National Consultant – Resource Mobilization Consultant/ Expert

Background

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. With an estimated population of over 216 million in 2022, it is the most populous country in Africa, and 6th most populated country globally. With a population growth rate averaging 2.6% annually, this presents a significant economic potential with a vast domestic market, workforce, and abundant natural resources. However, this potential is undermined by existing gender and socio-economic disparities with approximately 40.1% of the population living below the poverty line. In addition, the country has a working-age population (15-59 years) of less than 53%, with a significant increase in the number of economically active females aged 35-39 years, suggesting either an influx, or a reduced death rate in the preceding age group.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), women comprise approximately 49.4% of the population. Despite this, they continue to encounter barriers to economic participation, access to resources, 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. Gender inequality remains pervasive, influenced by entrenched patriarchal norms, socio-economic imbalances, cultural and religious factors, and inadequate gender-responsive policy and legal frameworks. Women and girls face disproportionate barriers in accessing quality education, healthcare services, economic opportunities, and political representation.  This persistent systemic inequality significantly hinders the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Recognizing the critical need to address these issues across the development and humanitarian contexts in Nigeria, UN Women aims to enhance its resource mobilization efforts for the delivery of its mandate and the achievement of the SDGs in Nigeria. The Nigeria Country Office seeks to recruit a Resource Mobilization Consultant to support the implementation of its resource mobilization strategy 2023 – 2027 in line with the Country Office Strategic Note (2023 – 2027), and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) (2023 – 2027). The consultant will play a pivotal role in  strengthening engagement with various stakeholders, including the private sector, government agencies, civil society organizations, and international development partners to secure funding and implement impactful programmess that promote gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.

Justification:

Nigeria, despite its economic potential, faces persistent socioeconomic challenges. Its 40.1% poverty rate disproportionately affects women who constititue almost half the population, due to systemic barriers deeply rooted in cultural, religious, and socioeconomic norms. These barriers hinder women’s access to economic opportunities, resources, and decision-making processes, resulting in unequal access to education, employment, and financial services. This is reflected in Nigeria’s gender inequality index of 0.535, which highlights the gap between men and women in terms of economic empowerment, educational attainment, and health outcomes.

Women in Nigeria face economic inequality due to limited access to formal employment, land ownership, and financial services, with only 22% having bank accounts compared to 35% of men. Girls encounter educational disparities, with less than half completing primary school in some parts of the country. Health disparities include high maternal mortality rates, with an estimated 512 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. Women are also politically underrepresented, constituting less than 5% of elected officials.

Nigeria’s untapped economic potential, if harnessed equitably, presents an opportunity to boost the GDP and promote inclusive sustainable development. Research by the McKinsey Global Institute indicates that addressing gender gaps in labor participation, productivity, and wages could add $28 trillion to the global GDP by 2025. In Nigeria, gender inequality costs the economy an estimated $13.9 billion annually, representing about 2% of the nation’s GDP, highlighting the urgency for strategic interventions. Empowering women by enhancing their access to productive assets, financial services, and decent work opportunities is key, and mobilizing resources to support advocacy, policy research, and legislative reforms can create an enabling environment for gender equality. UN Women, through its unique mandate and comparative advantage, is well-positioned to:

• Promote women’s political participation and leadership, amplifying women’s voices in decision-making processes thereby strengthening women’s leadership and participation in governance and decision-making across various sectors including in the humanitarian context.
• Enhance women’s economic opportunities and access to financial services to drive economic independence, and to contribute to the nation’s GDP.
• Strengthen the prevention and response to gender-based violence, and contribute to addressing the harmful gender and social norms which are the root causes of violence against women.
• Advance the role of women in peacebuilding and conflict resolution and in humanitarian and disaster risk reduction, promoting their participation and amplifying their voices and addressing the specific needs of women and girls in conflict-affected areas.

UN Women Nigeria, with its strategic positioning, and established relationships aims to enhance its resource base through strategic partnerships and targeted resource mobilization aligned with national, regional, and international development agendas and priorities. This will unlock diverse funding streams for more inclusive and gender-responsive programming, accelerating the achievement of SDGs and contributing to a more equitable and sustainable Nigeria.

Objective:

The objective of this consultancy is to enhance UN Women’s resource base in Nigeria, by securing adequate and sustainable funding to address the root causes of gender inequality,  and create a more equitable and inclusive Nigeria, where all women and girls have equal opportunities to participate in, benefit from, and contribute to the economic development of Nigeria.

Duties and Responsibilities

Purpose of the Consultancy:

UN Women is seeking the services of a national consultant to directly contribute to UN Women’s mandate of achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls in Nigeria. This will be achieved through increased enhanced sustainable and diversified funding base, to amplify the impact of gender equality programmes, creating a more equitable and inclusive Nigeria.

Specific Objectives:

The National Consultant – Resource Mobilization will:

• Update the resource mobilization strategy.
• Develop a donor intelligence report to inform targeted engagement.
• Identify funding opportunities to expand the funding base and foster strategic partnerships with key stakeholders.
• Develop targeted products, proposals, and initiatives to mobilize programmatic resources and attract additional funding.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Update the Country Office RM strategy with the current funding landscape in Nigeria, identify potential donors and engagement strategies.
• Strengthen donor intelligence through the development an analytical report on common development priority areas of UN Women’s and potential donors.
• Identify and secure funding opportunities to increase non-core resources.
• Strengthen and reinforce strategic relationships with current and prospective donors.
• Provide regular updates on activities, outcomes, and next steps.

Deliverables:

• Revised resource mobilization strategy with implementation plan, timelines, and targets.
• A donor intelligence report.
• At least three high-quality funding proposals and concept notes.
• A final consultancy report (which includes detailed report on donor engagement activities and outcomes and next steps).

Expected Timeline

The consultancy will be conducted for a total period of 6 months and is expected to include fieldwork and home-based work.  Payment for this consultancy will be based on the achievement of each deliverable and certification that each has been satisfactorily completed.

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.
• Expert knowledge on resource mobilization skills;
• Demonstrated ability to interact effectively with donors and partners;
• Excellent negotiation skills;
• Proven track record in resource mobilization for an organization, entity or programme through innovative approaches;
• Proven experience in developing and implementing diversified fundraising strategies;
• Knowledge of the donor landscape and funding trends in Nigeria.
• Ability to build and maintain relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Strong analytical, networking and interpersonal skills;
• Excellent report writing and communication skills.
• Knowledge and understanding of UN system and familiarity and demonstrates commitment to UN Women’s mission, vision and values;
• Strong cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• High standard of integrity, discretion and loyalty.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in international development, gender/women’s studies, international relations, economics, business management, development financing, social sciences, public administration, international relations, or a related field is required. A minimum of ten (10) years of relevant work experience is required with a master’s degree.
• A first-level university degree in a related field in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. A minimum of twelve (12) years of relevant work experience is required with a bachelor’s degree.

Experience:

• Minimum of 10 years (with a master’s degree) or 12 years (with a bachelor’s degree) of relevant work experience in resource mobilization, progressively responsible experience in resource mobilization, /or business development and strategic partnership building, preferably for development agenda, is required.
• Proven expertise in gender equality and women’s empowerment is required.
• Experience building strategic partnerships with government, international development partners, the private sector, civil society, and the UN is highly desirable.
• Experience indevelopeing
• 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:

. 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.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)