Duties and Responsibilities
PROJECT BACKGROUND: The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Sub-Regional Office for Eastern Africa (SRO-EA) has benefited from the support of the United Nations Joint Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Fund to further the sustainable development agenda of Seychelles, by focusing on capacitating its circular economy sector. The UN Joint SDG Programme aims to service this demarche through a gender-responsive and evidence-based approach. Being a small island developing state whose land area extends over a total of 455km2, Seychelles has limited capacity to handle the solid waste generated by its population and industries. At present, it is estimated that Seychelles produces 80,000 tons of solid waste annually, out of which 90% are landfilled. The amount of waste generated is expected to increase by 50% by 2030. While the circular economy is still a new concept in the policy realm of Seychelles, pressured by this imminent environmental threat and crisis, Seychelles developed a Solid Waste Management Strategy 2020-2035. This plan emphasizes a need to practice waste sorting and segregation, develop the recycling sector, and encourage private sector investment in “critical waste management infrastructures”. All three recommendations require the critical “agency” of the private sector– either as a contributor at the bottom of the scale: as an operator, or as a driver of waste management practices. While the activities and contribution of large enterprises which operate in the circular economy in Seychelles is documented, information about micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) of the same sector is limited. Furthermore, there is no insight into the role of women in this sector. With an Exclusive Economic Zone of 1.35 million km2, Seychelles’ expansive seas also carry potential to contribute to circular symbiosis activities. The Blue Economy allows the optimization of unutilized or underutilized sea-based resources which could act as alternatives to polluting materials. In 2020, the Blue Economy contributed to only 27.4% of Seychelles’ GDP and yet 41% of its employment. An activation of Blue Economy activities will increase its contribution to national revenue, employment, as well as reduce dependence of the country on the use of other imported entrants to manufacturing processes as well as in energy production. Currently, the majority of Seychelles’ energy is generated through solid biofuels. A liberalization of the continental market under the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) will create new opportunities for MSMEs. For operators of the circular and blue economies, along with opening doors to new markets for their services and for their transformed products, the AfCFTA is also a platform to source intermediate goods/waste for transformation, and thereby develop regional value chains. It is in this spirit of an enlarged business potential in the blue economy and circular economy that the Department of Blue Economy will be hosting a Business Information Platform to service new domestic as well as foreign investors, and existing businesses (large and MSMEs) in the Blue Economy and Circular Economy areas in Seychelles. Under the UN Joint SDG Programme and with the support of the Fund thereunder, UNECA SRO-EA seeks to recruit a National Consultant to work with the developer of the Business Information Platform, the Department of Blue Economy, and UNECA, to develop the content that will be published on the Business Information Platform. The aim of the consultancy is to ensure that, at the launch of Business Information Platform, the platform has all relevant contents in terms of procedures, opportunities, contacts, amongst others, for Blue Economy and Circular Economy business facilitation, development, and promotion. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Under the general supervision of the Head of Cluster of the Sub Regional Initiative section, and the direct supervision of the Economic Affairs Officer, the successful Consultant will have the following list of duties and responsibilities: • Conduct consultations with the Department of Blue Economy and the LVMA to agree on a list of information about Blue Economy and Circular Economy to be published on the platform, and the structure thereof, in terms of web pages • Develop the required write ups for the different pages of the platform • Refer to official reports by UNECA, other UN Joint SDG Fund project partners, and other key stakeholders, to identify the initiatives of the Government, private sector, and civil society with regards to the circular and blue economies–including, but not limited to capturing data about the policy, legal, institutional frameworks, and financial instruments currently in place, and the key actors and instruments involved. These will inform the comprehensiveness of the Business Information Platform. • Sourcing the required official documents from national stakeholders to upload on different pages of the website (registration procedures, guideline documents, templates etc) • Assist the web developer in liaising with other national stakeholders for establishing agreed linkages to their respective platforms • Assist the web developer on ad hoc matters related to populating the Business Information Platform with the adequate information, pictures, documents, and links, until upto six months from the official launch of the Platform. • Assist in validating the content of the platform by national stakeholders prior to launch • Handing over of all content and sources to an identified local officer at the end of the contract, in the form of a report.
Qualifications/special skills
Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in international trade, development studies, journalism or related area is required. A first level degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent) in the specified fields with two additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. A minimum of three years of experience in report writing, or related field is required. The following technical competences are desirable: • Strong knowledge of Seychelles’ Blue Economy and Circular Economy sector; • Proven experience in developing write ups and reports.