des mécanismes pour mettre en œuvre des projets identifiés pour leurs avantages partagés, notamment la capacité d’attirer des investissements : b)     l’exploitation des flux de financement des partenaires pour la mise en œuvre du programme de travail de l’AMCOW ; c)     diriger la conception et la formulation de plans d’engagement en faveur de la gestion des ressources en eau et coordonner leur mise en œuvre avec les CER, les organisations régionales et locales, les partenaires techniques et de mise en œuvre, ainsi qu’avec d’autres acteurs du secteur ; d)     contribuer aux réunions et aux engagements du cadre de coordination des partenaires au développement du secteur de l’eau et de l’assainissement (CCPD). Les autres responsabilités comprennent, sans s’y limiter à : 1)     Renforcer la présence et la visibilité d’AMCOW au niveau national et régional, dans le but de promouvoir des outils de prise de décision efficaces et des informations utiles sur la gestion durable des ressources en eau sur le continent. 2)     Promouvoir les synergies régionales et les efforts nationaux en matière de gestion des ressources en eau et institutionnaliser les mécanismes de coordination de la gestion des ressources en eau au sein du Secrétariat. Plus précisément, le chargé de mission principal, Gestion des ressources en eau, est responsable de la gestion des activités clés suivantes : 1)     Assurer une utilisation et une visibilité cohérentes et appropriées de la marque AMCOW en améliorant les activités, l’efficacité et la portée de la gestion des ressources en eau, afin de renforcer la sensibilisation et la compréhension des questions de gestion des ressources en eau parmi les parties prenantes par le biais d’événements nationaux, régionaux et grand public tels que la Semaine africaine de l’eau et les Conférences AfricaSan ;                         Collaborer avec le responsable de la gestion des connaissances et de la communication pour préparer les communiqués de presse et les messages d’interview, ainsi que pour coordonner, relire et assurer la diffusion du contenu des bulletins d’information d’AMCOW et d’autres types de matériel d’apprentissage et de documents politiques. Caractéristiques essentielles: 1)     Au moins 12 ans d’expérience professionnelle, de préférence dans le secteur de l’eau, dont au moins 6 ans d’expérience dans la gestion intégrée des ressources en eau (GIRE), l’analyse de la sécurité de l’eau, la planification et le plaidoyer. 2)     Expérience directe ou expérience de travail avec des partenaires soutenant les initiatives politiques liées à la GIRE et les programmes de travail de la CUA, du secrétariat de l’AMCOW, de l’AUDA-NEPAD, des CER et des organismes régionaux de bassin. 3)     Engagement avéré en faveur de l’excellence et de la qualité des résultats mesurés, du développement et de l’opérationnalisation des programmes dans un cadre intergouvernemental. 4)     Une expérience probante dans les domaines suivants : a)     la facilitation efficace des processus techniques et la coordination des processus multipartites à forte visibilité ; b)     la fixation de priorités et l’élaboration de dispositions de mise en œuvre dans des environnements opérationnels politiquement sensibles et techniquement exigeants ; et, c)     la responsabilité technique de la qualité et du contenu des rapports d’aide à la décision au niveau politique. 5)     Excellentes compétences en matière de diplomatie et d’établissement de relations, avec une capacité à établir des priorités, à négocier et à travailler avec une variété de partenaires techniques, de mise en œuvre et de développement interculturels et de haut niveau, ainsi qu’avec les États membres. Aptitude à effectuer plusieurs tâches à la fois, capable de porter plusieurs chapeaux dans un environnement rapide, stimulant et gratifiant. Formation, qualifications professionnelles et certification : Un master ou un doctorat dans un domaine lié à la gestion de l’eau et des ressources naturelles connexes, à l’ingénierie et à la fourniture de services d’approvisionnement en eau, d’assainissement et d’hygiène. Exigences linguistiques : Maîtrise courante et avancée de l’anglais et/ou du français grâce à l’éducation et à l’expérience dans un contexte professionnel. La maîtrise du portugais et/ou de l’arabe serait un atout Compétences : 1)     Solides compétences proactives en matière de développement commercial. 2)     Compétences supérieures en matière de communication et de présentation. 3)     Diplomatie et capacité de persuasion très raffinées. 4)     Très bonnes aptitudes à l’apprentissage et au partage des connaissances. 5) Solides compétences en matière de constitution d’équipes et de motivation. Compétences informatiques : 1)     Utilisation experte de la suite d’applications Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint). 2)     Familiarité avec les outils de gestion de projet. 3) Bonne connaissance et, de préférence, expérience professionnelle des technologies basées sur l’informatique en nuage. Conditions d’âge : Le candidat ne doit pas être âgé de plus de 55 ans à la date du 1er août 2023. Valeurs : 1)     Une éthique professionnelle élevée au-delà de la conformité légale. 2)     Engagement envers le bien public. 3)     Engagement en faveur de la qualité et de l’excellence, du partage des connaissances et du maintien de la confiance du public. 4)     Responsabilité envers le secrétariat d’AMCOW, les États membres de l’UA et les partenaires et parties prenantes d’AMCOW. 5) Transparence, honnêteté et intégrité, y compris ouverture et flexibilité interculturelles. Conditions de citoyenneté : Le ou la candidat/e doit être un/e ressortissant/e d’un des États membres de l’UA Les candidats intéressés par ce poste doivent soumettre leur candidature officielle au plus tard le 31 août 2023 à l’adresse électronique suivante : Dépôt des candidatures Le Secrétaire exécutif, Conseil des ministres africains chargés de l’eau  (AMCOW), No. 11, T.Y. Danjuma Street, Asokoro District, Abuja, Nigeria . Email : info@amcow-online.org;   Les candidatures féminines sont vivement encouragées. Veuillez noter que seuls les candidats présélectionnés seront contactés.

Background

In accordance with the objectives of its Strategic Operational Plan to align Member States’ sanitation and hygiene policy environments with continental and global commitments, AMCOW developed the  African Sanitation Policy Guidelines.  The ASPGs were developed through a consultative and collaborative process with key sector players and African Union Member States. It provides the recommended core elements and processes for the review, revision, and development of policies, strategies, and plans toward achieving SDGs 6.2. To demonstrate the progress and impact of ASPG utilization over time, AMCOW is establishing a monitoring and reporting mechanism.

The mechanism will comprise the following key elements:

I. Development of an agreed indicator framework for monitoring changes in Member States’ enabling environments for sanitation and hygiene services provision in line with global and continental commitments

II. The institutionalisation of a data collection and information generation protocol, including defining modalities and or systems for:

• Situation assessments to both:
• capture, analyse and store the data gathered and the information generated;
• the periodic reporting cycle.

III. Strengthening capacity at the Member States and other relevant levels to operationalise the monitoring and reporting mechanism;
IV. data gathering and reporting format and
V. information sharing and dissemination approach

Situation assessments will be a key component of the overall framework for monitoring the outcomes of the utilisation of the ASPGs by Member States. They will be useful to:

1. establish individual Member States’ baseline conditions prior to interventions to strengthen the policy environment utilising the ASPGs; and,
2. collect information at regular periodic intervals for use in monitoring changes in the policy environment over time;

Currently, two tools exist for conducting assessments of the sanitation policy environment prior to ASPG utilisation. They are namely:

1. the African Sanitation Policy Assessment Tool (ASPAT); and
2. the Policy Monitoring and Assessment Tool (PMAT).

Against this background, AMCOW seeks to engage the services of a consultant to reconcile the ASPAT and PMAT tools.

Objectives of the Consultancy:
The overarching objective of the consultancy is to reconcile the African Sanitation Policy Assessment Tool (ASPAT) and Policy Monitoring and Assessment Tool (PMAT) into one comprehensive tool for conducting situation assessments of the sanitation and hygiene policy environment. In the context of this assessment, the policy environment includes policy documents, governance arrangements for sanitation and hygiene; regulatory frameworks; institutional arrangements; as well as sector funding mechanisms.
Specific objectives: The specific objectives of the consultancy are to:
i. harmonise terminologies,
ii. identify and address gaps for comprehensive situation assessments that are not covered by the two tools when considered together;
iii. remove redundancies and or repetitions in the information that can be collected using the tools; and,
iv. develop recommendations for a suitable name for the reconciled tool.
Overall, the intent is to improve accuracy and consistency at the stage of data collection and reporting resulting from using the tool.

Scope of Work:
The scope of work for this consultancy entails the following:
• Desk review: a desk review of policy documents will be conducted. Below is an inexhaustive list of documents for review:

• African Sanitation Policy Guidelines (ASPG)
• African Sanitation Policy Assessment Tool (ASPAT)
• Policy Monitoring and Assessment Tool (PMAT)
• AMCOW 2018 – 2030 Strategy
• AMCOW Strategic Operational Plan 2022 – 2024
  • Tools Reconciliation: This involves the reconciliation of the ASPAT and PMAT assessment tools to form a single tool that covers the specific objectives in (2) above.

The table below summarizes the expected tasks and deliverables for this assignment

Tasks/Milestone	Deliverables/Outputs
Virtual inception meeting on the scope of work, clarifications on the assignment	Development of a work plan for the consultancy
Desk review of relevant documents in 3 above	Desk review of relevant documents conducted
Reconciliation of the ASPAT and the PMAT and related documents into a single tool	A draft situation assessment tool presented
Virtual consultation with governments on the draft tool	Consultation meetings with governments and key stakeholders conducted
Virtual validation meeting among key stakeholders	Situation assessment tool validated
Finalization of the situation assessment tool	Reconciled tool finalised
Production of assignment report	Final report produced

Terms of Payment

 Payments will be associated with outputs upon satisfactory delivery of expected results.

Reporting and Task Management

AMCOW will manage this assignment with a direct reporting line to the Policy Officer for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (POWASH), who will be responsible for final approvals of deliverables.

Duration of Assignment

The successful applicant should be available to commence on 20 May 2023. Bearing in mind that progress on the reconciled tool will be presented at the AMCOW Executive Committee meeting on June 12 2023.

Education, Required Skills and Experience of the Consultant.

The following minimum qualifications and experience are required to successfully deliver on this assignment:

• Advanced University degree in social sciences, environment, public policy, and sanitation-related subjects.
• Minimum of 10 years experience in policy-related matters in water resources management, sanitation, and hygiene
• Familiarity with the ASPGs would greatly contribute to this assignment’s success.
• Knowledge of policy development and revision process in Africa and globally
• Knowledge of monitoring and evaluation, including experience in developing a situation assessment tool, would be required to attain success in this assignment.
• Excellent analytical, communication, and report-writing skills in English are desired.
• Submission of Proposals

Interested parties – both individuals and firms – that meet the criteria above are invited to submit proposals (maximum of 15 pages as a single attachment) providing the details below:

1. An expression of interest and technical capability statement;
2. Details of the proposed approach, methodology and activity scheduling;
3. A summary of relevant experience – over the last 5 years – of developing situation assessment tools in both private sector and inter-governmental organisational contexts. Please use the table below for each of the relevant assignments. Contact information of the respective clients should be provided for each of the relevant assignments listed.

Assignment name:	Approx. value of the contract:
Countries:	Duration of assignment:
Name of client and contact details:	Total no. of staff months of the assignment:
Address:	Approx. value of the services provided by your firm/you under the contract:
Start date:   Completion date:	No. of professional staff-months provided by associated consultants:
Name of associated consultants, if any:	Name of the senior professional staff of your firm involved and functions performed: Eg. XXXX YYYYY, Team Leader, hydrologist, hydraulic conditions ZZZZ AAAA, Water Economist BBBB CCCCC, Financial Modeller
Narrative description of the project: (please provide summaries of the background, approach and methods used, and outputs/recommendations)
Description of actual services provided by your staff/you within the assignment:

• the applicant’s resume – for individual consultants – or resumes of the key staff of the bidding firm highlighting relevant expertise;
• a financial proposal containing time and cost estimate for delivery of the above-described deliverables, including a break-down to level of effort and expenses.
• links to samples of the bidder’s written work/deliverables from previous assignments.

9.  How to apply

Interested candidates who meet the required qualifications and experience are invited to submit a formal proposal and resume no later than 10^th May 2023.

The application should be addressed and emailed to:

The Executive Secretary

African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW)

No. 11, T.Y. Danjuma Street, Asokoro District

Abuja, Nigeria.

Email: info@amcow-online.org The same e-mail address can be used to request additional information and or clarifications.

1. Background

The African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) is an intergovernmental institution formed in 2002 in Abuja, Nigeria. The vision of AMCOW is an Africa where there is an equitable and sustainable use and management of water resources for poverty alleviation, socio-economic development, regional cooperation and the environment. AMCOW’s mission is to provide political leadership, policy direction and advocacy in the provision, use and management of water resources for sustainable social and economic development and maintenance of African ecosystems. The Organs and structures of AMCOW serve as the working group on Water and Sanitation of the African Union’s Specialized Technical Committee (STC) of Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment (ARBE).

Over the past 5 years, AMCOW Secretariat has gone through a number of institutional reforms to improve its operational and governance arrangements to deliver on its mandate effectively. The overall objective is to provide a high-level platform to push the water agenda forward at the continental, regional and country levels. Ultimately, the aspiration is for Member States to ensure effective and sustainable management of water resources for all purposes to address both poverty reduction and social development goals.

2. Rationale

A key outcome of the institutional development support to date has been the establishment of broadly inclusive participatory mechanisms – coordinated by the AMCOW Secretariat – for informing decision-making. Information generated from the Africa Water and Sanitation Sector (WASSMO) system is used to inform continental policy initiatives to coordinate and technically facilitate the water sector in Africa.

On the continuum of institutional growth, the focus has now shifted to assuring both the short-term funding stability and the long-term financial security of AMCOW.

Numerous political commitments notwithstanding, the water sector – in general – and AMCOW as an institution – are faced with a chronic challenge of incommensurate funding. The Sharm-el-Sheikh Declaration takes it on with commitments on:

• increasing domestic allocations to the sector;
• developing appropriate financial instruments and investment plans for funding the water and sanitation sector; and,
• mobilising funding support from development partners.

In the N’Gor Declaration, a commitment is made of having established sanitation and hygiene budget lines of a minimum of 0.5% of national GDP by 2020.

For the majority of AMCOW’s Member States, action on these commitments has not matched the enormity of the task of ensuring water security. By extension, statutory contributions to the core budget of AMCOW are insufficient to meet a key stipulation of the AMCOW Governance Framework on funding AMCOW initiatives.

To fund AMCOW activities, the Secretariat is mandated to receive and manage Member States’ contributions, as well as such sources as shall be established by the Executive Secretary. These sources include contributions from the private sector; and funding, technical and implementing partners. The AMCOW Governance Framework, thus, stipulates that the core functions of the Secretariat shall be financed by the Member States themselves to demonstrate commitment and ownership.

As such, strengthening the Secretariat’s capacity to mobilise resources towards implementation of AMCOW’s core functions has implications for the institution’s funding model. The Secretariat’s ability to attract partner investments into AMCOW activities is linked to the ability to demonstrate financial commitment to AMCOW’s core functions.

Hence the ongoing activities to formulate and implement a business plan to set the strategic direction and inject new approaches into AMCOW’s resources mobilisation efforts.

Objectives of the Assignment

Against the background of the foregoing, technical services are sought to prepare an impact oriented AMCOW Business Plan to support implementation of the AMCOW Strategy 2018 – 2030. A key immediate output from the plan will be to put in place measures – including revenue generation – to provide financial stability at the Secretariat.

A key requirement is to concisely articulate strategies – grounded in private sector business acumen – to assure both the short-term funding stability and the long-term financial security of AMCOW.

Scope of Work

Under the overral  guidance of the Executive Secretary and direct supervision of the  Director of Corporate Services, the consultant will be responsible to:

• Conduct detailed consultation on AMCOW programmes and other potential revenue generating products and services, such as Conferences etc, with the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), Management, Staff and key partners/stakeholders.
• Conduct a market analysis and risk assessment, and study the critical sustainability factors for similar entities, including operational gaps, funding loopholes, competitiveness and viability;
• Conduct a thorough review of AMCOW’s governance, management and operational structure, systems and policies to inform the development of a sound and efficient business model and plan;
• Conduct validation sessions to discuss and review the draft Business Plan before it is finalized. This should include proposed products and services; governance, operational and financial management structures, including any tax implications; branding and communication strategies and cost estimates/budget.

Deliverables

A 5-year Business Plan that fully responds to the objectives of the assignment as detailed in Section 2 above. It will include, but not be limited to:

1. clearly defined operational strategies, governance and management structures;
2. details of the key tasks and responsibilities of each actor;
3. a financial and operational plan;
4. cost estimates/budgets of recommended actions, including tax implications;
5. a risk mitigation/management plan, as well as,
6. a plan for measuring performance and impact.

Duration of the Assignment

The assignment is expected to take approximately 30 input days spread over a period of 3 calendar months.

Qualification and Experience

Demonstrated experience in undertaking similar assignments within Intergovernmental mandated institutions such as the AU, Regional Economic Commissions, River and Lake Basin Organisations and the UN and Not-for-Profit Organisations such as NGOs and Civil Societies within the last ten (10) years.

At least a Master’s degree or equivalent in business administration, strategic Management, development studies, Economics or related fields;

Familiarity and strong understanding of the water and sanitation sector in Africa

Strong research and analytical skills, communication (oral and written), interpersonal and facilitation skills.

Ability to work remotely with a multi-disciplinary team

Good leadership and organisational skills.

Language capabilities to function in both English and French is an added advantage.

Submission of Proposals

Interested parties – both individuals and firms – that meet the criteria above are invited to submit proposals (maximum of 15 pages as a single attachment) providing the details below:

1. an expression of interest and technical capability statement;
2. details of the proposed approach, methodology and activity scheduling;
3. a summary of relevant experience – over the last 5 years – of preparing business plans in both private sector and inter-governmental organisational contexts. Please use the table below for each of the relevant assignments. Contact information of the respective clients should be provided for each of the relevant assignments listed.

Assignment name:	Approx. value of the contract:
Countries:	Duration of assignment:
Name of client and contact details:	Total no. of staff-months of the assignment:
Address:	Approx. value of the services provided by your firm/you under the contract:
Start date:   Completion date:	No. of professional staff-months provided by associated consultants:
Name of associated consultants, if any:	Name of senior professional staff of your firm involved and functions performed: Eg. XXXX YYYYY, Team Leader, hydrologist, hydraulic conditions ZZZZ AAAA, Water Economist BBBB CCCCC, Financial Modeller
Narrative description of project: (please provide summaries of the background, approach and methods used, and outputs/recommendations)
Description of actual services provided by your staff/you within the assignment:

• the aplicant’s resume – for individual consultants – or resumes of the key staff of the bidding firm highlighting relevant expertise;
• a financial proposal containing time and cost estimate for delivery of the above-described deliverables, including a break-down to level of effort and expenses.
• links to samples of the bidder’s written work/deliverables from previous assignments
• How to apply

Interested candidates who meet the required qualifications and experience are invited to submit a formal proposal and resume not later than 8^th May 2023.

The application should be addressed and email to:

The Executive Secretary

African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW)

No. 11, T.Y. Danjuma Street, Asokoro District

Abuja, Nigeria.

Email: info@amcow-online.org

The same e-mail address can be used for requests for additional information and or clarifications.