Selection of an individual consultant on Guidelines on Poverty Measurement (300 * 100)

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

(CONSULTING SERVICES – INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT)

Country: Eastern Africa Region

Name of Project: Eastern Africa Regional Statistics Program for Results

Grant No: P176371

Assignment Title: Consulting Service for the Development of Guidelines on Poverty Measurement in Africa

Reference No. TN-STATAFRIC - AUC-339260-CS-INDV

The African Union Commission has received financing from the World Bank toward the cost of the Eastern Africa Regional Statistics Program for Results, and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting services.

The consulting services (“the Services”) include Consulting Service for the Development of Guidelines on Poverty Measurement in Africa. This assignment will focus on developing a set of guidelines for Poverty Measurement starting with an assessment of the status of the production of poverty measurement tools within AU Member States. The specific tasks include:

• Desk research assessment of the status of the production of poverty measurement tools within the AU Member States;
• Development of a set of guidelines to facilitate Poverty Measurement within the AU Member States;
• Listing of both international and continental best practices related to the production of Poverty Measurement tools and methodologies.
• Recommendation of tools to strengthen the coordination, collaboration, data sharing, and communication of Poverty Measurement tools at national, regional, continental, and international levels;
• Drafting a suggested roadmap for the implementation of these guidelines.
• Presentation of the developed set of guidelines to AU Member states and relevant stakeholders when needed.

The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment are attached to this request for expressions of interest.

The African Union Commission now invites eligible individuals (“Consultants”) 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:

The consultant must have at least a master’s degree in statistics, econometrics, or a related field with at least 20 years of professional experience. Other proficiencies include:

• Profound experience in economic statistics with a focus on Poverty Measurement and Indicators preferred;
• Demonstrated effective, oral, and written communication skills;
• Excellent analytical and quantitative skills;
• Teamwork: the ability to work in a multicultural environment;
• Proper multitasking abilities and the ability to deliver in a timely manner;
• Excellent drafting ability, especially in the preparation of clear, concise, and understandable reports for decision-makers;
• Ability to extract, interpret and analyze data format from a variety of sources;
• Language proficiency in at least one of the AU languages (Arabic, English, French or Portuguese). 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” July 2016, revised 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 method set out in the Procurement Regulations.

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours i.e. 0900 to 1700 hours.

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form to the address below (in person, or by mail, or by e-mail) by 21 September 2023

African Union Commission,

Attn: Head of Supply Chain Management Division

Building C, 3rd Floor,

P.O Box 3243, Roosevelt Street

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Tel: +251 (0) 11 551 7700 – Ext 4305

Fax: +251 (0) 11 551 0442; +251 11-551-0430

E-mails: [email protected]

Terms of Reference

Development of Guidelines on Poverty Measurement in Africa

Reference Number: TN-STATAFRIC - AUC-339260-CS-INDV

September 2023

Introduction and Background

In January 2021, the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union adopted the Second Strategy for the Harmonization of Statistics in Africa (SHaSA II) is a continental strategy for the development of statistics in Africa for the next 10 years, and its action plan, financing plan, and resource mobilization strategy. To implement this strategy, 18 Specialized Technical Groups (STGs) were set up. The objective of these specialized technical groups is to create a framework for discussions and exchange to accelerate the production and harmonization of statistics in Africa to support the planning, monitoring, and evaluation of Agenda 2063 and Agenda 2030. These STGs discuss national practices, international standards, and methodological guides for statistical harmonization in respective fields in Africa.

One of the 18 specialized technical groups of SHaSA II is the Specialized Technical Group on Social Statistics on Demography, Migration, Health, Human Development, Social Protection, and Gender. The objective of this STG is to develop and/or adopt standards and harmonization methodologies in regard to Demography, Migration, Health, Human Development, Social Protection, and Gender Statistics. The statistical standards and methodologies adopted by the working group will serve as a key in supporting the African Union in planning, monitoring, and evaluation of the AUC’s various tools on poverty measurement in Africa. That is along with working towards the targets and objectives of both Agenda 2063 and Agenda 2030 on poverty reduction at the level of countries and regional economic communities.

This STG is working to improve the quality of poverty measurement tools in Africa and to support the national statistical offices to develop and implement harmonized poverty measurement methodologies. The STG is also working on building capacity of national statistical offices to collect and produce these measurements.

In order to support African Union Member States to strengthen their technical tools on poverty measurement, STATAFRIC is developing technical documents to serve as a starting point for the member states to report on various poverty measurements. STATAFRIC is committed to continuing its work to improve the availability, quality, and use of poverty measurement tools in Africa and believes that it is essential towards achieving more prosperous Africa.

It is also worth mentioning that, The African Union (AU) has made significant efforts to reduce poverty in Africa. These efforts include:

• Promoting economic growth: The AU has promoted economic growth through a number of initiatives, such as the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) and the Program for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA). CAADP aims to raise agricultural productivity and incomes, while PIDA aims to improve Africa's infrastructure, including roads, railways, and power grids.
• Investing in human capital: The AU has also invested in human capital, such as education and healthcare, through programs such as the Education for All (EFA) initiative and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). EFA aims to ensure that all children have access to quality education, while the MDGs aim to reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, and combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases.
• Promoting social protection: The AU has also promoted social protection programs, such as social safety nets and conditional cash transfers, to help the poor and vulnerable. Social safety nets provide financial assistance to the poor, while conditional cash transfers provide financial assistance to the poor who meet certain conditions, such as sending their children to school or getting regular medical checkups.
• Strengthening governance: The AU has also worked to strengthen governance in African countries, through programs such as the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) and the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). The APRM is a voluntary peer review process that encourages African countries to improve their governance, while NEPAD is a comprehensive development framework that aims to achieve sustainable growth and poverty reduction in Africa. These efforts have had a significant impact on poverty reduction in Africa. The number of people living on less than $1.90 a day has declined by more than half since 1990, and the rate of extreme poverty in Africa is now lower than the global average. However, there is still much work to be done, and the AU remains committed to reducing poverty in Africa.

Finally, the production of this poverty measurement guidelines document will complement the work and progress achieved by the AUC. As it is one of the most important steps to proceed with the implementation of the STG’s recommendations.

Objective of the Assignment

The Specialized Technical Group (STG) of SHaSA II on Demography, Migration, Health, Human Development, Social Protection and Gender (STG-Social) held its first meeting of 2023 from 24 to 26 June in Tangier, Morocco. The meeting was attended by representatives from 18 AU Member States as well as representatives from AUC, STATAFRIC, and Regional Economic Communities (RECs). It was also attended by representatives from the different international organizations.

The meeting was held with the overall objectives of validating the ToRs of the STG on Demography, Migration, Health, Human Development, Social Protection, and Gender; Sharing the best experiences of AU Member States on Poverty Measurement, Gender Statistics, and Migration Statistics; and finally, to exchange on the roadmap on the elaboration of AU Poverty Measurement Guidelines, AU Gender Statistics Guidelines, and AU Migration Statistics Guidelines.

One of the main recommendations of the STG is for the AUC to develop a rigorous guidelines document on poverty measurement to