Summary of the assignment:
| Nature of assignment | Short term |
| Location | Will vary depending on the respondents |
| Timeframe | 21 working days |
| Report to | Executive Director/CEO |
I. BACKGROUND TO THE EABC TRADEMARK EAST AFRICA PROJECT
The TMEA project, “Public‐Private Sector Dialogue (PPD) for Trade and Investment ‐ Regional and Country Programmes” mainstreams advocacy throughout TMEA’s project clusters – i.e. in transport and logistics, trade facilitation, customs & tax, standards and NTBs. The new approach presented and approved by the TMEA’s Board will foster closer collaboration across project teams and will contribute to results across all intermediate outcomes. The programme’s core objective is to enhance private sector organisations’ (PSO) capacity to proactively and positively influence decision‐making, to accelerate dispute resolution, to sustain political buy‐in, to increase commitment and to reduce overall programme risks in TMEA’s project clusters. This will increase trade and investment in the EAC. The Regional and Country Programmes will contribute to core TMEA corporate results outlined below:
- Reduce transport (road, rail, and air) cost and time along transport corridors by 10% and increase efficiency in private sector logistics services provision
- Enhance Customs and other trade‐related agencies’ efficiency (25% reduction in time to process trade documentation) through integrated trade management systems and greater inter‐agency collaboration.
- Reduced tariffs, taxes, and levies by 5‐8% overall (including sub‐national) reduce exemption regimes, CET, and increase import/export tax incentives
- Enhanced efficiency of Bureaux of Standards, reduce related costs and time by 10%, reduce counterfeit and sub-standard goods by 20% through enhanced inter‐agency collaboration and improve private sector compliance.
- Resolve 30% of all reported NTBs along TMEA project clusters within a year.
- Catalyzing a 10% increase in exports annually, 93,000 direct jobs and $425m additional investment after seven years in targeted sectors in the EAC under the Compact and TLCs through increased investment incentives.
II. ABOUT EAST AFRICAN BUSINESS COUNCIL
The East African Business Council (EABC) is the umbrella body of the Private Sector in the East African Community (EAC). It brings together national private sector umbrella bodies, manufacturers, employers, bankers, insurance and transporters associations, chambers of commerce, corporates, and medium and small enterprises from the entire East African region. The current membership number stands at 172.
EABC’s mandate is to represent and promote the interests of the EAC business community, provide value-added services that enhance trade and competitiveness, and to participate actively and positively influence legal and regulatory formulation to improve the business environment. EABC works with the major stakeholders such as the EAC Secretariat, Organs, Institutions and National Governments and provides input in policy discussion while advocating for the implementation of resolutions at the national level aimed at increasing intra-regional trade.
For effective implementation of the Regional PPD programme, EABC was selected by TradeMark East Africa as the lead implementing partner for the Private Sector Organizations.
III. RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVE OF THE ASSIGNMENT
The ongoing COVID-19 presents a significant challenge to EAC economies due to its strong links with the world economy in terms of trade, business and investment. EAC manufacturing with its current contribution of 9.7% to regional GDP with a projection of 25% by 2032 is one of the critical sectors that are being impacted by this pandemic in terms of sourcing of raw materials, intermediate & capital goods from countries that have been heavily hit by the outbreak of Covid19. In addition, EAC Partner States have come up with several measures in a bid to curb the outbreak of Covid-19 in the region and these are impacting sectors such as manufacturing. These measures include lockdowns which have led to restrictions/challenges on the movement of cargo, persons, closure of businesses such as whole sale, retail, etc.
According to the World Economic Forum, the emergence of COVID-19 is accelerating the change of global value chain delivery models, with unprecedented consequences for manufacturers and supply chains. Mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on manufacturing and supply chains requires both new approaches and new forms of collaboration to increase overall resilience.
On a positive note, reports indicate new developments that have emerged out of this crisis as some manufacturers have repurposed their production lines to produce the much-needed essential items such as face masks, sanitizers and personal protective equipment (PPE).
Given the impact of Covid19 on the manufacturing sector, EABC with support from TradeMark East Africa under the Public-Private Dialogue for Trade and Investment programme is seeking for a consultant to undertake a study titled “an impact assessment of covid19 on manufacturing sector the EAC.
The study is expected to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the EAC Manufacturing sector, analyze its current state, what this pandemic could cause in both the short and long term, propose measures to mitigate the impact.
IV. SCOPE OF WORK AND DUTIES
The consultant will work in partnership with EABC secretariat, its manufacturing sector associations Focal points and selected members in all the EAC Partner States.
The consultant will familiarize themselves with the EAC and EABC work on the manufacturing sector including all publications and relevant materials and review all reports on the EAC manufacturing sector.
The main duties of the consultant are not limited to;
- Assessment of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the EAC manufacturing sector (not limited to; sourcing of raw materials, exports, production, operations, employment, turnover, etc);
- Assess the stimulus packages put in place by the EAC Partner States and propose workable alternatives
- Analyze the current fiscal incentives for the manufacturing sector and propose appropriate interventions.
- Assess the non-tariff barriers that the sector has faced during this period of the pandemic;
- Propose recommendations for the manufacturing sector in EAC from the assessment;
- Develop a policy brief arising out of this study; and
- Organize an internal validation workshop for the study report;
V. DELIVERABLES
The key deliverables include:
- Inception report. (Attach the tool to be used in data collection).
- Draft report of the impact Assessment of COVID-19 pandemic on manufacturing in the EAC
- Final report from the study.
- A policy brief arising out of the study.
VI. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
A suitable candidate should hold the following qualifications and key competencies:
- Academic and Professional Experience: A Master’s degree in, Industrial Economics, Economics, Business Administration, International Trade or any other relevant field is required.
- Work Experience: A minimum of five (5) years’ demonstrable experience in conducting research /studies on manufacturing/regional trade-related issues. The consultant must have the capacity to carry out the study within the stated timeframe.
- Demonstrable experience working with the manufacturing sector in the EAC.
- Knowledge of EAC Integration is a must.
- Languages: Fluency in oral and written English is required as it is the main EAC working language. Good working knowledge of French and Kiswahili will be an advantage.
- Additional Skills: Excellent computer skills (Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel), Email, analytical tools/software for data analysis, experience in working with internet searches, online databases, and data retrieval) are required.
- Nationality: The position is open to all Nationals of any of the EAC Partner States, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and South Sudan.
| VII | THE APPLICATION PROCESS |
The technical and financial proposal must be submitted separately addressed to;
The Executive Director / CEO
East African Business Council (EABC)
Ninth Floor, Mafao House, Old Moshi Road
P. O. Box 2617
Arusha, Tanzania.
Email: director@eabc-online.com with a copy to procurement@eabc-online.com clearly marked “ Consultancy to undertake an impact assessment study of COVID-19 pandemic on manufacturing in the EAC. The proposal should include among others; current curriculum vitae, proposed methodology, work plan, tool for data collection, etc.
The financial proposal should be protected with a password.
Applications close on (18th September 2020) at (5.00 p.m.).
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY:
EABC is an equal opportunity employer thus recruitment is on merit and with no regard to one’s age, colour, gender, marital status, disability or impairment, race or creed. Canvassing shall lead to automatic disqualification.
Environmental aspects will be taken into consideration.