Consultant to Research and Develop a Policy Brief on Community-Centered Just Energy Transition at Global Rights

Objectives

The consultancy shall seek to:

• Examine the implications of the global energy transition and growing demand for critical minerals on communities in Nigeria.
• Assess the current legal, policy, institutional, and governance frameworks relevant to energy transition, climate action, renewable energy development, mining governance, and community rights.
• Analyze opportunities, risks, and emerging challenges associated with energy transition initiatives and critical mineral extraction for affected communities.
• Assess the extent to which principles of participation, equity, human rights, environmental justice, gender inclusion, and benefit-sharing are reflected in existing policies and practices.
• Document community perspectives, concerns, expectations, and experiences relating to energy transition and critical mineral development.
• Identify policy, governance, and implementation gaps that may undermine a just and community-centered transition.
• Generate practical policy recommendations and advocacy entry points to advance equitable and community-centered energy transition processes in Nigeria.

Scope of Work

The consultant will be expected to undertake the following tasks:

• Conduct a comprehensive desk review of relevant literature, policies, laws, regulations, reports, frameworks, and international standards relating to: Energy transition, Climate change and climate governance, Renewable energy development, Critical minerals and mining governance, Community rights and participation, Environmental justice, Human rights and business responsibilities.
• Review relevant national frameworks.
• Conduct Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and stakeholder consultations.
• Examine the actual and potential impacts of energy transition initiatives and critical mineral extraction on local communities, including.
• Analyze existing mechanisms for community engagement, Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), Community Development Agreements (CDAs), grievance redress, accountability, and social safeguards.
• Identify policy and implementation gaps that hinder a just and inclusive energy transition.
• Review relevant international and regional best practices on community-centered energy transition and extractive governance.
• Develop a concise and evidence-based policy brief presenting key findings, policy options, and recommendations.
• Engage a qualified editor/proofreader to review the draft and final report to ensure clarity, coherence, consistency, accuracy, and a high standard of English language and overall flow before submission.

Deliverables:

The consultant shall deliver:

• An inception report/workplan outlining the consultant’s understanding of the assignment, proposed methodology, and timeline for implementation;
• A draft Draft Policy Brief on Community Centered Just Energy Transition presenting the current state of Just Energy Transition, key legal, policy, and implementation gaps, stakeholder perspectives and findings from the research, policy options and recommendations for reform, best practices for promoting a Community Centered Just Energy Transition
• A final policy brief, revised based on feedback from Global Rights and submitted in both Word and PDF formats;

Methodology:

• The consultant is expected to adopt a participatory and mixed-method approach, including: Desk review; Policy and legal analysis; Key Informant Interviews; Stakeholder consultations; Comparative analysis of best practices; Validation of findings with relevant stakeholders.

Timeline:

• The consultancy shall be conducted over a period of eight (8) weeks.

Expected Qualifications

The consultant should possess:

• An Aadvanced Degree in Environmental Governance, Climate Change, Energy Studies, Development Studies, Public Policy, Human Rights, Law, Political Science, Natural Resource Governance, Sociology, Economics, or related disciplines.
• At least 5–7 years of demonstrated experience in: Energy transition; Climate governance; Natural resource governance; Mining and extractive industries; Human rights and environmental justice; Policy research and analysis.

The consultant must demonstrate:

• Strong knowledge of Nigeria's energy, climate, and extractive sectors;
• Excellent research and analytical skills;
• Proven experience producing policy briefs, research reports, and advocacy materials;
• Experience engaging with communities and multi-stakeholder processes;
• Understanding of rights-based, gender-responsive, and conflict-sensitive approaches.
• Experience working on climate justice, critical minerals governance, renewable energy policy, or community rights issues in Nigeria or West Africa will be considered an added advantage.
• Engage a qualified editor/proofreader as part of the team.

Reporting Line:

• The consultant will report directly to the Executive Director or the designates.

Intellectual Property Rights:

• All intellectual property rights arising from the consultancy will be the property of Global Rights.
• The research team will not disclose or use any confidential information obtained during the consultancy for any other purpose without the written consent of Global Rights.

Confidentiality and Ethical Considerations:

• The research team will ensure that all data collected during the consultancy is treated with the utmost confidentiality and in accordance with ethical principles. 
• In particular, the team will obtain informed consent from all participants before collecting any data and will ensure that data is stored securely and only accessible to authorized personnel. 
• The team will also comply with any relevant legal and ethical standards and will report any ethical concerns or violations to Global Rights immediately.

Proposal Submission:

Interested qualified consultants are invited to submit a proposal that includes the following:

• An understanding of the requirements
• Methodology and work plan for performing the assignment
• Project delivery plans
• Relevant services undertaken in the past with detailed reference list indicating the scope of similar assignments.

Budget:

• At least one sample of similar work.