International Consultant - Development of Education Sector Wide Approach Framework and Financing Arrangement at United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF)

United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: International Consultant - Development of Education Sector Wide Approach Framework and Financing Arrangement

Job no: 585168
Locations: Abuja (FCT)
Contract type: Consultant
Duration: 5 Months
Level: Consultancy
Categories: Education

Background

• Nigeria is home to approximately 206 million people, 43 per cent of whom are below 14 years of age. By 2030, there will be close to 126 million children in Nigeria. The growing child population places significant pressure on the provision of schooling and the delivery of education services.
• Despite the progress made in the past years, 10.2 million children of primary school age and 8.1 million children of junior secondary school age remain out of school.
• Due to the limited access to schooling and poor quality of education, about 75 per cent of children aged 7–14 do not develop foundational literacy and numeracy skills, which are critical building blocks for continued learning and acquisition of advanced skills. Insecurities such as armed conflicts and natural hazards in North East and North West of Nigeria poses additional challenges in securing and expanding access to quality, inclusive education for children in Nigeria.
• The Federal Ministry of Education is committed to reforming the education landscape in Nigeria so as to improve delivery and accountability. This commitment has been demonstrated in the Nigeria Education Renewal Initiative (NESRI) that was launched by the Honorable Minister of Education in November 2024.
• The NESRI has six priority areas namely Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Medical Science, Technical Vocational, and Education Training, Education Quality Assurance, Out of School Children, Data and Digitization, and Girl Child education.

How can you make a difference? 
Purpose of Assignment:

• To ensure effective delivery of Education among agencies, departments and development partners, the Honourable Minister has called for review of the coordination mechanisms in the sector with the intent of establishing an Education Sector Wide Approach (E-SWAP).
• The establishment of the ESWAP will move Nigeria closer to realizing the vision of the 2005 Paris Declaration on Aid Effectives. The Paris Declaration is anchored on five fundamental principles for effective aid:
  • Ownership: Recipient countries should own their development strategies.
  • Alignment: Donor aid should align with the recipient's objectives and systems.
  • Harmonization: Donor actions should be coordinated to avoid duplication.
  • Managing for Results: Focus on results and outcomes rather than processes.

Deliverables:

• Inception report including methodology and timeline for the assignment

Outputs:

• Inception report, with methodology and work plan.

Deliverables:

• Conduct a desk review of the sector wide approaches in the education or health in Nigeria or sub-Saharan region, documenting best practices

Outputs:

• Report of desk review of SWAP in in Nigeria or sub-Saharan region- best practices and recommendations for Nigeria

Deliverables:

• Draft an ESWAP framework for Nigeria, including the following, ESWAP governance and financing mechanism.

Output:

• Draft ESWAP framework for Nigeria- incorporating governance, financing, monitoring and reporting.

Deliverables:

• Facilitate stakeholder consultation on the draft ESWAP framework for Nigeria

Output:

• Report of the stakeholder consultation meeting

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

• Advanced university degree in Education Development, Education Policy, Teacher Training, International Relations, or related field.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in supporting multi-stakeholder education sector coordination.
• At least five years of experience in supporting government in developing, implementing and evaluation education sector plans
• Experience working with UN agencies or other international development agencies.
• Demonstrated strong working knowledge and experience in current global issues and best practices in Education.
• Experience in supporting education sector development and coordination in emergency context.
• Experience in working with UNICEF or international organizations.
• Experience in working in Nigeria or other sub-Saharan African countries

Application Closing Date
27th October, 2025; 11:55 PM West Central Africa Standard Time.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online