Consultant to Facilitate Act.3.1.2 - Build Local Authorities' Resource Management Capacity at Mercy Corps Nigeria

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action - helping people triumph over adversity and build strong communities from within. Now, and for the future.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Consultant to Facilitate Act.3.1.2 - Build Local Authorities’ Resource Management Capacity (Study Visit on Environmental & Forest Conservation and Management Training)

Location: Lagos
Employment Type: Contract

Background

• Mercy Corps has been present in Nigeria since 2012, focusing its interventions on humanitarian assistance, economic recovery and development, and conflict mitigation and peacebuilding. Considering the protracted conflicts between farmer and herder communities in Taraba and Adamawa State, Nigeria, competing claims to land, water, and other natural resources are at the root of these growing tensions. Indeed, pressure on natural resources has increased due to demographic growth, expanding human settlements, privatization of land, year-round farming practices, environmental degradation, and climate change.
• In many instances, traditional conflict resolution mechanisms that play significant roles in mitigating these resource-based conflicts locally have become overwhelmed. Besides, communities’ low levels of trust in authorities due to widespread inaction, impunity and perceived biases or reactive institutional responses by the government to shared natural resource conflicts complicate the tensions further.
• Through funding from the EU, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Search for Common Ground (Search), and Mercy Corps have designed a comprehensive and integrated program that builds on the comparative strengths of each organization to contribute to the mitigation of conflicts over natural resources between farmer and herder communities, COMITAS.
• This program is developed around 4 interconnected objectives: strengthen traditional conflict resolution; improve trust in authorities; enhance collaboration on natural resource management and; improve intra and inter-communal perceptions.
• Mercy Corps is leading the implementation of objective 3, which focuses on enhancing collaboration on natural resource management.
• Mercy Corps aims to build the capacity of local government authorities in natural resource management (NRM) to facilitate their collaboration with communities towards sustaining concrete natural resource initiatives that communities will develop.
• The collaborations that the program enables between communities and local authorities will improve communities’ trust and confidence in government, promote collaborative natural resource management and governance, and enhance livelihoods.
• Also, these collaborations will facilitate behavioural and attitudinal changes around access, use, and management of shared natural resources and improve social cohesion and conflict management between farmer and herder communities.

Objectives of the Consultancy

• Mercy Corps will organize a study visit for both Natural Resource Management Committee (NRMC) members and local authorities to gain insight into the practical application of sustainable resource management.
• This activity includes exposing participants to best practices around implementing collaborative natural resource conservation actions that increase the availability and accessibility of land and water resources for farmer and herder communities.
• The study visit will focus on, but not be limited to, modules around environmental & forest conservation and management-related topics: biodiversity, deforestation and afforestation, sustainable forest management, forest conservation, environmental protection, and forest farming and sustainable development.

Scope of Services and Deliverables
The consultant (s) shall undertake, but not be limited to, the following activities as the scope of this consultancy:

• Review the training needs of selected participants, as stated above, through consultation with the Mercy Corps program team.
• Act as the technical lead to assist Mercy Corps in developing the content of the study tour and other post-activity action plans to promote the collaborative use of resources, particularly around forest and environmental management.
• Develop and submit a detailed curriculum and outline for an on-site study tour.
• Submit a detailed budget, proposal and work-plan and CV for the services that will be proposed under this consultancy.
• Facilitate two (2) days capacity building workshops and study field visits of 1 day in Lagos.
• Make all related preparations for the on-site field study tours and act as the intermediary between the Mercy Corps and the service provider.
• Collaborate with the program’s monitoring and evaluation team to design and perform individual pre- and post-surveys/assessments to measure knowledge acquired and the quality of the services provided.
• Facilitate onsite field tours to gain practical insights and best practices that can demonstrate collaboration between farmers and herders around natural resource use. The cost of this study field visit shall be included in the proposal.
• Provide technical guidance in the design of action plans and facilitate the compilation of the final plans developed by participants.
• Produce a final report for the study tour, indicating observations, participants’ learning, and areas for consideration in the program’s approach to implementing natural resource management initiatives on forest and environmental conservation and management.

Total Level of Effort:
Study visit - 6 days:

Ethics, Standard & Quality Control:
The selected training institute/ consulting firm should comply with the following ethics & standards to ensure the quality control of the study visit programs:

• Study, rationalize & finalize the draft course module before starting the training programs.
• Engagement of experts in different fields for training programs must have a minimum bachelor's degree, and in the selection process, consider a degree or above with at least 5 (five) years of practical experience with comprehensive intellectual and professional knowledge and be a trainer on related fields.
• Acquainted with different content, situations, and problems.
• Acquainted with various laws and policies of Nigeria and an in-depth understanding of the water sector, natural resource management, and its implications on policy that affects farmer and herder relations.
• Have the capacity to conduct training independently.
• Selection of supporting institutes with all necessary resources/ supporting facilities to be done.
• Selection of venues/spots with practical demonstrations to be done.
• Design and develop training manuals with the highest standards and user-friendly language.
• Interpretation in the Hausa/Fulfulde language during workshop and field visit
• Provision of the training materials with the best standard.
• Establishing a certification system.

Mercy Corps, Responsibilities:

• Mercy Corps will make provision for all needs as it relates to hall, refreshment accommodation and logistics and per diem for all the participants and consultant.
• Mercy Corps will provide workshop materials.

Reporting:

• The Consultant will report directly to the Natural Resources Management Advisor of the COMITAS program.

Requirements

• At least 4 years experience in facilitating environmental and forest conservation and management trainings/workshops.
• Fluency in English and Hausa.

Application Closing Date
30th March, 2024.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should send their documents to: [email protected] using “RFQ 034_Consultant to Facilitate Activity 3.1.2” as the subject of the email.

Documents

• Technical proposal
• Budget proposal.
• Work plan and CV for the services that will be proposed under this consultancy.