As part of the implementation of its 2021-2030 Strategic Action Plan (SAP), the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC) has partnered with the International Union for Conservation of Nature and its resources (IUCN) to secure funding from the World Bank’s Global Environment Facility (GEF) for the achievement of the project “Utilization of marine spatial planning in the Gulf of Guinea for the implementation of payment for ecosystem services and nature-based coastal solutions.” This project, scheduled to run for a duration of three (3) years from 2024 to 2027, aims to strengthen cooperation and transboundary management of coastal and marine resources and associated ecosystems to enhance food security, resilience to climate change, and sustainable livelihoods in the FCWC region.

Four (04) components will be implemented to achieve this development objective, namely:

Component 1: Marine spatial planning.

Component 2: Payment for ecosystem services.

Component 3: Coastal and marine solutions-based on nature.

Component 4: Capacity building, regional coordination and knowledge management.

In this context, the FCWC Secretariat is seeking to recruit an international consultant to support the successful implementation of component 1, and provide support for components 2, 3 and 4.

1. JOB DESCRIPTION

The Consultant is recruited on a competitive basis. The Consultant is bound by a performance contract with the FCWC, which supervises the project. The Consultant will remain under the supervision of the Project Coordinator and will have the overall objective of supporting the FCWC in implementing the project in order to achieve the following outputs:

1) Mapping and management of coastal and marine areas improved by establishing national and a sub-regional MSP to enhance cooperation and support partnerships for financing,

2) Improved organisation of regional integrated ecosystem services.

• In this role, the Consultant will be responsible for activities of which the expected outputs are as follows:
• 1) Review report of current management strategies and identification of elements pertinent for the MSP and other project component,
• 2) Established MSP in place at the national and sub-regional levels,
• 3) Regional Accounting Monitoring system in place for ecosystem service.

The FCWC is an equal opportunity employer and qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply.

• SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS

Any person interested in this consultancy is invited to submit his/her application file by email to the following address: jobs@fcwc-fish.org, with a copy to adjihinto@yahoo.fr, kahoedo@fcwc-fish.org, avitabisa@fcwc-fish.org, no later than 2nd July 2024, at 5:00 PM GMT.

The application file must include:

–      A cover letter addressed to the FCWC’s Secretary-General.

–      A detailed Curriculum Vitae.

–      A copy of the required degree.

–      Copies of proof of previous professional experiences.

NB:

– Only candidates with perfect command of French and English would be considered.

– Candidates must submit their CV and application letter in both English and French.

– Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for an interview

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Terms of Reference of the Recruitment of International Consultant for Marine Spatial Planning (MSP)

BACKGROUND

As part of the implementation of its 2021-2030 Strategic Action Plan (SAP), the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC) has partnered with the International Union for Conservation of Nature and its Resources (IUCN) to secure funding from the World Bank’s Global Environment Facility (GEF) for the achievement of the project “Utilization of marine spatial planning in the Gulf of Guinea for the implementation of payment for ecosystem services and nature-based coastal solutions.” This project, scheduled to run for a duration of three (3) years from 2024 to 2027, aims to strengthen cooperation and transboundary management of coastal and marine resources and associated ecosystems to enhance food security, resilience to climate change, and sustainable livelihoods in the FCWC region.

Four (04) components will be implemented to achieve this development objective, namely:

Component 1: Marine spatial planning.

Component 2: Payment for ecosystem services.

Component 3: Coastal and marine solutions-based on nature.

Component 4: Capacity building, regional coordination and knowledge management.

In this context, the FCWC Secretariat is seeking to recruit an international consultant to support the successful implementation of component 1, and provide support for components 2, 3 and 4.

JOB DESCRIPTION 

The Consultant is recruited on a competitive basis. The Consultant is bound by a performance contract with the FCWC, which supervises the project. The Consultant will remain under the supervision of the Project Coordinator and will have the overall objective of supporting the FCWC in implementing of the project in order to achieve the following outputs: 1) Mapping and management of coastal and marine areas improved by establishing national and a sub-regional MSP to enhance cooperation and support partnerships for financing, 2) Improved organisation of regional integrated ecosystem services.

In this role, the Consultant will be responsible for:

SCOPE OF WORK

Some of the target countries have coastal management plans and strategies. In the context of the WACA project, each country has planned to draft a coastal law or an integrated coastal management plan. Currently, Togo, Benin and Côte d’Ivoire are part of the WACA project in which efforts are underway to develop coastal zone management plans. It is foreseen that soon Ghana will also be part of WACA.

The GEF support through this project will ensure these planning documents and strategies are integrated into broader Marine Spatial Planning and synthesise a report to incorporate the current systems of management.

The specific activities of the expected outputs are as follows:

Phase 1. Review report of current management strategies and identification of elements pertinent for the MSP and other project component

This stage will undertake a comprehensive scoping assessment of ecological condition, social interdependencies, governance circumstances, economic structures, and the synergies between them. It furthermore will undertake an analysis to assess the trade-offs between these domains based on potential zoning options. Areas with vulnerable coastal communities, those most impacted by the effects of climate change and environmentally important areas will be included within the spatial plans. This will be undertaken in parallel with elements of Components 2, 3 and 4, to develop synergies and to be incorporated into the reports.

1. Contact the national institutions involved in marine spatial planning and prepare a plan for the collection of all existing management strategies, governance arrangements, policies and regulations regarding the use of the coastal zone and maritime area leading to the draft of national and regional MSP in the three countries of intervention.

2. Participate in the development of the terms of reference (ToRs) and in the selection of the national PSM consultants.

 3. In collaboration with the national consultants:

1. Conduct a governance assessment following the IUCN Natural Resource Governance Framework (NRFG).
2. Collection of all existing documentation on population vulnerability along the coast (including gender)
3. Identifying fish stock distributions. This will allow for linkages with users and ecosystem services to be identified in Output 2.1.1. “Key ecosystem services and users identified”
4. Use of the ecological assessments to map ecological condition, ability to deliver services and vulnerability to climate change and anthropogenic impacts to be used in Output 2.1.2 “Ecological condition of coastal and marine ecosystems and their vulnerability.”

4. Prepare a synthesis of all data into a status report including synergies between ecological condition, social interdependencies and economic structures; and trade-off assessments between these domains based on potential zoning options.

Phase 2 : Established MSP in place at the national and sub-regional levels

Based on Phase 1 data synthesis, national and sub-regional MSP will be prepared and will take place at the same time to ensure a harmonised approach, such as ensuring that the national and sub-regional zoning is compatible (i.e. where one country’s protected area zones end, does not run on to the primary shipping lanes of the next country). The spatial plans will be developed in a way that contributes to enhancing ecosystem services, sustainable management, equity, low carbon development, resource efficiency, and social inclusion. Most importantly, MSP will allow for a full mapping assessment of ecosystems, the cumulative impacts and those dependent on the resources. The process for MSP establishment follows closely the International Guide for Marine Spatial Planningand should be referenced at all stages of development to ensure a harmonised approach. The specific activities of this output are as follows:

1. Definition of MSP system/format to be used to harmonise all existing spatial plans through ongoing projects in each country. It will be based on the assessment of existing spatial planning programmes and determine new intervention areas in the gaps. This will be defined through workshop^s. This will be run in collaboration with the MSP national consultants and the Regional Coordination Unit (RCU).
2. Developing a first sub-regional and national blueprint concurrently through extensive stakeholder consultations and MSP planning sessions that consider existing governance practices.
3. Organise national workshop in each country, run in collaboration with the MSP national consultant and the Regional Coordination Unit. Regional dialogue should take place to maintain communication about the process in each country and feedback to RCU to develop the sub-regional blueprint at the same time.
4. Organise workshops to present the national and sub-regional MSPs to articulate the final national and sub-regional MSPs.
5. Develop and publish protocol for the MSP practitioners for use and application. This will be delivered by the technical consultant for the MSP component.
6. Upload to the online platform an open access MSP interface that allows users to filter the various layers and provide further input. This is the responsibility of the RCU.

Phase 3: Regional Accounting Monitoring system in place for ecosystem service

In collaboration with the national NBS consultants:

Link the BEVTK evaluation toolkit to the MSP. This will ensure feedback to the MSP to ensure it is up to date with the latest available data.

DELIVERABLES

The following deliverables are expected from the consultant:

1. An inception report describing the understanding of the tasks and a timeline for executing the different tasks;
2. A synthesis of all data into a status report including synergies between ecological condition, social interdependencies and economic structures; and trade-off assessments between these domains based on potential zoning options. The synthesis report will be based on the following pre-reports:
   1. A report on the governance assessment following the IUCN Natural Resource Governance Framework (NRFG).
   1. A report on the collection of all existing documentation on population vulnerability along the coast (including gender)
   1. A report on fish stock distributions.
   1. A report on ecological assessments to map ecological condition, ability to deliver services and vulnerability to climate change and anthropogenic impacts.
3. A report on the MSP system/format to be used to harmonise all existing spatial plans through ongoing projects in each country.
4. A first sub-regional and national blueprint.
5. A report for each national workshop on MSP
6. Reports of the workshops to present the national and sub-regional MSPs to articulate the final national and sub-regional MSPs.
7. A protocol for the MSP practitioners for use and application.
8. A final report of the mission

The final report must be submitted no later than 30 days after the due date of the mission. Each report will be submitted in hard and electronic version, in French and English.

DURATION OF THE MISSION

The mission of the selected consultant is for a total duration of 179 working days spread over 3 calendar years maximum.

QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIRED SKILLS

• Master’s degree in fisheries management, environment or land use planning;
• Demonstrate relevant professional experience of at least 10 years in the field in the management of coastal and marine ecosystems;
• Demonstrate a proven experience as leader on three years on MSP consultancies;
• Have proven experience in conducting complex development projects, with multiple stakeholders
• Have proven experience in organising workshops and meetings;
• Have a good understanding of public administrations in general and, in particular, regional fisheries organizations;
• Have experience working with NGOs, international organizations and/or consultancy firms;
• Required experience in coordinating a regional team;
• Have a good understanding of procedures of bilateral donors; knowledge of GEF procedures, in particular, is desirable;
• Proficient in computer skills, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc;
• Have good physical condition with the ability to travel;
• Perfect command of French and English.

GENDER MAINSTREAMING

The FCWC is an equal opportunity employer and qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply.