Result of Service

Ultimate result of service

The following deliverables are expected:

1. National and regional diagnostics reviews of production and trade patterns;
2. AfCFTA national strategies developed and priority actions implemented;
3. National/regional forums on AfCFTA related issues;
4. Value chains analysis of specific sectors (good and service sectors);
5. Other ad hoc outputs on request;

And the ultimate result under the digital trade work – Data to allow for better assessing the magnitude, opportunities and bottlenecks of digital trade in Africa is available with a triple objective: 1) Providing information on digital trade regulatory integration to member States which could be particularly useful in the perspective of AfCFTA Phase III negotiation on e-commerce but also digital trade matters at large; 2) Adding a digital trade integration component to the next edition of AUC-AfDB-ECA Africa Regional Integration Index (ARII); 3) Adding African countries into the OECD Digital Services Trade Restrictiveness Index (Digital STRI) database.

Work Location

Addis Ababa

Expected duration

6

Duties and Responsibilities

Background

The agreement establishing the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) signed in Kigali, Rwanda, on 21 March 2018 is a key milestone in Africa’s integration Agenda. The AfCFTA is expected to be a key engine of economic growth, industrialization and sustainable development in Africa in line with the 2030 Agenda adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, and the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063 for “The Africa We Want”.

For the AfCFTA to deliver the expected outcomes, priority actions are to be undertaken in the short to medium run. Firstly, efforts to support Member States in consensus-building to secure the ratification of the Agreement should be accompanied by strengthening the AfCFTA marketplace through continental policies on competition, investment and intellectual property rights. Secondly, there is a need to build on the political momentum behind the AfCFTA to support policy reforms that are aimed at implementing the Agreement. In this regard, it is critical for member States to undertake deliberate actions and deploy necessary efforts through effective and integrated AfCFTA national strategies/plans with a view to maximize the benefits of the Agreement while minimizing potential induced adverse effects. The strategies will be complemented by an effective monitoring and evaluation framework that will track progress on the implementation of the Agreement.

It is against this background that the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) is leading the implementation of a technical assistance project aiming to deepen Africa’s trade integration through effective implementation of the AfCFTA. A main component of the project is to support a number of African countries develop AfCFTA-tailored Strategies and implement priority actions at national levels, while ensuring coherence with regional, continental and global frameworks. These entail support countries identifying capacity gaps and other challenges to overcome to ensure adequate implementation of the Agreement just as comparative and competitive advantages for diversification and ability to develop or integrate value chains under the Agreement. The scope of the support also includes design and implementation of measures including new policy interventions or retuning of existing policy frameworks in the context of the AfCFTA. Cross cutting issues to be considered in the strategies include gender mainstreaming, youth employment, environmental and climate change as well as technologies.

It is in this context that the ECA through its African Trade Policy Center (ATPC) proposes to recruit a consultant to provide necessary support to the project team in delivering the project outcomes.

Duties & Responsibilities – Trade Expert

Under the overall oversight of the Director, Regional Integration and Trade Division, the direct guidance of the Coordinator of the African Trade Policy Center, and the supervision of assigned staff, the consultant will work closely with the project officers to perform the following tasks:

1. Ensure coordination of the project activities and support member States organize AfCFTA related events including forums, seminars and workshops working closely with a wide range of stakeholders including government officials, the private sector, civil society organizations and the academia;
2. Work closely with ECA project team to produce AfCFTA national strategies in target countries following agreed guidelines;
3. Support countries to design and implement various measures/policies in the context of AfCFTA;
4. Carry-out value chain analysis of specific sectors including for services and goods at national, regional and global levels;
5. Develop materials and build capacity of national stakeholders on AfCFTA matters;
6. Compile data and undertake research in line with trade, industrialization and regional value chain issues in Africa;
7. Regularly provide advice and required support to colleagues and national stakeholders;
8. Liaise with partners to ensure successful delivery of joint project components;
9. Generate reports on the progress of the project for ECA management and the development partner
10. Assist with any other ad-hoc request within the context of the project; And under the digital trade work:
1. Take part in trainings (through a series of webinars) associated with the second phase of the digital trade regulatory integration initiative;
2. Guide 4 experts and review information collected by the experts on Digital STRI for the relevant 4 selected countries from the second phase (2 substantive reviews for each of the 4 countries are expected to be undertaken by the consultant);
3. Collect information, for 2 to 3 selected countries from the first phase, on indicators related to Regional Digital Trade Integration (RDTI) which were not already collected under the first phase of the initiative;
4. Assisting with any other ad-hoc requests within the context of the project, as required.

Qualifications/special skills

Master’s degree or above in Economics, Trade, laws or related fields is required.
A minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in trade, economics or related areas. Good knowledge of AfCFTA issues is desirable. Familiarity with data analysis is an asset.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations. For this post, fluency in English is required. Advanced working knowledge of French is desirable.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.