Development of an integrated Land Information and Management System for MLRG&RA

Subject: Recruitment of an Individual Consultant To Conduct assessment for an integrated land information and management system

Project:West Africa Coastal Areas Resilience Investment Project 2

Grant No.: E1400-GM

Assignment Title: Assessment for an integrated land information and management system

Reference No.: GM-CPCU-411220-CS-INDV

Background:

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, land information and land use planning are key elements. Technical assessments demonstrate that The Gambia’s current land information and management systems are not sufficient and are disconnected, and land related data is not well integrated, preventing the development and enforcement of resilient land use plans. The traceability of land documents/transactions is limited. This has resulted in conflicts due to multiple allocation of same parcels of land to different users and sometimes incompatible land uses. Therefore, the project is partnering with the Ministry of Lands, Regional Government and Religious Affairs (MLRG&RA) to seek the services of an experienced land information system consultant to assess the existing land information systems, available land data and to prepare a proposal for rolling out a comprehensive and integrated land information system in the seven administrative regions of The Gambia.

Objectives of the consultancy : The objective of this consultancy is to

• Assess all software systems that are currently used to store and/or to process land information in The Gambia;

• Propose a suitable land information and management system solution based on the findings and prepare an implementation plan and budget for an integrated land information and management system with relevant hardware and software requirements; and

• Assess paper-based land record archives to be digitized.

Experience and Qualification of Key Experts

• Master’s in information technology, Networking, Computer Programming and other related fields;

• Ten years of experience with land information and management systems and digital records management technologies, digital archive management and their application in land administration;

• Solid demonstrated experience in assessing land information and management systems and developing implementation plans for land information and management systems;

• Demonstrated skills in GIS/GPS Systems or related fields to Land Information and Management Systems will be an added advantage;

• International experience of similar assignments within three African countries (experience in the West-Africa region is considered to be an advantage) and two countries outside of Africa over the last seven years;

• Proficient English and excellent technical writing skills.

Deliverables