Job Title : Call for Interest – Remittances & Inclusive Digital Finance (RIDF) Consultant, based in Senegal

ID : 16068

Location : DAKAR

Date of issue : 10/23/2023

Close Date : (Midnight, Rome Time) 11/12/2023

Organizational Unit : IFAD

Full/Part Time : Part-Time

Regular/Temporary : Temporary

Assignment Duration : Grade : Organizational Setting

Organizational context

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), an international financial institution and specialized agency of the United Nations, was established as in 1977. IFAD is dedicated to eradicating rural poverty in developing countries. Over 70 per cent of the world’s poorest people – 1.4 billion women, children and men – live in rural areas and depend on agriculture and related activities for their livelihoods. IFAD’s overarching development goal is to invest in rural people to enable them to overcome poverty and achieve food security through remunerative, sustainable and resilient livelihoods. To achieve this goal, IFAD pursues three closely interlinked strategic objectives: to increase poor rural people’s productive capacities; increase poor rural people’s benefits from market participation; and strengthen the environmental sustainability and climate resilience of poor rural people’s economic activities.

The Sustainable Production, Markets and Institutions Division (PMI) of the Strategy and Knowledge Department (SKD), provides technical support to IFAD country programmes to ensure the proper application of corporate quality standards required for achieving development results and impact in key thematic areas, including food production systems (i.e. fisheries, livestock, and agronomy), land, natural resources management, water and rural infrastructure, financial services, rural markets and enterprises and rural institutions. It contributes to the generation of evidence and knowledge on these themes, and facilitates their use in IFAD projects and activities.

Hosted by IFAD since 2006, IFAD’s multi-donor Financing Facility for Remittances (FFR) maximizes the impact of remittances on development and promotes migrants’ investment in their countries of origin. With almost 70 projects in over 50 countries, the FFR promotes innovative investments and transfer modalities, supports financially inclusive mechanisms, enhances competition, provides financial education and inclusion, and encourages migrant investment and entrepreneurship.

In 2019, IFAD’s FFR and the European Union (EU) launched the Platform for Remittances, Investment and Migrants Entrepreneurship in Africa (PRIME Africa). The initiative aims to reduce inequality and enhance financial inclusion in Africa through the reduction of remittance costs and the maximization of their impact through greater linkages with financial services, digital remittance business models and financial inclusion strategies.

PRIME Africa works on three main areas: market intelligence, policy dialogue and operations with strategic market stakeholders, and directly intervenes in key remittance corridors of seven selected African countries, namely: The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Uganda. Given the need to intervene on both sides of the remittance corridors, the programme also intervenes in the main European sending countries, namely: France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden.

In Senegal, PRIME Africa is implementing 3 projects (2 regional and 1 national) focused on improved access to and use of digital and mobile remittances for financial inclusion, and support to remittance services providers (RSPs) in implementing proportionate and more inclusive customer due diligences to mitigate ML/FT risks. Furthermore, through the PRIME Africa initiative, the FFR has set up a national remittance stakeholder network (NRSN), which meets regularly to advance the national agenda on remittances and financial inclusion, and is providing technical assistance to the public and private sectors as well as to the UN system in the country on the impact of remittances to sustainable rural development.

FFR and IFAD are engaged to further integrate remittances and diaspora investment activities in line with Government of Senegal willingness to harness diaspora resources to contribute further to food sovereignty attainment.

Objective

The Remittances and Inclusive Digital Finance (RIDF) consultant based in Senegal will supervise and implement all activities of the PRIME Africa in the country and contribute to the overall success of the initiative.

Expected Activities

The RIDF consultant in Senegal will work under the overall strategic, policy and management guidance, and supervision of the FFR Manager. As an integral member of the delivery team, s/he will work collaboratively with other regionally mapped RIDF officers in other hubs, with the FFR senior technical specialists, the Portfolio Officer and the KM specialist. Furthermore, s/he will also work closely with the IFAD Country Director and other IFAD staff in Senegal. This is to ensure consistency, cohesion and synergy in the application of technical support and provision of programme development support. In this context, the consultant will work in the following three areas described below.

1. Operations

The RIDF consultant will contribute to the implementation of the FFR activities in relation to PRIME Africa in the country. S/he will help coordinating and supervising day-to-day activities with project partners in Senegal, in particular with three ongoing projects. In this context, s/he will be required to maintain updated status of project activities, outputs and outcomes achievement; review periodic progress reports submitted by project implementation partners; and support timely and accurate financial reporting to IFAD; recommend timely actions from the FFR leading to successful project completion; identify best practices for the KM specialist to further assess and compile; review final project reports and assess the effectiveness of outputs and outcomes completion, by gathering and cross-checking supporting documentation and final data. S/he will also provide technical expertise to develop monitoring and evaluation KPIs; prepare analytical insights for the FFR on project viability and likelihood to perform. S/he will also serve as a PMI resource person for IFAD

•  s Western and Central Africa (WCA) regional division on the specific thematic areas of remittances and rural development from a digital finance perspective, providing technical, analytical inputs to IFAD country strategic opportunities programmes (COSOPs) and project designs, where relevant and requested. The consultant will also undertake project design missions as needed.

2. Policy engagement and partnership building

The RIDF consultant will support the FFR in its policy engagement strategy in the country, coordinating and convening regular meetings of the NRSN and of the Community of Practice (CoP), reinforcing the engagement with the government and the BCEAO and building further partnerships with key partners and stakeholders in Senegal.

S/he will also serve as FFR focal point in the IFAD Dakar hub, as well as in the national UN Network on Migration, other national working groups, events and conferences on remittances and diaspora investment, and provide inputs for a conducive policy and regulatory environment in the country. Furthermore, s/he will work closely with the FFR Secretariat to ensure that policy advocacy and outreach is strongly grounded in the experience and insights of the projects that the FFR supports. S/he will liaise with relevant government ministries and entities, and other donor representatives under FFR guidance in order to maintain sustained and in-person relationships.

3. Knowledge management and communication

The RIDF consultant will also support the knowledge management, communication and awareness-raising campaigns at country level, and undertake regular updates on data collection and analysis of the Senegalese remittance market, as well as disseminating results achieved by the PRIME Africa initiative in the country.

S/he will regularly provide up-to-date data and feedback to improve and maintain the RemitSCOPE Senegal country profile and information accurate. The consultant will actively promote RemitSCOPE to and gather feedback from Senegalese public and private stakeholders.

The consultant will coordinate the sharing of knowledge and experiences generated through activities such as analytical studies and grants with colleagues in the FFR, the IFAD Dakar hub, and conduct relevant knowledge development and dissemination with institutions outside of IFAD national institutions, disseminating knowledge and lessons learned with peers, counterparts and stakeholders through drafting of occasional papers, journal articles, seminars and workshops, through electronic media (e.g. web resource platforms and social media), and the development of new knowledge products and operational tools that are informed by learning from the field.

Furthermore, the consultant will support the FFR Secretariat in extracting lessons learned and drafting dissemination products on projects implemented in Senegal and will support the FFR Secretariat with content development for executive presentations and reports in order to communicate and achieve buy-in for policy and regulatory recommendations in the remittance sector.

Technical/Functional Requirements

•  Proven and strong technical expertise at the country level in remittances, digital financial inclusion (diaspora investment practical expertise is a great asset)
•  Proven inter-personal knowledge and track record working with key public and private stakeholders in Senegal and in Western Africa
•  Deep understanding of international migration and development policies, especially in the field of remittances and rural contexts
•  Deep knowledge of the Project Cycle Management and of Monitoring and Evaluation
•  Skill in the design and coordination of technical research and identification of solutions to evolving issues
•  Results-oriented performer: ability to deliver high-quality outputs under pressure as part of a multicultural team
•  Communicator: ability to communicate effectively with international organizations, development agencies, and governments, including donors, working with others to meet mutual goals
•  Planner and organizer: ability to set clear priorities within a boundless and often challenging agenda with tight deadlines
•  Team worker: capacity to work in diverse, multidisciplinary team environment and to establish harmonious working relationships
•  Model of integrity, trustworthy and confident: highest standards of personal commitment

Minimum Recruitment Qualifications

Education

Advanced university degree from an accredited institution in the field of specialization, e.g. finance, migration, international relations, international development, political sciences, economics or related field.

Experience

At least seven years increasing responsibility and experience in development initiatives in the field in remittances, digital payments, rural finance, financial inclusion and development related issues. At least two years of specific hands-on experience in remittances and or digital finance is mandatory. Experience in fieldwork and international policy frameworks related to global environment and rural development is highly desirable.

Language requirements

Excellent written and verbal communication skills in French and English

Other information

Applicants to this call for interest will undergo a first level screening and those candidates meeting the minimum requirements will undergo a more in-depth assessment.

It must be noted that consultants are not staff of IFAD, and that this consultancy does not carry any expectation of employment with the Fund. Remuneration will be in line with the standards set for UN consultants.

In the interest of making most cost effective use of funds and resources, we are only able to respond to applicants who are shortlisted for interviews. Applicants who do not receive any feedback within three months should consider their application unsuccessful.

The number of days in which services can be rendered 72 days during a 6-month period, equal to 3 days per week (with possibility of extension depending on performance and funding availability).