BACKGROUND
The African Development Bank’s Energy Policy and the African Development Bank’s Strategy for 2013 - 2022 recognize the opportunities and challenges in the energy sector. The Bank’s operations have responded to this by addressing a variety of needs across the continent ranging from sector level interventions to project preparation support and transaction advisory work. While these efforts have yielded results much more needs to be done. The Bank has announced the New Deal on Energy for Africa that has the aspirational goal of achieving universal access by 2030 - 100 per cent access in urban areas, 95 per cent access in rural areas, leveraging on and off-grid solutions and related technological advances. The New Deal on Energy for Africa is a partnership-driven effort. To achieve and drive towards this goal, the AfDB is working with governments, the private sector, bilateral and multilateral energy sector initiatives to develop a Transformative Partnership on Energy for Africa - a platform for public- private partnerships for innovative financing in Africa’s energy sector..
Since end-2010, the African Development Bank (AfDB) has developed a framework known as the Africa Infrastructure Knowledge Program (AIKP), with the responsibility for developing an institutional arrangement that would guarantee the sustainability and periodic maintenance of a database of infrastructure indicators for the African continent. The AIKP is based on the Africa Infrastructure Country Diagnostic (AICD) study methodology that was initiated by the World Bank in 2005, as a framework for generating knowledge on infrastructure on a long-term sustainable basis through: (i) regular collection and analysis of data covering network service infrastructures (power, water, ICT, road transport, rail transport, sea transport and air transport); (ii) defining and developing analytic knowledge products to guide policy and funding decisions and to inform development policy and program management activities; and (iii) building of necessary and adequate in-country (NSOs and infrastructure ministries & departments) and sub-region capacity to collect, process, manage and disseminate infrastructure statistics.
One specific and key area of the AIKP work is the estimation of power sector investment needs drawing on least cost optimization models. These models aim at supporting a more active and informed engagement of energy stakeholders in the development of energy investment strategies. Therefore, under the framework of the AIKP, the COMESA Statistical Capacity Building Program will procure the services of infrastructure experts to assist with generating investments needs estimates and preparation of analytical reports in the energy sector for a set of countries and five African sub- regions for which data have been collected.
SCB V PROGRAM OBJECTIVE
There is widespread recognition and consensus that the National Statistical Systems (NSSs) in Africa are weak and under-resourced. This makes it difficult for RMCs to undertake censuses and surveys as and when due, as required by international best practice for optimal evidence-based policy dialogue. These weak National Statistical Offices (NSOs), and particularly those /in Transitional States, have further deteriorated since the onset of COVID-19. The pandemic has not only disrupted field operations for data collection in previously planned surveys and censuses that have had to be postponed, but it has also reduced allocated budgets as scarce financial resources were shifted to saving lives, protecting livelihoods and reviving economies.
The proposed SCB-5 will be crucial for maintaining the momentum built on past gains whilst shielding against possible reversal of the gains made across the continent in recent years. The program will focus on the following components; Improving the availability and quality of economic statistics, including the measurement of the COVID-19 impact, Improving the quality and availability of Social Statistics and reporting on COVID-19, Data Collection, Management and Dissemination and Strategic Planning, Systems Development, Coordination and Training. These terms of reference fall under the Improving the availability and quality of social statistics component of the program.
SCOPE OF WORK
The consultancy has two main objectives: (i) to assist with the AIKP to generate individual country investment needs using a mathematical programming model and adapt the model for web use and (ii) assist in the preparation of analytical reports about the “State of the energy sector in Africa”.
Specifically, under the supervision of the COMESA Secretariat, the two Power Investment Needs Modelling Experts will provide technical guidance and assistance in the following areas:
Analysis of Basic Power Sector Data for the Countries
For the countries that data are available, the consultant(s) will use the AIKP data and any other secondary data on all the necessary basic power sector performance parameters needed to calibrate the investment needs model. These include the following:
Application of Investment Needs through an Econometric Power Model
The consultant(s) will generate the entire power sector investment needs for countries and regions through the model. This will entail the following steps:
DELIVERABLES
Once the above work has been completed, the consultant(s) will produce reports summarizing the analyses that incorporates all of the additional material relating to all the countries; it should include full data tables, annex tables and results sections. More specifically, one (1) Africa report, five (5) regional reports, and fourteen (14) country reports are expected under this assignment.
Preparation of AIKP country energy sector reports
The consultant(s) are also expected to undertake the preparation of analytical country energy sector reports that will outline the “State of the countries’ energy sector” using mainly, but not limited to, the AIKP processed data. The reports would be particularly relevant to national policy makers and development partners working on the countries.
The main deliverables under this contract are as follows:
ELIGIBILITY OF CONSULTANTS
This consultancy is open to nationals of AfDB Member countries that have sufficient experience to undertake this assignment
DUTY STATION
The consultants shall be based in their home countries.
DURATION
The assignment is expected to have a contract duration of 60 days per consultant, between signature of contract and completion date.
REPORTING AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Under the direct supervision of the Head of the COMESA Statistics Unit.
QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE
Application Deadline: 10 May 2022 at 16:00 hours
