Consultant - Nigeria, Education at UNICEF

Purpose of Activity/ Assignment

• The consultant will provide expert contextual understanding and local expertise on basic education in Lagos State Nigeria.
• The consultant will also leverage their network to mobilize a coalition of public and private actors to support the design and launch of an outcomes fund in the state. In addition, the consultant will play an active role in supporting EOF’s fundraising efforts with government and Nigerian philanthropy, and in strengthening EOF’s in-country engagement and visibility to ensure sustained stakeholder support for the programme.

Scope of Work

• The consultant will help EOF to bring their existing model of outcomes-based financing to address the needs of out-of-school (OOS) children in Lagos State Nigeria.
• The consultant will play a key role in engaging with government and other stakeholders to sustain momentum for the programme, build political and institutional buy-in, and facilitate effective collaboration with governance structures.
• This will include engagement with the wider education ecosystem, including the Lagos State Government, Federal Government, providers, and other relevant partners.
• In addition, the consultant will provide active support to EOF’s fundraising efforts in Nigeria.
• This will include contributing to the mapping of potential donors, high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs), and philanthropic actors, supporting the development and implementation of EOF’s fundraising and engagement strategy, preparing inputs for proposals, notes, and briefings, and facilitating meetings to advance discussions and build momentum with government and philanthropic stakeholders.
• The consultant will also strengthen EOF’s in-country engagement by actively promoting EOF’s work in Nigeria, representing the programme in stakeholder meetings and events, and embedding the outcomes fund within the local education and policy context. 
• Finally, the consultant’s understanding of the regulatory framework at state and federal level will also be valuable, providing insights into how existing policies can be leveraged to implement innovative financing models effectively.

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables
Work Assignment Overview / Deliverables and Outputs / Delivery deadline:

• Contribute technical advice to inform the finalisation of the design phase for an out-of-school outcomes fund in basic education by advising on country context, stakeholder mapping, viability, and rationale for using OBF, and recommendations for the design of the outcomes partnership:
  • Deliverable 1: EOF’s request for proposal document for implementing partners, for the outcomes-fund in Lagos reviewed and edited 31 March 2026
• Support EOF’s fundraising and investment efforts in Nigeria by mapping potential donors, high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs), and philanthropic actors, supporting the development of an engagement strategy, and providing practical inputs such as notes, briefings, and coordination  support for engagement with government and philanthropic stakeholders. Support EOF’s fundraising and investment efforts in Nigeria by mapping potential donors, high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs), and philanthropic actors, supporting the development of an engagement strategy, and providing practical inputs such as notes, briefings, and coordination support for engagement with government and philanthropic stakeholders:
  • Deliverable:  Support EOF’s fundraising efforts in Nigeria:
    • Develop a donor and investor map of relevant HNWIs and philanthropies in Nigeria.
    • Develop an engagement strategy of estimated 5 pages for approaching relevant donors in Nigeria.
    • Attend an estimated 8 meetings of approximately 60 minutes with relevant donors and contribute technically to the discussion. 2-page contact report per meeting 31 March 2026
• Support the organization with missions from EOF teams to Nigeria, with a particular focus on liaising with the Government on logistics for the launch of the programme, as well as providing direct support with logistical arrangements. This will also involve identifying stakeholders to meet, managing invitations and confirmations, organizing technical workshops in collaboration with EOF teams, consulting with providers and experts in preparation for the workshops, and preparing notes/reports with the main takeaways from the workshops and technical meetings:
  • Deliverable: Support with the travel of EOF’s team to Lagos. An estimate 2 trips of 5 working days each:
    • Develop and implement a meeting schedule with relevant local stakeholders.
    • Prepare 10-slide PPT decks for an estimated 3 total workshops (each lasting 2 hours) 31 March 2026
• Engage with the wider education ecosystem in Nigeria by conducting stakeholder mapping, liaising with Lagos State and Federal Government counterparts, and supporting efforts to define key objectives for national buy-in to the outcomes fund:
  • Deliverable: Develop a stakeholder engagement plan of the education ecosystem in Lagos State (estimated 5 pages). Support EOF with its implementation by attending an estimate 15 meetings of 90 minutes each to provide technical guidance31 March 2026

Qualifications
Education:

• A master’s degree in political science, economics, finance, business, education, international development, international public policy, or a related field, is required.
• A bachelor’s degree will be accepted with an additional 2 years’ experience.

Knowledge / Expertise / Skills required:

• A minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience in education, international development, public policy, programme management.
• Extensive experience working in the education sector and development sectors in Nigeria.
• Experience working with donors and government in Lagos state.

Desired Requirements:

• Experience working with Out of School Children in Lagos, Nigeria.
• Experience drafting fundraising proposals, particularly in relation to international development funding.