NSO Project Identification Consultant for Technical Assistance - PEXT (EOI) at the African Development Bank Group (AfDB)

African Development Bank Group (AfDB) - Established in 1964, the African Development Bank is the premier pan-African development institution, promoting economic growth and social progress across the continent. There are 80 member states, including 54 in Africa (Regional Member Countries). The Bank’s development agenda is delivering the financial and technical support for transformative projects that will significantly reduce poverty through inclusive and sustainable economic growth.

The Asia External Representation Office (PEXT) invites applications for the position below:

Job Title: Expression of Interest for NSO Project Identification Consultant for Technical Assistance - PEXT

Location: Tokyo, Japan
Brief Description of the Assignment: Assist PEXT’s events and business activities under FAPA
Program Place of assignment: Tokyo, Japan
Duration of the assignment: 12 months
Tentative Date of commencement: March, 2023

Background

• African Development Bank (the Bank or AfDB) established in 1964 is the leading development bank on the continent with a mission and objective to spur sustainable economic development and social progress in its Regional Member Countries (RMCs), thus contributing to poverty reduction.
• The AfDB Asia External Representation Office (PEXT) is the Bank’s sole representative office outside Africa, opened in Tokyo, Japan, in 2012.
• The PEXT’s major objectives are to enhance partnerships and dialogue with Asian countries, promote business and investment opportunities in and with Africa, and widely disseminate and exchange information about the Bank, itself, and development issues and projects in Africa.
• There are currently four Asian member countries, which are China, India, Japan, and Korea.
• Africa’s expanding market and its huge economic potential, together with the initiatives of the governments of Asian countries and public financial institutions for business development in Africa such as TICAD (Tokyo International Conference on African Development), investment in Africa has gained momentum.
• African Diplomatic Corps (ADCs), a body formed by the African diplomatic missions, based in the 4 Asian member countries are also doing investment promotional activities for Asian private sector.
• By taking advantages of the dynamics of calling for investment from Asia and Africa, PEXT, together with ADCs investment promotion committees, implements a 3 years project to initiate and originate the AfDB’s projects of Non-Sovereign Operations (NSOs) from Asia. (The remaining period of the implementation is one year.) The indicative goal of the project is to provide capacity building program for investment promotion committees of ADCs based in the Asian Non-Regional Member Countries, so that ADCs can reinforce its pivotal role in calling for investment to Africa with the AfDB’s financial intervention as a "leverage” to crowd in Asian private finance to Africa, and thereby contributing to increase investment to Africa from the Asian Non-RMCs.
• For successfully implement the project, AfDB is going to procure a long-term individual consultant for Project Identification of Non-Sovereign Operations (NSOs) of African Development Bank.
• The project is implemented with proceeds of Fund for African Private Sector Assistance (FAPA), which is generously financially contributed by the Government of Japan.

Components of the Project:
The project components are as follows:
Component 1:

• Providing knowledge seminar for ADCs investment promotion committees on financial products and services provided by financial institutions, especially Asian public financial institutions and the Bank

Activities under the component include:

• Making a series of presentations for members of investment promotion committees of ADCs based in the Asian Non-RMCs. The contents of the presentations are as follows;
  • The Bank’s missions and strategies such as the Bank’s Ten-Year Strategy, High 5s, the Bank’s Policy on NonSovereign Operations of 2018, the Bank’s commitments for global agenda such as climate change and Paris Agreement
  • Case studies on investment projects (including both green and brown field investments) financed and/or cofinanced by the Bank and/or by Asian public financial institutions.
  • Strategic cooperation and partnership between the Bank and financial institutions for promoting investment from Asia to Africa (such as EPSA initiative between the Bank and JICA)
  • The Bank’s available financial interventions - the Bank’s initiatives for promoting investment (e.g. Event for Co-Creation of the Ecosystem for Investors, AIF and Japan-Africa Business Forum) - the Bank’s financial services and product (e.g. debt financing, equity, guarantees, Technical Assistance) and key features of co-financing (such as A/B loan) - the Bank’s prioritized sector in line with the High 5s (i.e. Light up & Power Africa, Feed Africa, Industrialize Africa, Integrate Africa, and Improve the quality of life for the people of Africa) - general key information for the Bank’s intervention in NSOs such as eligibility criteria and application procedure - the Bank’s initiatives of the private sector development in Africa
  • Case studies of investment climate of the countries, which yielded successful cases (for example, investment from the Asian Non-RMCs to South East/ South Asian countries).
• In addition to the presentations as mentioned above, the component involves separate consultation meetings on ad-hoc basis with member(s) of investment promotion committees that are actively promoting private investment from Asia to Africa. The proposed TA project mainly has consultations for potential project(s) where the financial intervention by financial institutions especially the Bank and Asian public financial institutions with their products and services are considered adequate and feasible.

Component 2:
Reinforcing investment promotion committees’ functions towards public and private stakeholders based in the Asian Non-RMCs Activities under component 2 include:

• Supporting investment promotion committees to hold business promotion seminars for Asian private sector in the Asian Non-RMCs (or in Africa). The project takes advantage of PEXT’s accumulated knowledge and achievement in holding business workshops and relevant events for supporting investment promotion committees to design, implement, and manage the business promotion seminars so that promotional seminars discuss material business topics such as investment promotional policies and incentives of African countries, rules and regulation on investment, contact information of relevant authorities in Asia and Africa for investment consultation in detail.
• Supporting enhanced business partnership between African private sector and those of Asia, especially when business promotion seminars by investment promotion committee have components of business matching. The TA, together with business promotional agencies, support to explain some of available incentives (e.g. supports for a survey and TA offered by relevant authorities) for materializing the investment.
• For the purpose of supplementing activities of investment promotion committees from the viewpoint of financing, the proposed project supports investment promotion committees to refer available financial intervention by financial institutions, especially Asian public financial institutions and the Bank, during the seminar. If necessary, the Bank participates in the seminar as co-organizer or sponsor and make presentations for detailed explanation toward participants. The project, in addition, provides support in explaining other major African financing institutions such as Afrexim Bank, Africa 50, Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), Africa Trade Insurance Agency (ATI), Trade and Development Bank (TDB) and provide reference information for financial structuring.
• When African private companies visit the Asian Non-RMCs for events such as accompanying high profile government officials during official visits, the proposed project facilitates opportunities for business matching with Asian private sectors/investors. To materialize discussion for investment, the project explains financing products and services of the Bank and Asian government/ public financial institutions for conducting surveys, implementing pilot project and/or making investment. iii Public
• Supporting investment promotion committees to facilitate participation of Asian government/ public financial institutions in the investment promotion seminars for Asian private sector in seeking opportunities of cooperation, specifically opportunities for co-financing. The expected partners in this regard are CII-Exim Bank in India, Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Export–Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM), Korea Overseas Infrastructure & Urban Development Corporation (KIND), and Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA). In addition to bilateral agencies, the project also cooperates with multilateral agencies such as United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) for interventions of their investment promotion.
• When deemed necessary, participating in individual consultation meetings between a member country of investment promotion committees/ ADCs and Asian Private Corporation for discussing investment opportunities in Africa in detail. The proposed project facilitates the efficient discussion on possibility of utilizing the Bank’s financial products and services. When there is prospective discussion for the Bank’s NSOs, the project facilitates the Bank’s involvement in discussion for NSO projects identification/ formulation as to be mentioned in the Component 3

Major Tasks of the Consultant

• The overall objective of the consultancy is to support to implement the project. Out of the project components as mentioned above, the consultant takes a responsibility for duties related with the Bank’s NSO projects identification/ formulation.

Specifically, with guidance of Head of PEXT and the Task Manager of the TA Project, the consultant implements following works:

• Reviewing identification, preparation and appraisal process of the Bank’s NSO projects - Review the process and necessity works during the phases of identification, preparation and appraisal process of the Bank’s NSO project. Specifically, the consultant is to have full understanding in the following aspects;
• Identification Phase
  • Eligibility criteria of the Bank’s NSO project o Application documents required for applying the Bank’s NSOs (i.e. documents needed for the Bank in assessing the eligibility of a project for investment) o Bank’s internal process for early stage review and necessary documents including PEN (Preliminary Explanation Note)
• Preparation and Appraisal Phase
  • Bank’s internal process for preliminary analysis, project appraisal, board meeting, financial conclusion and first disbursement o Required internal documents and their contents such as Project Concept Note, Summary Credit Note, Additionality and Development Outcome Methodology Report, and Project Appraisal Report
• For understanding the process and documentation, support relevant Project Appraisal Team and/or Task Manager of NSO projects, especially those projects involving Asian private corporations, for project preparation and appraisal - Review non-sovereign projects intervened AfDB and Asian government/ public financial institutions, especially those projects with participation by Asian private corporations

Key Qualifications

• Minimum a Master’s Degree in Economics, Engineering, International Relations, or any other relevant subjects
• Professional experience of financing infrastructure investment project, such as power, transportation and water and sanitation
• Knowledge of financial products of MDBs for non-sovereign operations such as debt financing, equity, and guarantee.
• Knowledge of AfDB’s financial products and services are strong advantages.
• Minimum 8 years of working experience in collaboration with government/ public financial institutions, such as India Exim Bank, JBIC, JICA, KEXIM, etc. Professional experience in financing operation in such institutions is a strong asset
• Professional experience in portfolio management of investment and technical assistance projects in public institutions is a strong asset - Additional working experience in private sector is a strong asset
• Working experience in developing countries, particularly in Africa, is a strong asset.
• Excellent inter-personal and communication skills.
• Fluency in English or French, with working knowledge of the other language. - Practical skills for handling Chinese, Japanese or Korean.
• Willingness to travel extensively and geographic flexibility

Duration and Location of the Assignment:

• The duration of this consultancy will be 12 months from 1st, March 2023. vi Public The Consultant will work at the Bank’s Asia External Representation Office (PEXT) in Tokyo, Japan, unless otherwise requested by the Head of PEXT.

Reporting Requirements:

• The assignment shall be conducted under the overall direction and supervision of the Head of PEXT and the Task Manager of the TA Project.
• The consultant report to the Task Manager to obtain proper guidance and work in close cooperation with the Task Manager and the team.
• The Consultant supports to draft following documents: - Project inception report - Quarterly progress report for every three month - Mid-term evaluation report - Project completion report

Travels:

• The consultant could have opportunities of business trip to the Asian Non-RMCs and Africa such as Cote d’Ivoire (the location of headquarters of AfDB)

Transparency and compliance with the policy of the Bank:

• The result of the selection among shortlisted candidates including the names and the proposed remunerations will be publicly open through the AfDB website for assuring the transparency of the selection.
• The selected consultant shall comply with the policy of the Bank.

Leave:

• The leave day(s) for the Consultant follows the Bank’s manual of hiring consultant. However in order to make the office work more accommodative, the Head of PEXT may authorize practical ways of distribution of the leave days which should be originally utilized only after the six months of services.
• Also the Head of PEXT will oversee and authorize any situation which needs special attention within his mandate and authority.

Duration and Location of the Assignment:

• Twelve months between the contract period. The Consultant will work at the Bank’s Asia External Representation Office in Tokyo, Japan, unless otherwise requested by the Head of PEXT.

Remuneration

• Remuneration of the Specialist will depend on the specialist’s experience in accordance with the Bank’s procurement guidelines.
• A candidate will be responsible for obtaining personal health insurance at his or her own cost.
• The coverage should include all medical expenses, including those resulting from illness or injury incurred during the duration of the assignment.

Application Closing Date
8th February, 2023, 12:00 local time in Tokyo, Japan.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Curriculum Vitae by email to Naoshige KINOSHITA: [email protected]

Click here for more information

Click here for the Job Description (PDF)

Establishment of the Shortlist
A shortlist of three to six individual consultants will be established at the end the request of expressions of interest. The consultants on the shortlist will be judged on the following criteria on the basis of their profile.

• General qualifications and adequacy for the assignment to be undertaken - 30%
• Similar experience in the area of expertise of the assignment and demonstrated - 55%
• Experience with MDBs or other similar public institutions - 5%
• Language proficiency - 5%
• Knowledge of the region - 5%

Note

• This opportunity is limited to citizens of the Bank’s member countries.
• Registration in the Bank’s DACON system is encouraged (go to https://econsultant.afdb.org/sap/bc/webdynpro/sap/zdac_wd_login_page?SAP-language=EN#) and registered applicants are requested to provide their DACON number with their expression of interest.
• Establishment of the short list: A shortlist of three to six individual consultants will be established at the end the request of expressions of interest.
• The consultants on the shortlist will be judged on the Establishment of the Shortlist requirement above.
• There is a possibility that the consultant will be instructed to work under the Work from Home (WFH) regulations and guidelines in AfDB and Return-to-Office Plan of the PEXT during the COVID-19 pandemic period.