REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
FOR A JUNIOR CONSULTANT
AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK
Avenue Jean-Paul II, 01 B.P. 1387, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Making Finance Work for Africa (MFW4A) Partnership
Email: [email protected]
Tel: (+225) 20 26 19 32
Title of Assignment : Associate Research Officer with the MFW4A Secretariat.
Brief description of the Assignment : The Associate Research Officer will be part of the Knowledge Management Team and will report to the Knowledge Manager. S/he will be responsible for supporting research on developments in the African financial sector, providing content for the Partnership’s website (www.mfw4a.org) and suite of knowledge products and services, as well as writing briefs on selected topics as requested by the Knowledge Manager or the Partnership Coordinator.
Department issuing the request : Making Finance Work for Africa / Financial Sector Development Department (PIFD0)
Place of assignment : African Development Bank Headquarter in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Duration of the assignment : One (1) year (renewable upon successful completion of the assigned tasks).
Tentative Date of commencement : 26 October 2020
Deadline for applications : Expression of Interest must be delivered by 25 September 2020 at 17.00 local time (GMT) and mention “MFW4A Associate Research Officer”.
Applications to be submitted to : Mr. Abdelkader Benbrahim ([email protected]) cc: Mr. Guy Menan ([email protected]) and Mrs. Nawel Annabi ([email protected])
Any questions and requests for clarification may be sent to : Mr. Abdelkader Benbrahim ([email protected])
Terms of Reference for the Associate Research Officer with the Making Finance Work for Africa
- Background :
Making Finance Work for Africa (MFW4A) is a multi-donor partnership initiative that was established in 2007 by the then G8; as a platform for joint action, dissemination of ideas and coordination amongst and between donors and African financial sector stakeholders to address African financial sector development priorities. The Partnership’s mission is to be the reference platform for advocacy, knowledge sharing and cooperation on financial sector development in Africa.
MFW4A is supported by seven partners, including the African Development Bank (AfDB), the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the French Development Agency (AfD), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Commission and Afreximbank.
A Secretariat was established in 2008 to support the activities of the Partnership, and is hosted at the AfDB headquarters in Abidjan, Côte d ’Ivoire. The Secretariat is headed by a Coordinator and assisted by a team of professional and support staff. Its current strategy (2018-2020) aims to :
- Build a more inclusive partnership between development partners and the African financial sector, by fully integrating the latter at all levels including membership, governance and funding ;
- Deliver an enhanced value proposition to all its stakeholders, through innovative and effective need-based products and services; and
- Ensure the long-term financial sustainability of the Partnership and the Secretariat by expanding membership.
The MFW4A Partnership has established itself as a strong brand that is recognizable in the financial sector community. MFW4A is also recognized as a strong, independent and impartial African voice that is able to convene development partners, governments and financial sector stakeholders in dialogue and exchange ideas in an open and interactive environment.
Through the bilingual MFW4A website (www.mfw4a.org), the Partnership provides a single go-to resource for financial sector development news, information, data, and events from across the continent. The website has become a leading platform for advocacy and communication on financial sector related issues in Africa.
The following are the proposed Terms of Reference for the Associate Research Officer.
- Length of assignment and location :
The assignment will have an initial duration of one (1) year, renewable for up to three years upon successful completion of the assigned tasks and is a full-time position is located within the MFW4A Secretariat in Abidjan.
- Scope of work and responsibilities :
The Consultant will be part of the Knowledge Management team and will report to the Knowledge Manager. S/he will be responsible for supporting research on developments in the African financial sector, providing content for the Partnership’s website and suite of knowledge services, as well as writing briefs on selected topics as requested by the Knowledge Manager or the Partnership Coordinator. Specifically, his/her functions and responsibilities are :
Knowledge and Research :
- Curate and review knowledge resources for financial sector development in Africa, and identify and select relevant research, policy papers and other materials for dissemination ;
- Support and conduct background research to contribute the Partnership’s suite of knowledge products, services and advocacy work ;
- Monitor the impact of the COVID-19 on Africa’s financial sector, and provide a list of most relevant data, news and events related to the financial sector effects of COVID-19; and
- Prepare analytical notes and write periodic updates summarizing new developments and trends in Africa’s financial sector.
MFW4A’s Website and Suite of Knowledge Services :
- Regularly update featured sections of the Partnership’s website, including, but not limited to, country / thematic data, the knowledge library, news, events, the COVID-19 response portal, and the donor projects database ;
- Evaluate and propose new features for the website, in collaboration with the Knowledge Management Team and the Communications Officer ;
- Manage blog contributions, review submissions, edits and publish blog posts ;
- Identify relevant topics and solicit original content and blog posts from key experts ;
- Compile a weekly press digest on financial sector development news across Africa for distribution to Partnership members; and
- Compile a bi-weekly newsletter highlighting the most recent and relevant financial sector development knowledge for the English and French MFW4A audiences.
Conferences, Workshops, Webinars and Outreach :
- Assist with the preparation and organization of MFW4A conferences, workshops, policy dialogues, training and the MFW4A Annual General Assembly ;
- Hosts webinars using the WebEx and Zoom platforms ;
- Maintain the MFW4A contacts database and subscribers list; and
- Represent MFW4A in key national and regional events on financial sector development.
- Selection Criteria :
The Junior Consultant applying are expected to be a national of an AfDB Member Country and under 32 years of age. The following minimum qualifications and experience are expected :
- Minimum of a Master Degree in a relevant discipline, including international development, economics, finance, public policy, business administration or related field ;
- Have a minimum of two (2) years and a maximum of four (4) years of relevant experience, preferably in Africa ;
- Demonstrate a working level knowledge of English and French ;
- Excellent communication and writing skills, and be able to produce high quality reports, analytical documents and presentations with little supervision and within tight deadlines ;
- An understanding of development issues, particularly with reference to the financial sector ;
- Strong analytical skills and qualitative skills and have good control of research techniques ;
- Commitment to teamwork and contributes productively to the team’s work and output, demonstrating respect for different points of view ;
- Drive for results – Able to take personal ownership and accountability to meet deadlines and achieve agreed-upon results and has the personal organization to do so ;
- Commitment to knowledge sharing, learning and communication – Actively seeks knowledge needed to complete assignments and shares knowledge with others, communicating and presenting information in a clear and organized manner; and
- Working level knowledge of standard software (Microsoft Office), web tools (i.e. Content Management Systems, Drupal, Zoom, WebEx).
- Supervision during the Assignment :
The Consultant will formally report to the Research and Knowledge Manager.
- Renumeration :
The Junior Consultant shall be paid a total monthly lump sum, comprising fee, for the duration of the assignment and commensurate with the number of years of work experience. The Bank will cover travel and field mission costs as per its rules.
- Selection Criteria :
The selection will be based on an assessment of the curriculum vitae using the following standard criteria :
- General qualification and suitability for the assignment (30%) ;
- Experience related to the assignment (50%) ;
- Experience with international donor agencies (10%) ;
- Language capacity (5%) ;
- Experience in African countries (5%).
Note : The eligibility criteria, the establishment of a short list and the selection procedure shall be in conformity with the Bank’s Procurement Policy and Procedure for Corporate Consultants Recruitment. Please, note that interest expressed by a Consultant does not imply any obligation on the part of the Bank to include him/her in the shortlist.
Please submit a CV (max 5 pages) using the template in Annex I.
MODEL CURRICULUM VITAE – AFDB BAD PDF