Consultancy Services for an International Land Policy Consultant — Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources (MECCNAR), The Gambia

The Republic of the Gambia

MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE AND NATURAL RESOURCES (MECCNAR)

WEST AFRICA COASTAL AREAS (WACA)

Resilience Investment Project 2

(WACA ResIP 2, P175525)

Request for Expressions of Interest for Consulting Service

Country: The Republic of The Gambia

Project Title: West Africa Coastal Areas Resilience Investment Project 2.

Grant Number: IDA-V4040

Project ID NO: P175525

Assignment Title: Recruitment of a Consultancy services for a Land Policy consultant with international experience to support the preparation of The Gambia’s National Land Policy

Procurement Method: Individual Consultant

Reference No. (as per Procurement Plan): GM-CPCU-367336-CS-INDV

The Government of The Gambia through the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources (MECCNAR) [has received/has applied for/intends to apply for] financing from the World Bank toward the cost of the West Africa Coastal Areas Resilience Investment Project 2. and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting services.

The consulting services (“the Services”) include Recruitment of a Consultancy services for a Land Policy consultant with international experience to support the preparation of The Gambia’s National Land Policy

The objective of this consultancy is to support the Ministry of Lands, Regional Government and Religious Affairs (MLRG&RA) to formulate an inclusive, gender-sensitive and climate change informed national land policy that will guide land tenure, land governance, land management, land use planning and land administration reforms in the Gambia, executing the roadmap approved by the Ministry. The National Land Policy (NLP) aims to establish an effective land tenure system that recognizes all legitimate land ownership forms and tenure rights, ensures tenure security and equitable access to land for all citizens, promote responsible, inclusive, and ecologically balanced use of land and land-based resources, that generates wealth, reduces poverty, and support climate resilience.

The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment: can be obtained at the address given below.]

The Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources (MECCNAR) now invites eligible individual consultant to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services. The shortlisting criteria are:

Minimum Qualification and Experience of Consultant as an Individual Consultant:

• Masters (PhD preferred) in public policy making and analysis, land tenure studies, land administration or a related field (e.g., law, geography, development studies, land use planning);
• Demonstrated knowledge of participatory and inclusive processes for land policy formulation;
• Solid demonstrated experience in developing land policies especially in Anglophone Africa;
• International experience of similar assignments in 5 different countries, 2 of those in African countries;
• Knowledge and application of international instruments (VGGT and F&G) to the formulation of land policies;
• Proficient English and excellent technical writing skills.
• Ability to write clear, correct, and technical English.

The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to Section III, paragraphs, 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers” November 2020) (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest.

A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Individual Consultant Selection (ICS) method set out in the Procurement Regulations.

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours 08:00 to 16:00 GMT Mondays to Thursdays and from 0800 to 12:30 GMT on Fridays.

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Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form to the address below (by email) or on hard copy on or before 24th July , 2023, to the address below clearly marked “Expression of Interest for the Recruitment of a Consultancy services for a Land Policy consultant with international experience to support the preparation of The Gambia’s National Land Policy

The Permanent Secretary

Ministry of Climate Change and Natural Resources

West Africa Coastal Areas Resilience Investment Project 2.

C/O Central Projects Coordination Unit - MECCNAR

Kairaba Avenue , GIEPA House , First Floor

The Gambia, West Africa

E-mail: [email protected] / [email protected], [email protected]

Attached :

Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources

West Africa Coastal Areas Resilience Investment Project 2 (P175525)

Terms of Reference

Consultancy services for a Land Policy consultant with international experience to support the preparation of The Gambia’s National Land Policy

• BACKGROUND INFORMATION The West Africa Coastal Areas Resilience Investment Project 2 (WACA ResIP2, P175525) seeks to strengthen the resilience of targeted communities and areas in coastal Western Africa. The WACA Program was created in response to countries’ request for solutions and finance to help protect and restore the ecological, social, and economic assets of West Africa’s coastal areas by addressing erosion and flooding.

The Gambia is highly vulnerable to climate change. Relative to the year 2000, annual mean temperatures are projected to increase between 1.7° Celsius (°C) and 2.1°C by mid-century, and between 3.1°C and 3.9°C by the end of the century. Moreover, sea level is expected to rise between 19 centimeters (cm) and 43 cm by mid-century, which will increase flooding and erosion. The country is also vulnerable to climate change from increases in temperatures and decreases in rainfall. Climate impacts affect the country’s key economic sectors such as agriculture, which is dominated by extensive rain-fed irrigation, as well as the tourism sector. Vulnerability to climate change in The Gambia is linked to the country’s widespread poverty and limited adaptive capacity to deal with the effects of such changes

The project will, inter alia, provide technical and financial support to help countries develop and operationalize the policy frameworks needed to implement Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) plans and land-use strategies, which in turn will support effective management of transboundary coastal ecosystems and Marine Spatial Planning (MSP). The project in The Gambia is implemented by the Central Project Coordination Unit (CPCU) under the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources (MECCNAR).

To improve The Gambia’s readiness to address coastal resilience challenges, there is need to address the key land tenure challenges in the country and establish a new legal, institutional and technological regime for land tenure – land governance, land management, land administration and land use planning. The biggest deficiency is the absence of a land policy to provide the appropriate policy environment for addressing land tenure challenges. These challenges can be summarized as follows: many conflicts in the Gambia are land related; unrecorded, competing claims to land; absence of a coherent policy framework leading to uncoordinated approaches to dealing with land issues; overlapping institutional mandates; costly, complex and uncoordinated land registration procedures involving multiple authorities; inconsistent and inefficient land administration system; unequal land access; weak land use planning and control of urban development, environmental hazards and climate change exposure; and natural resources management and associated challenges. The project is partnering with the Ministry of Lands, Regional Government and Religious Affairs (MLRG&RA) to seek the services of an experienced land policy consultant with significant regional and international experience to support the formulation of a national land policy for The Gambia. The formulation of the land policy will be guided by the Roadmap for the Formulation of Land Policy in the Gambia, approved by MLRG&RA. The Roadmap should be considered as an integral part of this TOR.

• OBJECTIVE The objective of this consultancy is to support the Ministry of Lands, Regional Government and Religious Affairs (MLRG&RA) to formulate an inclusive, gender-sensitive and climate change informed national land policy that will guide land tenure, land governance, land management, land use planning and land administration reforms in the Gambia, executing the roadmap approved by the Ministry. The National Land Policy (NLP) aims to establish an effective land tenure system that recognizes all legitimate land ownership forms and tenure rights, ensures tenure security and equitable access to land for all citizens, promote responsible, inclusive, and ecologically balanced use of land and land-based resources, that generates wealth, reduces poverty, and support climate resilience.

• SCOPE OF WORK The consultant shall work closely with the National Land Policy (NLP) Lead Coordinator and the Ministry of Lands, Regional Government and Religious Affairs (MRG&RA) and its technical line departments (Department of Lands and Surveys (DLS) and the Department of Physical Planning and Housing (DPPH)) and key stakeholders identified in the Roadmap for the Land Policy formulation, and using participatory processes, support the development of a National Land Policy that will provide the framework for addressing the key land tenure challenges in the country – legal, institutional, technological and financial. The formulation of the National Land Policy will also be guided by international instruments such as the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT) (CFS and FAO, 2012) and the Framework and Guidelines on Land Policy in Africa (F&G) (AUC-AfDB-ECA, 2009). In