Objective of the Workshop
This Workshop seeks to sensitize a team of 25 experts from IGAD Member States on the content and how to domesticate some important policy instruments at the national level. These instruments include mainly the IGAD Regional Trade Policy and the IGAD Regional Policy Framework on the nexus between cross-border Trade and Security Governance. Awareness will also be created on the AfCFTA Regional Implementation Strategy for the IGAD. In addition, the Workshop will also review and validate the developed training manual on customs and coordinated border management. Member states will use the manual as a reference for capacity development.
Scope and Target Group
The Workshop will bring together 25 participants from government, the private sector, media, academia, and civil society. The Workshop will share with participants the importance and content of the selected policy instruments and discuss how to domesticate them at the national level. The Workshop will also review and validate the prepared training manual. The manual will be used as a reference manual for capacity building of MSs at a later date.
Expected Outcomes
The expected outcomes from the Workshop are:
1. Improved knowledge and awareness of the regional trade-related policy instruments.
2. Enhanced examination of the instruments, mechanisms and modalities for effective inclusion of the selected stakeholders in the implementation of those policy instruments by member states.
3. Review and validate the reference manual as a capacity building tool for member states.
Method of Delivery
The 2-day Workshop will be organized mainly as interactive sessions to cover all important themes of the trade policy instruments, Regional Policy Framework on the nexus between Informal Cross Border Trade and Cross Border Security Governance and the AfCFTA Regional Implementation Strategy for the IGAD. The Workshop will also include presentation, review and validation of the draft training manual. Methods of the Workshop execution may include PowerPoint presentations, plenary, breakout sessions, group discussions, etc.
Date and Venue
The date (potentially in April 2023) and venue of the meeting will be communicated once determined by the organizers.
Workshop Organizers
The Workshop is organized by IGAD in collaboration and with support from Team Europe Technical Assistance Facility (EU-TAF) under the Global Gateway project. The EU-TAF is funded by the EU, Germany, France, and Sweden and jointly implemented by GIZ, Expertise France, and FIIAPP.
Project or context description
IGAD Member States have long realized the benefits of closer economic integration within the region by including a clear mandate on trade policy and other economic issues in the legal documents establishing IGAD.
Several provisions of the Agreement establishing IGAD identify economic integration as a key component of regional development. The recent regional and continental-level developments have important implications for IGAD’s regional trade integration agenda. The entire continent is now moving towards a free trade area due to the coming into force of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). For this reason, IGAD needs to revisit its regional economic integration agenda and rationalize its directions in the face of these developments. The aims of the AfCFTA are compatible with what IGAD seeks to achieve through trade integration. IGAD now needs to align its agenda with that of the AfCFTA – IGAD can enhance regional integration by assisting its members in the domestication and implementation of the AfCFTA. In addition, IGAD needs to domesticate the other useful policy instruments at the national level, including its Regional Trade Policy and the Regional Policy Framework on the nexus between Informal Cross Border Trade and Cross Border Security Governance. There is also a need to create awareness of the AfCFTA Regional Implementation Strategy for the IGAD and its alignment with the national AfCFTA implementation strategies.
Designed mainly as a cooperation framework, the IGAD Regional Trade Policy seeks to guide the IGAD Member States to promote trade integration in a more flexible policy environment. One of the key objectives of the IGAD Regional Trade Policy is to assist the IGAD Member States in implementing their obligations under the AfCFTA as well as in negotiating the remaining issues. In terms of scope, the IGAD Regional Trade Policy goes beyond the classic issues of trade in goods and trade in services. It captures other issues, such as customs administration, trade facilitation, and cross-border trade, which are critical in intra-IGAD trade.
The Member States of the IGAD region share borders that extend 8,382 Km, while the external borders of the region (with non-IGAD States) extend to 6,910 Km. Borders and borderlands in the region are inhabited by millions of people who pursue a range of economic activities, including pastoralism, agro-pastoralism, agriculture and cross-border trade. In acknowledgement of the importance of borders and borderlands, IGAD, with support from development partners, has developed a regional policy framework on cross-border informal trade that is linked to security governance. This framework was adopted by the region’s ministers of trade in 2018 and then endorsed by the IGAD Council of Ministers in 2022. This policy framework is a product of extensive consultations based on soliciting views from borderlands communities, informal traders, government officials of customs, trade and security, civil society, academia, and other relevant stakeholders. It is an excellent tool that looks into the nexus between informal cross-border trade and cross-border security governance and how informal cross-border trade can be leveraged to enhance cross-border security.
The AfCFTA Regional Implementation Strategy for IGAD is a framework/roadmap for implementing the AfCFTA Agreement by the IGAD member states. It builds a number of priority thematic areas in both trade in goods and trade in services where action is needed in order to implement the Agreement efficiently and effectively. The choice of these priority areas is informed by the provisions of the Agreement and the situation analysis, which shows the dynamics on the ground that will need to be considered during the implementation. The strategy is underpinned by principles such as the correct interpretation of the existing challenges, building on what has been done at the regional level, and upholding and protecting the IGAD regional integration agenda, among others.
Required profile
Consultant Qualifications:
This workshop will be facilitated by a consultant who will be required to work for ten (10) days with IGAD and EU-TAF to facilitate and provide a report after the finalization of the workshop.
The qualifications of the consultant can be as follow:
· Master’s degree in at least one of the following or related to the following fields: Development economics, public policy, or political science.
· He/she should have at least 7 years in governance, policy development and institutional capacity building.
· Demonstrated competencies and experience in facilitation of various events/processes/for various purposes, including various techniques of participant engagement
· He/she as well have a specific experience in facilitation of similar workshops and in undertaking extensive stakeholders consultations
· Has good experience in theory and practice about stakeholders sensitization and transboundary development challenges
· Ability to convey complex information concisely, clearly, and in plain language;
· Solid presentation, writing, communication, and collaboration skills;
· Prior experience working with IGAD or in the Horn of Africa region is an asset
Additional information
Roles and Responsipilities of the Consultant:
The consultant is expected to deliver this facilitation process through working with IGAD and EU-TAF for a period of 10 (ten) days.
The consultant is expected to undertake this role by undertaking the following tasks:
· Work closely with the organizers to plan and organize this sensitization and validation workshop;
· Conduct a literature review that can help in policy sensitization and how policy makers can use evidence in their polic making process. This can include an inventory of the types of guides or tools that exist on using evidence in planning and decision making;
· Design a clear learning objectines and interactive and practical activities;
· Identify some cast studies of countries that have successfully used evidence in policy design and use these case studies as learning tools. Participating countries can also be given an opportunity to present their good lessons, case studies and best practices to share;
· Facilitate an interactive workshop on all proposed topics;
· Document the learning, actin plans, best practices and a set of recommendations or guidelines for policy making arising from the workshop;
· Coordinate with the organizers to ensure smooth learinin and interactive workshop;
Main Deliverables:
· An inception report with a clear methodology;
· A set of guidelines for policy actors on how to identify, evaluate and use evidence to inform their decision making process;
· A list of available tools and resources to support evidence-based policy making in policy sensitization and domestication;
· A facilitation of 2-day workshop and a report documenting what participants have learned and clear set of recommendations or guidelines for policy makers on how to ensure that evidence is effectively employed in the decision making processes.
Selection criteria for applications
The selection process for candidates will be based on the following criteria :
· Candidate’s training/skills/experience
· Candidate’s training/diplomas related to the expert assignment
Deadline for application : 11/02/2024 23:55