8TH FLOOR, AMAGA BUILDING, RAS LULSEGED STREET, ADDIS ABABA

Request for Proposal (RFP) – Blended Finance Advisor

A) About FSSP Ethiopia – WUSC

The Field Support Services Project (FSSP) in Ethiopia is a project of Global Affairs Canada (GAC) managed by the World University Service of Canada (WUSC). WUSC is a leading Canadian international development organization whose mission is to foster human development and global understanding through education and training. WUSC works with and through its southern partners – government, civil society, and the private sector – to strengthen education systems, expand employment opportunities, and foster an environment in which the aspirations and full participation of young people can be realized. Incorporated in 1957 as a non-profit organization, WUSC now operates around the world with offices in 12 countries. WUSC is governed by a Board of Directors selected annually at its Annual Assembly from amongst its youth and institutional membership. WUSC adheres to the highest ethics and standards in international development. Its Board of Directors and a group of peers regularly review WUSC’s compliance with the Canadian Council for International Cooperation Code of Ethics and Operational Standards.

The FSSP is responsible for the provision of a range of technical and logistical services. Provision of these services help support effectiveness, efficiency, quality, and relevance of Canada’s support in responding to Ethiopia’s development challenges. Canada aligned its development programming to Ethiopia’s development needs as outlined in the Country’s Ten-Year Development Plan as well as GAC’s development policies and priorities. The FSSP actively supports GAC’s development commitments in Ethiopia and assists in reaching quality results. The project also provides specific Ethiopian knowledge and expertise that offers GAC insights and appreciation for local development issues to inform the design of impactful and comprehensive development strategies. The FSSP also provides administrative and logistical services to support GAC’s project delivery and oversight. The FSSP is aligned with GAC’s policy on aid effectiveness which is a policy aimed at delivering aid in a way that maximizes its impact on development. To this end, the FSSP Ethiopia supports key elements of GAC’s commitment to aid effectiveness, including efficiency, alignment, and risk management.

FSSP Ethiopia would like to recruit competent consultant for a Blended Finance Advisor position.

B) Application Instructions and Conditions

Interested candidates should submit:

• A sample of original work written about related topics in English, CV and at least three work related referees
• The candidate’s CV should clearly state technical qualifications, expertise, skills and relevant experience. The candidate must provide complete details on where, when, and how the stated qualifications/experience were obtained (via which activities/responsibilities). To demonstrate when experience was obtained, the candidate must specify the length of such experience, including the start and end dates (month and year at a minimum).
• A financial proposal stating the expected all-inclusive daily fee with details supporting an established daily rate.

Submit Proposals by email to: fssp.ethiopia@wusc.ca

Subject line to read: Blended Finance Advisor

C) DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION: May 03, 2023

Late submitted proposals will not be accepted. Only short-listed applicants will be contacted.

D) Eligibility criteria for applicants:

The consultant must be legally and operationally in a position to contract and provide consulting services in Ethiopia. International applicants are welcome to apply; support can be provided to fulfill all requirements to work in Ethiopia.

E) Additional: FSSP Ethiopia – WUSC is an equal opportunity employer.

F) Evaluation of the Proposals:

Assessment of applications: The candidate’s cover letter, CV and interview will be accorded a weighting of 70% of the total score, while the financial proposal will account for 30%.

G) Place of work: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

H) Number of consultant required: One

TERMS OF REFERENCE

CONSULTANCY

These terms of reference set out the duties and responsibilities of the Consultant.

 Background

Since the late 1990s, Ethiopia has been attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to support its development aspirations with some success. Ethiopia’s opening to global trade and investment through its Homegrown Economic Reforms, large population, abundance of fertile agricultural land, and budding manufacturing and services sectors represent a significant opportunity for profit-oriented investors. However, despite this opportunity, FDI flows to Ethiopia have stagnated since 2016, with conflict, political uncertainty, and macro-fiscal instability hampering investor appetite. To bolster investors’ risk-return ratios and leverage additional IFI/private capital, the Government of Ethiopia (GoE) aims to encourage donors, through policy and administrative reform, to scale up resource inflows by introducing blended finance investments.

As an important complement to traditional development financing, many countries are utilizing blended finance as an integral part of their effort to enhance the state of their infrastructure, reduce poverty and adapt to climate change. According to the Convergence database, Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has witnessed 216 Blended finance transactions in 2020, with a total value of 45 billion USD. While Kenya (32), Uganda (22%), and Tanzania (22%) took the lion’s share of these assets, Niger (21%), Ghana (19%) and Nigeria (19%) have also received significant investment. Overall, Blended finance transactions in SSA have smaller ticket sizes than blended finance deals with exposure to other geographies, demonstrating the greater risk these investments present, reported difficulties deploying large amounts of capital into the continent, and absence of a large pipeline of investments.

As Ethiopia embarks on an ambitious reform agenda, Canada proposes to partner with the GoE to identify the policy and bureaucratic hurdles preventing the flow of blended finance investments, which can help unlock the potential of private capital to catalyze growth.

Objective

The Embassy of Canada and Ethiopia’s Ministry of Finance are partnering to develop the blended finance environment in Ethiopia, with the goal of enabling and promoting the use of concessional donor capital to catalyze additional investment into Ethiopia. FSSP Ethiopia is looking to recruit a qualified and competent Blended finance Advisor on a full-time basis for 9.5 months for a total of estimated up to 160 days to work with the Ministry of Finance to undertake ongoing analysis and reporting on the challenges and opportunities of blended finance and foreign direct investment in Ethiopia.

SCOPE OF WORK

The scope of the consultancy assignment will include, but is not limited to, the following:

• The individual hired will work with various relevant Government of Ethiopia Ministries, State-owned Enterprises, commissions, and agencies (like the National Bank of Ethiopia and Ethiopia Investment Commission) to identify key policy/regulatory challenges preventing the flow of foreign direct investment/blended finance and work toward their resolution.
• Working with the Government of Ethiopia, international organizations, and other donors, the individual will assess the challenges and opportunities of blended finance transactions in various sectors, with a focus on priority sectors to be articulated by the Embassy of Canada.
• The individual will work with the Embassy of Canada and the Ministry of Finance to create awareness among key public and private stakeholders on blended finance. The individual will assist in reviewing Ethiopia-specific training documentation for public and private stakeholders and feed into reports and other products on blended finance leading practices, risk management, impact monitoring and measurement and structuring blended finance transactions.
• The individual will contribute to the creation of a white paper containing policy recommendations and a framework for a pilot blended finance initiative and support the Ministry of Finance, international organizations, and other donors in their implementation of the white paper/framework.

The white paper will:

• Outline the policy/regulatory changes required in Ethiopia to enable the deployment of domestic and international sources of capital using various instruments (debt, equity, guarantees) through a blended finance investment vehicle in priority sectors.
• Situate the analysis in existing blended finance/impact investing ecosystem work already done in East Africa through a literature review.
• Build the evidence base on blended finance in Ethiopia, outlining challenges and opportunities blended finance/FDI in priority sectors.
• Include stakeholder analysis and mapping, identifying key players in GoE, local private sector, donors, TA providers, and investors.
• Suggest governance structures and sustainability for future potential blended finance initiatives.
• Outline potential partnerships that could compliment this work, including existing innovative finance mechanisms, possible fund managers and sources of concessional and non-concessional capital providers.
• Describe potential government oversight mechanisms, including M&E systems and donor coordination structures (e.g., DPG).
• Present an impact management and measurement approach based on best practices developed by industry leaders (e.g. GIIN/IRIS, IMP, GALI, OECD, and IFC).
• Conduct comparative analyses substantiating all recommendations and pilot initiatives with case studies of other countries.

Deliverables for this work include, but are not limited to:

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES AND EXPERIENCE

• Minimum 5 years of demonstrated professional experience in working in the financial sector with an in-depth understanding of financial systems, products, infrastructure, and social impact programs.
• Advanced degree in Finance, Economics or a related field, or a master’s in business administration
• Relevant and demonstrable work experience in implementing financial/private sector development programs
• Knowledge and experience in Blended Finance is an advantage
• Knowledge and experience in national laws and policies of Ethiopia or similar contexts as well as a demonstrable track-record in terms of working with government ministries and agencies.
• Relevant and demonstrable experience providing recommendations and advice to various stakeholders in Ethiopia or similar contexts on financial/private sector development
• Experience providing analysis, advice and drafting analytical reports, briefing materials, and communication materials for diverse audiences
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English
• oral and written communication skills in Amharic is an advantage
• Proven ability to synthesize various sources of information and present written reports
• Capacity to work both independently and as a team and deliver quality products under tight deadlines

 Level of Effort 

The Contractor shall provide an estimated Level of Effort (LoE) of up to 160 days (full time, for 9.5 months) from the effective date of the contract to March 1^st, 2024.