REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (EOI) FOR AN INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROJECT FOR LEVERAGING INVESTMENT FOR AFRICA FROM ASIAN PRIVATE CORPORATIONS

Individual Consultancy Services for NSO Project Identification of Non-Sovereign Operation of African Development Bank

TERMS OF REFERENCES (TOR)

Title of the assignment : NSO Project Identification Consultant for Technical Assistance

Brief description of the Assignment : Assist multiple events and activities of SNAR

Place of assignment : Tokyo, Japan

Duration of the assignment : 12 months (with possibility of extension)

Tentative Date of commencement : 1st, March 2020

Deadline for applications : 25th, January 2020, 17:00 local time in Tokyo, Japan.

EOI to be submitted to : [email protected]

EOI to be submitted with : Updated own Curriculum Vitae, Proposal for Project Implementation

Any questions and requests for clarifications may be sent to : [email protected]

 

 

 

  1. Background : 

The 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 (SNAR) is the Bank’s sole representative office outside Africa, opened in Tokyo, Japan, in 2012. The SNAR’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, SNAR, together with ADCs investment promotion committees, will implement a 3 years project to initiate and originate the AfDB’s projects of Non-Sovereign Operations (NSOs) from Asia. 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 will be implemented with proceeds of Fund for African Private Sector Assistance (FAPA), which is generously financially contributed by the Government of Austria and the Government of Japan.

Components of the Project :

The project components are as follows : Component1: 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 will include :

  1. Making a series of presentations for members of investment promotion committees of ADCs based in the Asian Non-RMCs. The contents of the presentations will be as follows ;
  2. The Bank’s missions and strategies such as the Bank’s Ten-Year Strategy (2013-2022), High 5s, the Bank’s Policy on Non-Sovereign Operations of 2018, the Bank’s commitments for global agenda such as climate change and Paris Agreement ;
  3. Case studies on investment projects (including both green and brown field investments) financed and/or co-financed by the Bank and/or by Asian public financial institutions.
  4. 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) ;
  5. The Bank’s available financial interventions ;
  6. the Bank’s initiatives for promoting investment (e.g. AIF and Japan-Africa Business Forum) ;
  7. 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) ;
  8. 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) ;
  9. general key information for the Bank’s intervention in NSOs such as eligibility criteria and application procedure ;
  10. the Bank’s initiatives of the private sector development in Africa ;
  11. 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) ;
  12. In addition to the presentations as mentioned above, the component will involve 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 will mainly have 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.

Component2: Reinforcing investment promotion committees’ functions towards public and private stakeholders based in the Asian Non-RMCs

Activities under component 2 include :

  1. Supporting investment promotion committees to hold business promotion seminars for Asian private sector in the Asian Non-RMCs (or in Africa). The project will take advantage of SNAR’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 ;
  2. 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 survey and TA offered by relevant authorities) for materializing the investment ;
  3. For the purpose of supplementing activities of investment promotion committees from the viewpoint of financing, the proposed project will support 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 will participate in the seminar as co-organizer or sponsor and make presentations for detailed explanation toward participants. The project will in addition, provide 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 ;
  4. When African private companies visit the Asian Non-RMCs for events such as accompanying high profile government officials during official visits, the proposed project will facilitate opportunities for business matching with Asian private sectors/investors. To materialize discussion for investment, the project will explain financing products and services of the Bank and Asian government/ public financial institutions for conducting surveys, implementing pilot project and/or making investment ;
  5. 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 will also cooperate with multilateral agencies such as United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) for interventions of their investment promotion ;
  6. 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 will facilitate 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 will facilitate the Bank’s involvement in discussion for NSO projects identification/ formulation as to be mentioned in the Component 3.

Component3: Identifying and preparing opportunities of financial intervention by financial institutions, especially the Bank and Asian public financial institutions as a leverage to crowd in investment

Activities under component 3 include :

  1. Proactively identify private sector financing opportunities and/or investment projects. The project will share such information on the potential financing opportunities with the Bank’s relevant departments and investment officers responsible for NSOs for further action ;
  2. When the project, together with the Bank’s relevant departments and investment officers responsible for NSOs, think that the proposed investment project may meet the eligibility criteria of the Bank for NSOs, the proposed Technical Assistance project will support applicants for documentation for official application of the Bank’s NSO project. If needed, the project will provide advice to the applicants to meet eligibility criteria in the following areas.
  • Description of the project (sector, location)
  • Sponsors, including financial and managerial background – Cost estimates, including foreign exchange requirements
  • Financing plan, indicating the amount of AfDB financing desired – Key technical and environmental features
  • Feasibility indicators
  • Business climate, market prospect, including proposed marketing arrangements
  • Implementation plan, including the status of required licenses, permits, certificates, etc.
  • The TA project will closely communicate with the Bank’s relevant departments and investment officers responsible for NSOs so that the prospective NSO project is in satisfactory level of the Bank’s exploratory review. If required and if deemed, necessary, after consultation with the Task Manager of the Bank, the project will provide support for the collection of information by the Task Manager during drafting of the project documents such as Preliminary Explanatory Note (PEN).
  • After the potential project satisfies the Bank’s exploratory review, the TA project will support the Bank’s relevant departments, investment officers and/or task manager to be assigned to the potential project when required and deemed necessary. Specifically, the TA project will facilitate communication with sponsors/applicants and/or co-financers who are mainly based in Asia. The TA project may also support other relevant documentations and analysis works during the preparation of the NSO projects. The indicative contents of documentation to be supported by SNAR will include, but not limited, following topics;
  • Project description such as project outline, background information of project development and application for the Bank’s financial products and services, and the Bank’s roles
  • Client/ sponsor information such as corporate profile, operational management, and financial situations of client/ sponsor in case the client/ sponsor is an Asian private corporation
  • Implementation arrangement of the project and roles/responsibilities of each stakeholder – Strategic alignment of the NSO projects with the Bank’s strategies and priorities
  • When processing NSOs, the TA project will occasionally report the progress to investment promotion committees so that they can monitor the progress. The TA project will also report lessons of the NSO project processing to investment promotion committees to enhance their investment promotion activities and to draw lessons for future engagement of Asian private sector players.
  • The project will closely coordinate with financial institutions such as EXIM Bank of India, JBIC, JICA, KEXIM, and KIND, which may potentially be interested in financing from the initial stage of project identification 16. The project will monitor those investment projects, which are identified through the TA but are not eligible under the Bank criteria (for example, Buyer’s Credit).
  • For supporting NSO project identification/preparation, the proposed TA project will work with PAIF to support the harnessing of Asian investors with AIF initiatives. The proposed TA will continuously interact with Asian investors for effectively originating transactions on the AIF Market Days. Specifically, the project will in this regard have the following activities.
  • To make general explanations and provide information resources on the Bank’s AIF initiatives toward Asian investors (such as private sector, public agencies, commercial banks, and institutional investors)
  • When receiving the AIF Roadshow mission in Asia, to support PAIF in holding roadshow event, having bilateral meetings with Asian investors and other relevant activities, together with SNAR
  • To encourage those potential Asian investors to the AIF’s Platform on the web to support their further access to investment opportunities in AIF
  • To support to list up the potential Asian investors who attend the AIF on the Market Days and support their attendance in coordination with PAIF
  • When Asian investors have opportunities to chair a boardroom discussion on the AIF Market Days, to support them for successful deal close through, for example, supporting to make presentations, to find business partners and debt/equity financer
  • In any occasion, to follow up the outcomes of discussions and activities of Asian Investors in related with AIF
  1. 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 will take a responsibility for duties related with the Bank’s NSO projects identification/ formulation. Specifically, with guidance of Director of SNAR, the consultant will implement 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 ;
  • 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) ;
  • 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
  • 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
  • Supporting to identify the possible NSO projects
  • Make and regularly update a list of potential NSO projects or idea of the project identified through the activities
  • Undertake primary reviews on potential projects whether the projects fall in the Bank’s eligibility criteria (e.g. location/incorporation  of  enterprise/project,  shareholders  of  enterprise/project,  bankability,
  • AfDB’s participations, sector)
  • Support sponsors for aggregating and submitting necessary info to the Bank (e.g. project description, cost information, financing plan, technical and environmental features, feasibility indicators, and implementation plan).
  • Communicate with Asian government/ public financial institutions for finding opportunities of co-financing and other relevant cooperation
  • Closely take communication with the Bank’s officials of NSO for efficient and effective support in eligibility criteria and application process. When deemed necessary, support to draft documents such as PEN for the Bank’s early stage review
  • Supporting to formulate and appraise the project
  • Support to collect information for project preparation and appraisal with stakeholders such as Asian private sector, government/ public financial institutions for efficient project identification/ formulation.
  • Support to draft successive documents such as Project Concept Note, Additionality and Development
  • Outcome Methodology report, or Appraisal document for to the Bank’s Task Team. Indicative responsibilities in drafting documents include, but not limited to, following aspects;
  • Project description such as project outline, background information of project development and application for the Bank’s financial products and services, and the Bank’s roles
  • Client/ sponsor information such as corporate profile, operational management, and financial situations of client/ sponsor in case the client/ sponsor is Asian private corporation
  • Implementation arrangement of the project and roles/responsibilities of each stakeholder o Strategic alignment of the NSO project with the Bank’s strategies and priorities
  • iii.If necessary, join in the task team to prepare the NSO project.
  • Capacity Building presentations for investment promotion committees of ADCs
  • Support to implement activities listed in Components 1 and 2 including, but not limited to, consultation with investment promotion committees, logistic support for workshops and seminar (procurement of event management companies and venues), and drafting presentation materials
  • Make arrangement with relevant stakeholders such as Asian private sector, government agencies and public financial institutions for effectively holding capacity development components
  • Other associated tasks for project identification and formulation
  • Analyze and summarize African regional and country context, sectoral situations (e.g. as power, transportation and water and sanitation), trends of investment for Africa and other relevant fields
  • Other associated tasks deemed necessary for effective NSO project identification and formulation
  1. 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

The consultant must be a citizen of a Member Country of the African Development Bank. : https://www.afdb.org/en/about-us/corporate-information/members

  1. Duration and Location of the Assignment :

The duration of this consultancy will be 12 months with possibility of extension depending on performance (the maximum is 36 months including the initial 12 months).

The Consultant will work at the Bank’s Asia External Representation Office in Tokyo, Japan, unless otherwise requested by the Head of SNAR.

  1. Reporting Requirements :

The assignment shall be conducted under the overall direction and supervision of the Director of SNAR. The Consultant supports to draft following documents :

  • Project inception report ;
  • Quarterly progress report for every three month ;
  • Mid-term evaluation report ;
  • Project completion report.
  1. Travels :  

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

 

  1. 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. If an international travel is required for reporting duty to SNAR in Tokyo, a round trip travel cost in economy class will be compensated.

 

  1. Transparency and compliance with the policy of the Bank :

The result of the selection among shortlisted candidates 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.