Consultant - Borno State Policy Review at Mercy Corps

Background

• Mercy Corps has been present in Nigeria since 2012, focusing its interventions on humanitarian assistance, economic development, and conflict mitigation. With the ongoing insurgency in Northeast Nigeria causing the displacement of millions of individuals, Mercy Corps started its humanitarian response in 2014 to address the rising humanitarian needs. As the crisis has persisted, Mercy Corps' strategy has also expanded to address the root causes of the conflict and seek to build the long-term resilience of communities with integrated programs focusing on governance, the recovery of markets and livelihoods, social cohesion and social protection, youth empowerment, and local conflict management.
• The Northeast Conflict Management and Stabilization (NE-CMS) Program is funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) to improve security and reduce support for violence in Borno State in Northeast Nigeria. Following two previous phases of the program starting in August 2016, the NE-CMS program entered Phase III in August 2019 for an additional two-year implementation period, which is expected to result in:
• Citizens are more civically engaged, and civilian government are more transparent and inclusive in addressing community needs around service delivery
• Communities demonstrate improved trust and social cohesion within and between actors at the local level
• Local decision-making spaces and peacebuilding processes are equitable and inclusive of marginalized social groups, especially youth and women.
• The consortium aims to achieve these outcomes through a range of activities: engaging government in capacity building and mentorship, supporting traditional leaders and communities to conduct advocacy and accountability activities; encouraging dialogue and psychological trauma healing among diverse stakeholders to generate trusting relationships, nurture reconciliation, and mitigate potential future crises; and establishing parallel safe spaces for women and youth to ensure that they can effectively contribute to peacebuilding. NE-CMS operates in five targets LGAs, namely: Maiduguri Municipal Council (MMC), Jere, Dikwa, Dambo, Gwoza.
• A key output expected of Outcome one of NE-CMS as stated above is Capacity Building for Participatory Governance. This assessment will contribute significantly to delivering on this output, hence the actualization of Outcome 1 of the NE-CMS program.

Consultancy Objectives
The overall objective of this assignment is to:

• Review existing Borno State policies and procedures; economic mechanisms or instruments related to local government administration and facilitation of social and economic development at the grassroots level; identify gaps and areas that may require improvement and strengthening.
• Review specific policies on themes related to the Good Governance Committee (GGC) advocacy objectives; propose policy options and fiscal mechanisms; giving primary consideration to recommendations on appropriate reforms required for policy and other types of instruments (e.g. economic and fiscal), to support the sustainable and institutionalized response to community needs and priorities in the five focal LGAs of the NE-CMS Program.

Specific Objectives
The specific objectives of this consultancy are to:

• Review state planning and development policies, guidelines and other documented policy positions related to local government administration and development and propose new policies, fiscal and economic mechanisms/instruments or relevant changes.
• Review specific policies on themes related to the GGC advocacy objectives; propose policy options and reforms required to support the sustainable and institutionalized response to community needs and priorities in the five focal LGAs of the NE-CMS Program.
• Recommend capacity building of primary stakeholders to incorporate legislative and policy advocacy to influence the adoption of proposed policies, fiscal and economic instruments or relevant changes.
• Incorporate advocacy best practices which will be socially and culturally equitable, gender-sensitive, ecologically effective, economically efficient and reflective of stakeholder needs and economic interests of the five NE-CMS focal LGAs.
• The Policy Review will be participatory and conducted through a triangulated approach combining
• This assignment will adopt basically review of policy and related documents (desk review),
• Any other creative methodology deemed appropriate by consultant for achieving task objectives is recommended.

Skills and Experience Required of the Consultant
The consultant is expected to have the following skills and qualifications:

• Advanced Degrees in Economics, Development Studies, Social Sciences or related discipline;
• A minimum of ten (10) years' experience in conducting organizational/government capacity needs assessments, experience with self-assessment processes will be an advantage;
• At least 5 years of experience working in organizational development, capacity building in the specified area;
• An understanding of the socio-political and economic context of Borno State;
• Excellent writing and communication skills in English;
• Ability to speak Hausa; Kanuri language ability will be an added advantage;
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate and work well with diverse people.
• Be resident in Maiduguri, Borno State.