RAP Implementation

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

(CONSULTING SERVICES – FIRMS SELECTION)

The Gambia

Regional Solar Park of The Gambia (RSPG)- P504421

Loan No./Credit No./ Grant No.: IDA- D4080

Assignment Title: Update of the Resettlement Action Plan of the Regional Solar Park of The Gambia (RSPG)

Reference No.: GM-NAWEC-447227-CS-CQS

The Republic of The Gambia is implementing Regional Solar Park of The Gambia Project (RSPG) financed by the World Bank. National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC) is an Implementing Agency for RSPG. The main Project Development Objective is to mobilize private investments through the piloting of a sustainable solar and battery energy storage system competitive bidding process.

With the assistance of the World Bank and the ECOWAS West African Power Pool (WAPP), NAWEC has developed a Resettlement Action Plan whose cutoff date was on 05th April 2022, and the RAP was approved in March 2023 by the World Bank. That means it has been almost two years, and the RAP is still not implemented. Meanwhile, NAWEC has hired a consortium of consultants composed of EY, Mayer Brown and Imara Solar (the "Transaction Advisor") to develop an auction system in The Gambia for the selection of one or more IPPs to finance, build and operate the first phase of the Regional Solar Park (50 MWp solar with 18 MWh of BESS, (Battery Energy Storage System) the “Project”).

Contractually, the transaction support for the solar auction is divided into two phases, with the first phase focusing on the design of the auction, with the WAPP as the leading client (the “Phase 1”), and the second phase providing support for the launch and running of the auction, with the Government of The Gambia as the client (the “Phase 2”). As required by the Request for Proposal dated May 6, 2021, the Transaction Advisor had provided a technical and financial proposal both for Phase 1 and 2 selected in its offer dated July 12, 2021.

Phase 1 has been successfully completed, and in Phase 2, the Transaction Advisor will support the Client in launching a solar + BESS solar park tender until financial close of the winning bidder. That means by the time the bidder will be chosen, the two years required to update a RAP not implemented yet will be reached.

Prior to handing over the site to the IPP contractor, the RAP should be updated to ensure that the rates used reflect current value replacement rates, consult stakeholders and affected communities to make sure that they are updated on the progress of the project and the planned activities including the timeline of planned resettlement activities. After updating the RAP, it should be implemented without delay and compensate all the affected PAPs both individual and institutional PAPs.

The project is being prepared under the World Bank Groups Environmental and Social Framework (ESF). The projects private sector partners may also use the Environmental and Social Performance Standards of the private sector international financial institutions like IFC, as well as the Gambian Land Acquisition and Compensation Act (LACA).

The objective of this assignment is to assess the overall compliance of the WB ESS 5 with the resettlement process, the valuation of the affected parties’ assets, the consultation process established during the development of the RAP, the Grievance Mechanism proposed, the matrix of the valuation for the compensation, the identification of vulnerable PAPs, the proposed livelihoods restoration plans, and also identify potential gaps with the ESS5.

After the approval of this first phase, the firm will proceed with the implementation of the RAP to compensate all the PAPs prior to it being handed over to the contractor to start the physical work at the RSPG Phase 1 site.

Scope of work:

The overall responsibility of the Consultancy firm will be ensuring strict compliance of the already developed and approved RAP with the World Bank Group Environmental and Social Standards ESS5 on Land Acquisition, Restrictions on Land Use and Involuntary Resettlement guidelines and The Gambia Land Acquisition and Compensation Act. And the implementation of the RAP following its update to make sure all the affected persons are duly consulted and compensated before handing over the site to the Contractor. The Consultant will assess, revise, update, and implement the RAP:

Task 1: Implementation of mitigation measures, land acquisition and livelihood restoration of the approved RAP

Task 2: Dissemination of Information and Consultation

Task 3: Land Acquisition

Task 4: Verification

Task 5: Distribution of Identity Files

Task 6: The final RAP implementation report shall include the following: Category of household, asset lost, compensation and all types of assistance, alternate livelihood options, details of resettlement, specific training requirement for skill up gradation and institutions responsible for training.

Task 7: Disbursement of Assistance and Delivery of Entitlements

Task 8: Relocation

Task 9: Grievance Mechanism

Task 10: Coordination between PAPs and NAWEC

Task 11: Conduct Public Information Campaign

Task 12: Awareness Creation on Gender Mainstreaming and Systemic inequalities

Update of the RAP – Phase 1

• Revise the identification of all potential project affected persons and the impacts of the proposed projects on their livelihoods and recommend measures to minimize resettlement

• Revise and update the socio-economic survey to generate a more up to date baseline data for use in the description of PAPs and which will form baseline for monitoring and evaluation of land acquisition, resettlement and compensation.

• To verify compliance with the relocation and resettlement process that govern similar projects according to the ESS 5.

• To provide guidelines to stakeholders participating in the minimizing resettlement impacts of the project.

• To recommend cost effective measures to be implemented for livelihoods impacts management.

• To update the Regional Solar Park in The Gambia Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) report compliant with the World Bank Environmental and Social Standards.

• To revise and assess the public consultations conducted and verify if meaningful stakeholder engagement with all projects affected persons was properly implemented and updated where gaps are identified.

• Identification of deviations from the WB ESS5 and Land Acquisition and Compensation Act (LACA) with a view to prepare a compliance matrix

Implementation of the RAP – Phase 2

• Prepare resettlement action plan (RAP), monitoring reports, stakeholder engagement plan, implementation of the grievance system, all relevant legal documents, compensation agreements, socio-economic assessment and any relevant third-party documents

• Prepare a digital map of the site with the identification of all affected parties plots including their affected assets linked in the map database to ease the implementation of the RAP process and the verification of the real owners

• Implementation of mitigation measures, land acquisition and livelihood restoration of the approved RAP:

• The consultant will be required to mitigate the adverse effects of involuntary resettlement, while also aiming to improve their standards of living or at least restore them in real terms to pre-displacement levels or to levels prevailing prior to the beginning of project implementation, whichever is higher.

• Dissemination of Information and Consultation.

• Land Acquisition

• Verification

• Distribution of Identity Files.

• The final RAP implementation report shall include the following.

• Disbursement of Assistance and Delivery of Entitlements.

• Relocation.

• Conduct Public Information Campaign.

• Awareness Creation on Gender Mainstreaming and Systemic inequalities.

-Develop a georeferenced RAP database based on the updated socio-economic data collected on PAPs and the information on losses (land, assets, revenue, access).

-The preparation of an updated RAP report which will be validated nationally and receive non-objection from the World Bank.

• The SEA/SH channel proposed in the GRM will be duly followed up by the consultant to manage sensitive grievances and those from vulnerable groups and persons.

Duration:

The consultant will work for a maximum of 8 weeks for the update of the RAP and six months to complete the implementation of the RAP.

Deliverables and Timeline

For the RAP Update:

The expected reports should be delivered in 8 weeks and must be written in English, and the following specific reports are:

• Inception report (which will include a stakeholder engagement plan) and a review of project documentation and other relevant third-party documents and proposed site visit agenda (1 week after contract signature)

• Draft RAP update report, including additional action plan (5 weeks after return from site visit)

• Final RAP report, including supplemental action plan and (2 weeks after World Bank and NAWEC comments and observations are addressed and report updated) including the georeferenced database.

For the implementation of the RAP:

The following deliverables must be prepared and submitted in six months:

• Inception Report: The consultant shall submit to the NAWEC PIU an inception report detailing plan of action including stakeholder engagement, the team which will implement the assignment deployment, time schedule, and detailed methodology, within 21 working days of the commencement of the assignment

• The monthly and quarterly progress reports shall have to be submitted before the 10th of the following month

• Consultation record keeping: The consultant shall document in full detail, the consultation processes (including dates, time, location, persons present, efforts to ensure women and other vulnerable groups attended and participated, noting if they are community meetings or individual/one on one meeting, etc. Photos of consultations