National Consultant- Sanitation Financing, Accra, Ghana

Contract

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UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, Health

How can you make a difference?

With only 25% of households in Ghana accessing basic sanitation and close to 57% using shared or public facilities, the country is off track in meeting Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 6.2 to deliver sanitation for all by 2030. Ghana would need some US$ 3.5 billion in capital investments by 2030 to achieve universal access. Public financing in sanitation is less than 10% of what is required, whilst households are by far the biggest investors in sanitation. A key barrier to household sanitation financing is high borrowing interest rates, and high credit benchmarks requiring multi-year audited accounts for business. GOG - UNICEF has successfully rolled out the revolving fund concept in both rural and urban areas of Ghana with encouraging results. Specifically, the Basic Sanitation Fund (BSF) has been implemented in Tamale, Ashaiman, Ho, Cape Coast and Komenda Edina Eguafo Abirem (KEEA), while the District Sanitation Fund (DSF) has been implemented in Wa West, Mion, Yendi, Garu, Kpandai, East Gonja, Kadjebi, Ajumako, Enyan Essiam (AEE). The BSF has been extended to December 2024 while the DSF will run till December 2025.

The Basic Sanitation Fund (BSF) which was launched in December 2018 aims to make financing affordable and accessible to increase sanitation uptake. The fund is administered through the ARB Apex Bank (Apex Bank), with Rural Community Banks (RCBs) on-lending to households and/or small and medium enterprise (SMEs) for the explicit purpose of building household toilets in targeted urban areas. A social and financial impact assessment of the BSF undertaken in 2020 and the experience to date, indicate that an enhanced focus is required to increase loan uptake and to improve repayment rates by both SMEs and households. Furthermore, there are plans to scale up the sanitation revolving fund concept to a national level to enhance access to basic sanitation.

This assignment seeks to improve the performance of the existing sanitation financing schemes and support scale up to a national fund.In specific terms, the Consultant will be required to carry out the following broad activities:

• Support the expansion of the BSF to new MMDAs in anticipation of the establishment of the proposed national sanitation revolving fund.
• Provide technical and process facilitation support for the conduct of a capacity assessment of market and financing institutions.
• Support the Innovative Financing and Partnership Specialist, in navigating the local banking and micro-financing context.
• Support coordination efforts on both the BSF and the District Sanitation Fund (DSF), especially working with Financial Institutions.
• Coordinate existing BSF activities on disbursement and repayment at field level by working closely with Apex Bank and RCBs, FIs, FNGOs, CSOs, MMDAs, BSF beneficiaries (Households and SMEs) and other stakeholders.
• Facilitate the development of a pipeline of SMEs within the WASH sector to provide key complementary services that will support the sustainable implementation and expansion of the GSF.
• Identify opportunities for further scaling up of the BSF.

The deliverables of the assignment are detailed below:

1. Monthly review and update of BSF and DSF database to assess the progress.

2. At least 500 loans are disbursed.

3. At least 6 SMEs assessed per quarter for their bankability (24 in total), and negotiations initiated between the FSPs or the new fund manager of the national fund, including bi-monthly reporting.

4. Quarterly progress report submitted (4 reports)

5. Bi-monthly disbursement report submitted to UNICEF.

6. 90% repayment rate achieved on loans disbursed by Financial Service Providers (FSPs)

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• The applicant must be a Ghanaian with a minimum of master’s degree in Financing, Banking, Business Development or any other related field linked to financing, micro-credit and business management.
• Additional qualification in Management and Business Administration will be an asset.
• A minimum of three years progressive experience of development financing, banking, micro-credit, business development and sanitation marketing.
• Experience of working with Mutual Savings and Loan Association (MSLA), micro-finance, credit and loan institutions and rural banks in Ghana is desirable.
• Proven experience of supporting Financial Service Providers (FSPs) and knowledge of SPs, knowledge of lending mechanisms, would be a valuable asset.
• Proven planning and organizational skills and strong drive for results
• Ability to formulate strategies and concepts
• Innovative and analytical skills
• Effective coordination of skills, networking and influencing
• Good communication and report-writing skills
• Data management and computation skills

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles 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.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.