Consultant Fragility and Resilience Expert, West Africa - RDTS (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.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Expressions of Interest: Consultant Fragility and Resilience Expert for West Africa - RDTS

Location: Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
Consultant type: Individual Consultant
Job family: Other
Department issuing the request: Transition States Coordination Office (RDTS)
Duration of the assignment: Six (6) months full time (renewable based on budget and performance)
Tentative Date of commencement: 15 April 2023

Introduction / Background

• The African Development Bank (the Bank) is a leading development institution on the continent, focused on promoting economic development and poverty reduction. It engages with the full range and complexity of development challenges in Africa.
• The Bank has integrated operations, lending directly to the public and private sectors through a variety of instruments, including the Transition Support Facility (TSF). It also provides advisory services to Regional Member Countries (RMCs) and Regional Economic Communities (RECs).
• The Transition States Coordination Office (RDTS) leads the Bank Group’s work on addressing fragility and building resilience in Africa.
• As such, it is responsible for the oversight and coordination of the operationalization of the Bank’s 2022-26 Strategy for Addressing Fragility and Building Resilience in Africa. The mandate of RDTS is to place the Bank at the center of Africa’s efforts to address fragility and pave the way for a more resilient and inclusive development trajectory.
• To achieve its mandate, RDTS leverages expertise from its pool of Fragility and Resilience experts and consultants posted in Headquarters, as well as in the various Regional Hubs and Country Offices.

Brief Description of the Assignment

• The consultant will support the operationalization of the Bank’s 2022-26 Strategy for addressing fragility and building resilience, in the context of the West African region. The incumbent is expected to: (i) undertake fragility-related analytical and knowledge work in/on the regions; (ii) mainstream the analytical findings into the Bank’s operations, strategies, and policies in/on West Africa; (iii) facilitate dialogue at the national and regional levels to identify operational entry points for building resilience in West Africa; (iv) support capacity building on fragility issues for people, communities, and institutions in the region; (v) contribute to partnerships and resource mobilization initiatives in the context of West Africa; and (vi) support the management of the Transition Support Facility (TSF) in the context of the Bank’s pipeline and portfolio in West Africa.  

Objectives

• To continuously engage and deliver on its mandate in West Africa, RDTS is inviting individual consultants to express their interest in supporting the Bank’s work on fragility and resilience at both national and regional levels, with a focus on promoting sustainable, resilient, and inclusive development in West Africa.

Activities and Deliverables
In the context of the West African region, the Consultant is expected to:

• Undertake fragility assessments and contribute to various knowledge products, including Full-Fledged Fragility Assessments, Country Resilience and Fragility Assessments (CRFAs), Economic Sector Work, policy briefs, and research papers to inform the implementation of the Bank’s commitments and action plan for addressing fragility and building resilience in Africa.
• Apply a fragility lens by mainstreaming context-specific fragility considerations into the Bank’s operations, strategies, and policies. This involves being part of project teams, participating in various missions (identification, preparation, appraisal, supervision, completion, etc.), conducting fragility analyses, and providing expert input to key programming deliverables.
• Facilitate dialogue at national and regional levels to identify entry points that can sustainably address the drivers of fragility, build resilience, and strengthen social cohesion within and across borders. This should be informed by the findings of fragility-related analytical work and other Bank knowledge products.
• Support capacity building on fragility issues for individuals, communities, and institutions, to enhance their preparedness and readiness to manage political, economic, social, and environmental pressures and challenges that increase vulnerability.
• Contribute to partnership building and resource mobilization efforts to enhance aid effectiveness and harmonized engagement in fragile situations, especially in insecure environments, by promoting humanitarian-development-peace nexus approaches.
• Support the management of the Transition Support Facility (TSF) pipeline and portfolio of operations and contribute to the operationalization of the TSF programmatic approach, including the implementation of call-for-proposals for thematic and results-based investments and targeted capacity building programs.
• Perform any other related duties as the business need arises.

Administration / Reporting:

• The Consultant will work under the oversight of the RDTS Coordinator for West Africa. She/he will report to RDTS Management.

Qualifications and Experience Required

• The Consultant, a national of one of the Bank’s member countries, is required to have the following qualifications and experience:
• A Master’s degree or equivalent in fields such as Economics, Political Science, Social Sciences, International Relations, or a related discipline.
• At least five years of relevant work experience in areas such as economic research, peace and state building, social cohesion, public-private dialogue, and management consulting. Strong experience in developing and delivering programs in fragility is also required, including assessments, modelling, sensitivity analysis, and applications.
• Demonstrable experience as a Fragility and Resilience expert in the West African region.
• Experience working with the bank or other international donors.
• Fluency in English and/or French, with a good working knowledge of either language, as well as strong written and oral communication skills.
• A good understanding of the social, political, and cultural context of the West African region.

Remuneration
The Consultant will receive a monthly lump sum, based on their financial offer and in compliance with the African Development Bank’s Guidelines on Individual Consultants Remuneration. The Consultant is responsible for his/her own health insurance and accommodation costs. The Bank will cover full costs of any required trip/missions if needed and provide per-diem in accordance with rules governing consultant mission travel.

Application Closing Date
22nd March, 2023. at 01H00 P.M. Abidjan Time