National Consultant – Private Sector Partnerships

Position description

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls, the empowerment of women, and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security. In Nigeria, UN Women supports the government’s national development agenda, which prioritizes the empowerment of women and girls and their contribution to all economic, political, and social development areas. In Nigeria, UN Women supports strengthening women’s voices, agency, and leadership across sectors to advance their rights, provide space for their meaningful participation, and contribute to tangible differences in their lives. Under the overarching SN 2023 – 2027, UN Women’s work in Nigeria focuses on four programmatic areas, including governance and leadership, women’s economic empowerment, ending violence against women, and women, peace and security and humanitarian action, and disaster risk reduction.

Background:  

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country and largest economy, faces significant gender disparities despite progress in some areas, such as education. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), women comprise approximately 49.4% of the population. Yet, they continue to encounter barriers to economic participation, resource access, and decision-making roles. The Gender Inequality Index (GII) for Nigeria stands at 0.535, indicating substantial disparities in reproductive health, empowerment, and labor market participation between men and women. Further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic are the adverse impacts on women’s employment, income, and social protection. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), women in Nigeria are overrepresented in sectors heavily affected by the pandemic, such as informal and low-paying jobs, putting them at higher risk of job losses and reduced economic opportunities. The World Bank estimates Nigeria’s GDP contracted by 3.2% in 2020, further exacerbating economic vulnerabilities, particularly for women.

Given the pivotal role of women in driving economic growth and development, there is growing potential for private sector organizations to contribute to addressing gender inequalities and promote women’s economic empowerment by leveraging resources, expertise, and networks of that exist within the private sector and which can catalyze innovative solutions to advance gender equality and contribute to sustainable development.

UN Women is dedicated to advancing gender equality and women empowerment across all sectors of society and is committed to deepening its collaboration with private sector organizations and understanding of the labour market landscape in Nigeria, to accelerate gender equality and women empowerment. While governments are the primary drivers for achieving the goals, it is vital to forge collaborations with the private sector to achieve the SDGs. Globally, a growing number of public-private partnerships have invested over $300 million in programmes on gender equality and women empowerment.

Part of the Strategic Partnerships Division (SPD), the Private Sector Partnerships Section Services (PSP) Section leads UN Women’s engagement with the private sector, corporations, philanthropy, foundations, and individuals – both in terms of substantive components and resource mobilization – and it drives a wide range of UN Women’s global initiatives: HeForShe, Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) and Unstereotype Alliance (UA). It also leads the work with all UN Women National Committees and on the development of the individual/digital giving as well as Advisory Services business line for private sector. PSP’s main aims are to ensure that UN Women develops and sustains high quality and impact-focused partnerships to achieve maximum results for gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Justification:

Despite the recognition of the private sector’s contributions as a critical mechanism for advancing gender equality, their actual programmatic interventions are often stand-alone, with limited coordination with other gender cohorts, and may not prioritize the several SDG 5 indicators, leading to disproportionate targeting, implementation, and contribution to SDG 5 … Additionally, UN Women Nigeria has implemented and researched the dynamics and flow of private sector resources and commitments to addressing gender inequalities, the prioritization of SDG 5 by indicators in public and donor-led funding, established private sector forums, and the available services provided by UN Agencies, of which women in Nigeria can benefit from. These research and anecdotal implementation offers the basis for forging new and strengthening existing partnerships with Nigeria’s private sector. The opportunity cost of gender inequality not only undermines human rights but also poses significant economic loss to the productivity and economy of any country. According to the McKinsey Global Institute, closing gender gaps in labor force participation, productivity, and wages could add $28 trillion to global GDP by 2025. In Nigeria, the World Bank estimates that gender gaps in labour force participation alone cost the economy $13.9 billion annually, equivalent to about 2% of GDP. 

Duties and Responsibilities

The proposed consultancy aims to strengthen UN Women Nigeria’s collaborative engagements with the private sector through a comprehensive analysis and proposal of innovative engagement models, and  design gender responsive labour market and industry-specific policies and practices that address existing market failures that perpetuate gender inequality and limit women’s participation in private sector market-led activities. Additionally, the consultancy will emphasise the inter-linkages between investments in economic empowerment and other UN Women thematic sections – gender-based violence, participation in public life and leadership, peace and security, humanitarian and disaster risk reduction.

 Lagos, Nigeria’s economic hub, hosts a diverse population and a dynamic business environment, making it an ideal location for a women’s business development centre. By centralizing resources, services, and support systems within the centre, women entrepreneurs and professionals can access training, mentorship, networking opportunities, and financial assistance to overcome barriers to their advancement. The centre can catalyze gender equality initiatives, fostering collaboration between government agencies, civil society organizations, and private sector entities to promote women’s empowerment at all levels. Through its strategic location and comprehensive offerings, the Women Business Development Centre, will play a pivotal role in unlocking the full potential of women, driving economic growth, and advancing gender equality in Nigeria and beyond.  Addressing gender inequalities through the private sector’s contribution can unlock women’s economic potential by expanding their access to services, goods, and resources, facilitating their participation in the labor market, and contributing to inclusive and sustainable economic development.

Objective:

The objective of the proposed consultancy is to analyze the labor market landscape in Nigeria and identify opportunities for accelerating gender equality and women’s empowerment through strategic partnerships between the private sector and PPP arrangements. This involves conducting a comprehensive analysis to strengthen UN Women Nigeria’s collaborative engagements with the private sector, proposing innovative engagement models, and designing gender-responsive labor market and industry-specific policies and practices to address existing market failures perpetuating gender inequality and limiting women’s participation in private sector activities.

Purpose of the Consultancy:

UN Women Nigeria is seeking the services of a national consultant to:

• Conduct a comprehensive analytical review of the labor market landscape in Nigeria, including demographic trends, employment patterns, and gender disparities.
• Propose innovative engagement models for strengthening UN Women Nigeria’s collaboration with the private sector and PPP arrangements.
• Development of a strategy to establish a Women Business Development Center
• Develop recommendations for Investments and strategic partnerships between UN Women and private and public sector organizations to accelerate gender equality and women’s empowerment in Nigeria.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Conduct an in-depth desk review of labour market landscape in Nigeria, including demographic trends, employment patterns, and gender disparities, focusing specifically on gender dynamics and opportunities for gender mainstreaming in the private sector.
• Facilitate extensive stakeholder engagements with a diverse range of stakeholders, including government, private sector, civil society organizations, and women’s groups, to develop innovative engagement models for strengthening UN Women Nigeria’s collaboration with the private sector and PPP arrangements.
• Propose a strategy for establishing a Women’s Business Developing Center to support women entrepreneurship and providing support services. (Define structures to ensure sustainability).
• Develop a strategy for funding gender equality and women empowerment through private and public sector resources across the UN Women thematic sections.

Deliverables:

• Inception report
• A detailed report outlining the findings of the labor market landscape in Nigeria, including demographic trends, employment patterns, and gender disparities.
• Additional materials and resources developed during the analysis include:
  • A strategy for establishing a Women’s Business Development Centre.
  • Engagement models for strengthening UN Women Nigeria’s collaboration with the private sector and PPP arrangements.
  • Develop a strategy for funding gender equality and women empowerment through private sector resources and PPP arrangements.

Summary presentation for stakeholders highlighting findings and strategic recommendations.

The consultancy will be conducted for a total period of 6 months and is expected to include 30 days of fieldwork and the 60 days of home-based work.

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example

Functional Competencies:

• Expert knowledge of gender equality and women’s rights issues.
• Demonstrated ability to interact effectively with various partners, particularly IFIs, private sector, foundations, and others.
• Demonstrated track record in fundraising for an organization, entity or programme through innovative approaches
• Proven networking skills and ability to influence and mobilize support for the organization;
• Excellent negotiating skills, analytical and interpersonal skills.
• Strong political acumen and judgment
• Prior experience leading and managing a team in a diverse, multicultural working environment
• Excellent IT skills, including databases, extranet and office software packages
• Robust research and analytical skills.
• Strong report writing and communication skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in economics, business management, development financing, social sciences, public administration, international relations, communications, women’s studies, or a related field is required.
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• At least 9 years of progressively responsible experience in resource mobilization, /or business development and strategic partnership building, preferably for development agenda, is required.
• Substantive knowledge of gender equality and women’s empowerment is required.
• A proven track record in successful fundraising through innovative resource mobilization efforts is required.
• Experience building strategic partnerships with the private sector and financing institutions is highly desirable.
• Experience leading and managing a team in a diverse, multicultural environment is required.
• Demonstrated experience in conducting research and sectoral analysis, especially labour markets, to advance gender equality and women empowerment is required
• Prior experience working in Nigeria with a wide range of stakeholders is highly desirable.
• Experience working in the UN system is desirable.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in written and spoken English is required.

Application

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc. Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality, and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW, and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided based on qualifications, competence, integrity, and organizational need.

Application instructions

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