Expression of Interest (REOI) – Consultancy Services to Undertake Needs Assessment and Sensitization Workshops at the African Union Commission (AUC)


The African Union Commission (AUC) invites eligible Individual Consultants to submit EOI documents for the following:

The African Union Commission (AUC) is the AU’s secretariat and undertakes the day to day activities of the Union. It is based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Applications are invited for:

Title: Request for Expression of Interest (REOI) – Consultancy Services to Undertake Needs Assessment and Sensitization Workshops for Renewable Energy Development in Afrian Island States (REAIS)

Reference Number: 
AUC/IED/C/012

Preamble

The African Island States (AIS) comprise Republic of Cabo Verde, Union of the Comoros, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Mauritius, Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, Republic of Seychelles, Republic of Madagascar and the semiautonomous Zanzibar, which is part of the United Republic of Tanzania.

Island States face unique challenges in addressing energy needs due to their locations. Unlike mainland states, it is usually difficult for islands to benefit from the economies of scale gained by pooling of energy resources with neighbouring countries through physical interconnection of infrastructure linking different countries. They are, therefore, forced to strive to be 100% self-reliant using the resources available on the island or imported from elsewhere. Currently, the AIS are highly dependent on fossil fuels, and some spend in excess of 30% of their foreign exchange earnings annually on importing fossil fuels.

Examples from developed countries have shown that renewable energy is a reliable source of energy supply for islands and can reduce heavy dependency on fossil fuels that has caused some of the islands to be heavily indebted. Fortunately, many AIS are endowed with renewable energy resources that can be sustainably developed for the benefit of their economies. Some of the resources that island states can develop include solar, wind, bioenergy, geothermal, hydropower, and even tidal and wave energy.

In recognition of the unique circumstance of island states, the African Union Commission (AUC) plans to carry out a Needs Assessment for developing renewable energy programmes and accessing financing from climate funds and other potential funding sources in AIS. The AUC plans to use the results from the Needs Assessment to create a dedicated programme to support AIS in promoting renewable energy access. This Consultancy Service is aimed at identifying gaps and opportunities for the development of renewable energy resources in AIS.

Objective
The overall objective of the Needs Assessment study is to identify the gaps and barriers to sustainable energy access and explore the opportunities within AIS to accelerate energy access.

The specific objectives of the study include:

  • Identifying the policy, institutional, financial and technical gaps at the national level of AIS;
  • Identifying opportunities to address the gaps in sustainable energy access.

The outcomes of the Needs Assessment study are expected to help initiate a programme of Renewable Energy Development in African Island States (REAIS).

Scope of Work
The assignment will cover the Republic of Cabo Verde, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Guinea-Bissau, and Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, Union of the Comoros, Republic of Mauritius, Republic of Seychelles, Republic of Madagascar and Zanzibar in the United Republic of Tanzania.

The consultants shall carry out the following tasks:

  • A Scoping Study on the existing status of energy demand and supply, current energy mix, key energy development indicators including level of access in each island state, energy sources and their potential, existing plans and projections as well as existing energy initiatives and programmes, and funding mechanisms.
  • Evaluate the policy, institutional, financial and technical gaps in energy sector development in each island state while also exploring the opportunities for renewable energy development.
  • Identify the main obstacles to scaling-up renewable energy in AIS and how they can be mitigated, specifying the roles of different players including regional organisations and development partners.
  • Outline relevant climate instruments that AIS can tap into and how they can be leveraged to support the scaling up of renewable energy development in the respective AIS.
  • Identify opportunities for productive use through linkages for the use of renewable energy across different sectors (tourism, fisheries, agriculture etc.) as well as ways of strengthening local capacity to apply renewable energy technologies for productive use.
  • In consultation with the AUC organize two sensitization workshops to present the findings and recommendations to stakeholders for validation. The consultant(s) will identify key stakeholders and institutions to be invited as well as design the workshops’ draft agenda and programme.

Deliverables
The consultant shall provide Needs Assessment Report in English at the end of the assignment that clearly responds to all the tasks under the scope of works with recommendations for the way forward.

The consultant shall provide the following reports:

  • An inception report covering the methodology, work programme as well as tasks and time allocation. The Inception Report will be submitted one (2) week after signing the contract.
  • Inception Meeting with AUC and Key Stakeholders constituting a core team responsible for steering the assignment to be held two (3) weeks after signing the contract.
  • Draft Report to be submitted eight (12) weeks after signing the contract.
  • Stakeholders Workshop to review the Draft Report, ten (14) weeks after signing the contract.
  • Final Report incorporating stakeholders’ inputs twelve (16) weeks after signing the contract.

Selection Criteria

  • A minimum of Bachelor’s Degree in related disciplines such as engineering, energy economics, etc
  • At least ten (10) years’ experience in strategy development in the energy sector, climate change and climate finance, policy and institutional frameworks as well as energy efficiency
  • Experience in any of the African Island States is highly desirable.
  • Personal Capacity Statement:
    • Relevant experience related to the assignment (include samples of two (2) most recent similar works and/or references for the same)
    • Contacts of at least three (3) organizations previously worked for
    • Curriculum Vitae of the Consultant
  • The consultants must be bilingual speakers, with combination of English/French or English/Portuguese/Spanish.

Application Closing Date
6th May, 2022.

Submission of Documents

All submissions must be addressed to:
The Chairperson,
Tender Board,
African Union Commission,
Building C, 3rd floor,
Roosevelt Street,
P. O. Box 3243, Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia.

The title of the procurement for each assignment must appear as subject of e-mail submissions (CVs, covering letter and technical proposals, additional supporting documents) with a maximum size of the attachment not exceeding 10MB and send to: [email protected] Copy: [email protected]

Click Here (PDF) for more clarifications on the RFP.