National Consultant: Develop training content for Bootcamp and content for the Business Information Platform at UNECA – United Nations Economic Commission for Africa: (Deadline 8 April 2024)

Result of Service

This project shall have 4 main deliverables: (i) An inception report outlining consultations with the Department of Blue to agree on a list of information about Blue Economy and Circular Economy to be published on the platform, and the structure thereof, in terms of web pages, and an inception report outlining the training programme (ii) Development of all content for the website (iii) Development of all contents for the training ahead of the training (iv) Delivering the training and final report and successful launch of the website with complete content

Work Location

Home Based

Expected duration

5 months

Duties and Responsibilities

PROJECT BACKGROUND: The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Sub-Regional Office for Eastern Africa (SRO-EA) has benefited from the support of the United Nations Joint Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Fund to further the sustainable development agenda of Seychelles, by focusing on capacitating its circular economy sector. The UN Joint SDG Programme aims to service this demarche through a gender-responsive and evidence-based approach. Being a small island developing state whose land area extends over a total of 455km2, Seychelles has limited capacity to handle the solid waste generated by its population and industries. At present, it is estimated that Seychelles produces 80,000 tons of solid waste annually, out of which 90% are landfilled. The amount of waste generated is expected to increase by 50% by 2030. While the circular economy is still a new concept in the policy realm of Seychelles, pressured by this imminent environmental threat and crisis, Seychelles developed a Solid Waste Management Strategy 2020-2035. This plan emphasizes a need to practice waste sorting and segregation, develop the recycling sector, and encourage private sector investment in “critical waste management infrastructures”. All three recommendations require the critical “agency” of the private sector– either as a contributor at the bottom of the scale: as an operator, or as a driver of waste management practices. While the activities and contribution of large enterprises which operate in the circular economy in Seychelles is documented, information about micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) of the same sector is limited. Furthermore, there is no insight into the role of women in this sector. With an Exclusive Economic Zone of 1.35 million km2, Seychelles’ expansive seas also carry potential to contribute to circular symbiosis activities. The Blue Economy allows the optimization of unutilized or underutilized sea-based resources which could act as alternatives to polluting materials. In 2020, the Blue Economy contributed to only 27.4% of Seychelles’ GDP and yet 41% of its employment. An activation of Blue Economy activities will increase its contribution to national revenue, employment, as well as reduce dependence of the country on the use of other imported entrants to manufacturing processes as well as in energy production. Currently, the majority of Seychelles’ energy is generated through solid biofuels. A liberalization of the continental market under the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) will create new opportunities for MSMEs. For operators of the circular and blue economies, along with opening doors to new markets for their services and for their transformed products, the AfCFTA is also a platform to source intermediate goods/waste for transformation, and thereby develop regional value chains. It is in this spirit of an enlarged business potential in the blue economy and circular economy that UNECA is supporting the Department of Blue Economy to develop a Business Information Platform to service new domestic as well as foreign investors, and existing businesses (large and MSMEs) in the Blue Economy and Circular Economy areas in Seychelles. UNECA is furthermore complementing the initiative of UNEP by conducting a Bootcamp training of shortlisted MSMEs with interesting project proposals on circularity, to access grants from under UNEP’s Challenge Fund. Under the UN Joint SDG Programme, UNECA SRO-EA seeks to recruit a National Consultant to work with the Department of Blue Economy and UNECA, to develop: (i) the content that will be published on the Business Information Platform; and (ii) develop the training content for the bootcamp and deliver the training to shortlisted entrepreneurs of blue economy and circular economy. The aim of the consultancy is to ensure that, at the launch of Business Information Platform, the platform has all relevant contents in terms of procedures, opportunities, contacts, amongst others, for Blue Economy and Circular Economy business facilitation, development, and promotion. And also, that the candidates whose project proposals have been shortlisted to access the Challenge Fund are assisted to improve their business plans, costing, and pitches for the final round of selection. The rationale for the Bootcamp and Challenge Fund is as follows: Interested entrepreneurs will apply for access to the Challenge Fund by submitting their project proposal to the Government. A Committee will thereafter shortlist a number of eligible projects, and the leaders of these selected projects will proceed to a Bootcamp where they will be trained to improve their project proposals, and eventually pitch for a final selection to access the Challenge Fund grants. The Bootcamp will be held over 3 days in Seychelles, and will be a residential training programme. The first two days of the training will focus on improving various aspects of the project proposals. The project leaders will each deliver a 10 minutes pitch on the morning of Day 3, followed by the award ceremony on the afternoon of Day 3. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Under the general supervision of the Head of Cluster of the Sub Regional Initiative section, and the direct supervision of the Economic Affairs Officer, the successful Consultant will have the following list of duties and responsibilities: (I) Content Development for the Business Information Platform • Conduct consultations with the Department of Blue Economy to agree on a list of information about Blue Economy and Circular Economy to be published on the platform, and the structure thereof, in terms of web pages • Develop the required write ups for the different pages of the platform • Refer to official reports by UNECA, other UN Joint SDG Fund project partners, and other key stakeholders, to identify the initiatives of the Government, private sector, and civil society with regards to the circular and blue economies–including, but not limited to capturing data about the policy, legal, institutional frameworks, and financial instruments currently in place, and the key actors and instruments involved. These will inform the comprehensiveness of the Business Information Platform. • Sourcing the required official documents from national stakeholders to upload on different pages of the website (registration procedures, guideline documents, templates etc) • Assist the web developer to ensure that infographics and designs of the website adequately translate the information • Assist the web developer on ad hoc matters related to populating the Business Information Platform with the adequate information, pictures, documents, and links, until upto six months from the official launch of the Platform. • Handing over of all content and sources to an identified local officer at the end of the contract, in the form of a report. (ii) Training Development for the Bootcamp • Write an Inception Report detailing the training programme and proposed content for the Bootcamp • Develop the training programme for the Bootcamp • Develop the training contents for the entire programme, including: (i) How to improve the logical framework of the project to establish its relevance to circularity (ii) How to improve the business plan to ensure its feasibility with the proposed resources and timeframe (iii) How to plan the budget for the project (iv) How to formulate a sales/ marketing pitch • Design power point presentations for each of the above • Provide all printed documents, templates, or any other reference material that is relevant to the training • Procure any additional material required for the training which may not be provided by the bootcamp venue (whiteboards, A2 paper sheets, markers, post-it notes etc) • Deliver the training over the 3 days • Guide individual participants on improving their respective project proposals for the final pitch • Write a report of the Bootcamp • Any other related tasks as advised by the supervisor

Qualifications/special skills

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in business management, or related area is required. A first level degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent) in the specified fields with two additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. A minimum of three years of experience in project development, business management, or related field is required. The following technical competences are desirable: • Strong knowledge of Seychelles’ Blue Economy and Circular Economy sector • Proven experience in lecturing or training • Strong interpersonal skills • Knowledge of doing business costs in Seychelles

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this consultancy assignment, fluency in English is required.

Additional Information

Not available.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.