Call for Application – Needs Assessment Study for the Technical Assistance Component -Joint SDG Fund (Harare, Zimbabwe) Full Time

Grade : Consultancy

Parent Sector : Natural Sciences Sector (SC)

Duty Station: Harare

Job Family: Natural Sciences

Type of contract : Non Staff

Duration of contract : From 1 to 6 months

Recruitment open to : External candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 4-APRIL-2023

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

CALL FOR APPLICATION

Needs Assessment Study for the Technical Assistance Component of the Joint Sustainable Developement Goal Fund Programme Implementation in Zimbabwe

ONLY NATIONALS OF ZIMBABWE ARE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR THIS CALL

1. PROJECT BACKGROUND

Currently, Zimbabwe is facing an acute energy access gap, whereby access to electricity in rural areas is as low as 28%. This has negatively impacted industrial productivity and other key services including education and healthcare. The utilization of clean and renewable energy is very low compared to traditional sources of energy, which represent a huge source of greenhouse gas emissions. The potential for Renewable Energy (RE) to fill the energy gap in Zimbabwe is tremendous. Therefore, RE systems could be harnessed to transform livelihoods through the establishment of SMEs and product value-addition while also providing lighting and clean water for rural service centers, schools, homes and clinics. The gap in accessing clean energy is gender-differentiated, where women and youth disproportionately bear the burden of energy poverty. They also represent the majority of the agricultural labour force – a sector that is especially vulnerable to climate change effects including droughts and floods, which necessitates a strong focus on adaptation. These challenges are aggravated by the lack of access to long-term finance and critical skills required for the development of RE technologies in Zimbabwe. Financing required to deliver a low-emission development trajectory in Zimbabwe is in the range of $7-8 billion as outlined in Zimbabwe’s Low Emissions Development Strategy and most of this financing is anticipated to come through the private sector.

UNESCO, UNDP and UNWOMEN in partnership with the Government of Zimbabwe developed a Joint Programme (JP) in response to the Sustaiable Development Goal (SDG) Fund Call on ‘Catalysing Investments in Climate and Sustainable Energy for productive use and the Achievement of the SDGs in Zimbabwe,. The JP is the comprehensive approach towards the removal of investment barriers for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), particularly for women and youth in the Renewable Energy (RE) sector by establishing a first-of-its-kind mechanism that enables mobilization and access to funds, technical capacity building of stakeholders to have direct access to funds from the multilateral, bilateral, private sector and leveraging public finance. Furthermore, the JP will build the capacity of women and youth entrepreneurs to influence and access government-controlled financing mechanisms, with particular attention to the nexus of new technologies-social benefits-economic opportunities.

In this context, the technical team is engaging an Individual Consultant to carry out a capacity needs and gaps assessment study to assist in structuring the specific activities to be undertaken as part of the technical activities component.

2. SPECIFIC TASKS 

Under the authority of the UNESCO Regional Director and Representative, and under the overall guidance of the Participating United Nations Organizations (PUNOs) and the Government of Zimbabwe, working with key stakeholders such as Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA), and Private Financing Advisory Network (PFAN), the individual consultant is expected to:

• Identify gaps in the skills and knowledge of the workforce necessary for the renewable energy sector, including the technical and non-technical competencies required.
• Evaluate the availability and quality of training and education programs and recommend improvements or new initiatives where appropriate.
• Assess the availability and quality of supportive services (e.g. financing, project development, etc.) necessary for the development and operation of renewable energy projects.
• Analyze the capacity of relevant government agencies to support the development and implementation of renewable energy projects, and recommend policies or procedures to improve this support.
• Evaluate the institutional and governance framework in place for the renewable energy sector, including regulatory agencies, policy-making bodies, and industry associations, as it relates to technical assistance for youths and women, and recommend improvements where necessary.
• Develop a roadmap for the implementation of recommended actions, including specific timelines, responsible parties, and performance indicators.

3. DELIVERABLES 

Reports, documentation and recommendations as they relate to:
a)    Gaps in the skills and knowledge of the workforce necessary for the renewable energy sector, including the technical and non-technical competencies
b)    Evaluation of the availability and quality of training and education programs in renewable energy, specifically looking at TVET (technical and vocational education and training) and Higher Education.
c)    Assessment of the availability and quality of supportive services (e.g. financing, project development, etc.) necessary for the development and operation of renewable energy projects
d)    Analysis of the capacity of relevant government agencies to support the development and implementation of renewable energy projects, and recommend policies or procedures to improve this support.
e)    Evaluation of the institutional and governance framework in place for the renewable energy sector, including regulatory agencies, policy-making bodies, and industry associations, as it relates to technical assistance for youths and women, and recommend improvements where necessary.
f) A roadmap for the implementation of recommended actions, including timelines, responsible parties, and performance indicators.

•    Masters degree in Economics, Development, Finance, Accounting, Business Administration or related field.

•    At least 8 years experience in the finance sector, preferably with development bank, commercial bank, investment funds, micro-finance, investing in emerging or low-income markets, sustainable or impact finance, investment research, venture capital, private equity or development finance;
•    Specific experience in providing transaction advisory services to the private sector in the sustainable energy sector (specific experience in Renewable Energy would be an advantage); 
•    Specific knowledge and experience in structuring and/or providing financing to sustainable energy projects (specific experience in solar PV projects would be an advantage); 
•    Specific experience with seed funding, matching grants, working capital, debt and equity finance and guarantee funds; 
•    Specific work experience with or in collaboration with development and commercial finance institutions, commercial banks, and micro-finance institutions; 
•    Understanding of the challenges of the private sector in the Southern Africa region, particularly Zimbabwe, related to access to finance;
•    Experience in the analysis and review of investment opportunities and the investment landscape across a number of SDGs related sectors particularly Renewable Energy, Youth, Gender and Women Empowerment; 
•    Strong local/international networks: within the financial and corporate industries (private equity and pension funds, banks, non-bank financial institutions, impact funds, relevant philanthropies, development finance institutions), with relevant businesses, investment promotion agencies etc.
•    Deep knowledge of the investment landscape in Zimbabwe, and close familiarity with the needs of global investors;
•    Excellent advocacy skills relating to finance, and business climate;
•    Knowledge of the SDGs, and the United Nations and experience with the UN and or multilateral Agencies.

Please submit the following documents to vacancies.harare@unesco.org 

•    Technical Proposal demonstrating a full understanding of the TORs, approach and methodology to the task and work plan;
•    Financial proposal (All-inclusive daily fee): Interested individuals are kindly requested to submit an all-inclusive daily consultancy fee;
•    Travel: All envisaged international travel costs must be included in the financial proposal in a separate line.

Please note that all the documents below must be submitted as one PDF file.