Monitoring and evaluation and communication specialist - expert support

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Individual Consultant

MONITORING AND EVALUATION EXPERT

FOR THE SWIOFish3 PROJECT

• Background

The Republic of Seychelles is currently implementing the Third South West Indian Ocean Fisheries Governance and Shared Growth Project (SWIOFish3), which became effective in April 2018. The SWIOFish3 project is being implemented through a blended finance approach, primarily financed by the World Bank (IBRD) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF), combined with the investment in a Blue Bond issued by the Government of Seychelles (GoS) to private investors.

The SWIOFish3 is a 6-year fisheries project (2018-2023) which aims to support the Government in strengthening its policy and governance framework for a transition to sustainable fisheries and expansion of the fisheries value chains in Seychelles. There are four components to the project, namely:

• Component 1: Expanded sustainable-use marine protected areas;

• Component 2: Improved governance of priority fisheries;

• Component 3: Sustainable development of the blue economy and;

• Component 4: Project management and coordination.

The Blue Bond, which is worth US$ 15 million, was launched in October 2018. Its proceeds will fund activities which will contribute towards achieving the objectives of SWIOFish3 project, which are the implementation of the marine spatial planning and the Mahé Plateau fisheries management plan and the sustainable development of the country’s blue economy.

Two funds, namely the Blue Grants Fund (BGF) and the Blue Investment Fund (BIF), have been created and will be capitalized with the proceeds of the bond. The BGF will receive US$ 3 million and it will be administered by the Seychelles Conservation and Climate Adaptation Trust (SeyCCAT). It will fund eligible activities related to SWIOFish3 project component 1 and 2. As for the BIF, it will receive US$ 12 million and will extend commercial loans for investment aimed at the sustainably expanding the seafood value chains under component 3. The BIF will be administered by the Development Bank of Seychelles (DBS).

With these significant investments, monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of outcomes and results by the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) were considered core components of the project design and constitute a basis for progress reporting to the National Steering Committee and World Bank implementation support missions. This will offer opportunities for learning, improvements and lessons learnt to be shared. Altogether, this will contribute towards better project accountability and transparency.

The M&E activities will serve the needs of the project while simultaneously be part of improved knowledge and information systems for fisheries. In effect, the project aims to strengthen the M&E system for the fisheries sector, by playing an integral role in the development and capturing of information for sector performance indicators, including improved fisheries statistics on fisheries value chains and supporting the design of ecological, economic and social dashboards to support sector governance.

A dedicated Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist (MES) has been recruited within the PIU and is responsible for organizing data collection and processing, keeping track of project indicators, preparing reports, and supporting project communication.

In establishing the M&E system for the SWIOFish3 project and associated sub-projects funded by the BGF and the BIF, it has been recognized that additional support, guidance and expertise from an experienced M&E personnel would be beneficial to ensure that the project has a result-oriented, user-friendly and adaptive M&E system, with a focus on the integration of the M&E findings in the project implementation and an effective communication strategy to stimulate learning, improvement and stakeholder interest and acceptance of the project.

The Department of Blue Economy (DBE) is now recruiting a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Expert to provide guidance and support to the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) in finalizing the M&E system for the SWIOFish3 project and to develop an M&E framework for the sub-projects funded by the Blue Grants Fund (BGF) and the Blue Investment Fund (BIF)

• Objective of the assignment

The objective of the expert is to provide technical assistance and capacity building support to PIU and the project partners, SeyCCAT and DBS, with an emphasis on Monitoring and Evaluation for the effective and successful implementation of this aspect of the SWIOFish3 project.

The specific objectives of the assignment are:

• To provide technical assistance, guidance and direction related to M&E to the PIU and the project partners, SeyCCAT and DBS

• To assist in the finalization of the SWIOFish3 project M&E manual and system and the development of a framework for the sub-projects funded through BGF and BIF

• To mentor and build capacity of the MES, the PIU and other project partners, SeyCCAT and DBS, on all aspects related to M&E

• Scope of work

The consultant will undertake the following tasks:

• Build capacity by conducting an intensive training about all the elements of M&E (project cycle, log frame design, development of indicators, data collection methods and tools, analysis and reporting, data quality assessment, data management, data presentation etc.) to the MES and other project partners, SeyCCAT and DBS as well as the component managers of MFAg and MEECC.

• Review and provide technical expertise and guidance on any M&E related work, documents and processes (Project communication Plan, M&E manual, surveys etc.) and make recommendations of systems and tools required for establishing a Result-based M&E system, particularly for the continuous tracking and assessment of project progress, to promote learning, the dissemination of results and in preparation for project Mid-term review

• Mentor, support and assist the MES and project partners, SeyCCAT and DBS, MFAg and MEECC in undertaking M&E core duties, particularly related to the development of project indicators, design of data collection methodology (surveys, interviews etc.), undertaking data quality assessments and to propose best suited system for data storage and management

• Develop a simple M&E framework, encompassing generic indicators for monitoring the progress (implementation, financials, safeguards etc.) of the sub-projects funded by the BGF and the BIF. The framework should be linked to the strategic objectives of the funds that Blue Bond is supporting and underline where relevant with SDGs.

• Conduct a capacity building workshop with existing and prospective project applicants under BGF and BIF on the principles of M&E and to advocate for participatory monitoring and evaluation (PM&E)

• Provide technical backstopping and be available upon request by the PIU for any support and guidance related to M&E

• Maintain regular communication with the MES to track and understand the progress

• Key deliverables

The key deliverables for this assignment include:

• A comprehensive capacity building workshop for the MES and other project partners, SeyCCAT and DBS as well as component managers of MFAg and MEECC

• A concise PowerPoint presentation and set of documents about M&E and PM&E for SWIOFish3 and project partners

• A capacity building workshop on M&E for existing and prospective project applicants

• A simplified developed M&E framework, with generic indicator for the sub-projects funded through BGF and BIF

• A 5-year M&E implementation plan for the SWIOFish3 project, including revised M&E manual and processes

• A set of relevant M&E tools, references and literature as background information for establishing a Result Based M&E system for the SWIOFish3 project and project partners

• A final summary report collating all deliverables, a summary of technical backstopping provided and recommendations to prepare SWIOFish3 for mid-term evaluation