SRO-SA Consultant Trade Strategy Expert -Trade in Goods Kingdom of Eswatini

Result of Service A national consultant to lead country-level activities on the development of a national strategy for the AfCFTA to support implementation of this project in Eswatini. The consultant will specifically develop a national AfCFTA implementation strategy for trade in goods, its action plan as well as its Monitoring and Evaluation Mechanism.

Work Location Remote

Expected duration The consultant will be recruited for a period of 4 months

Remuneration :

The consultant will be paid USD 12,000 in total, allocated according to the following product submission timetable:

- 30% after submission of an inception report containing a plan for the consultative process; a report of the results of the initial phases of implementation of the consultative process (at least one consultative workshop held to launch officially the elaboration of the strategy; some meetings held with high officials form public and private sector and CSOs) and a detailed outline for the AfCFTA document; - 40% after the presentation of the draft AfCFTA Implementation Strategy document - 30% after the receipt of the revised and final Eswatini AfCFTA Implementation Strategy and Action Plan as well as its Monitoring and Evaluation document

Duties and Responsibilities Project: Deepening Africa’s Trade Integration through Effective Implementation of the AfCFTA

Project country: Kingdom of Eswatini

Background

The Agreement establishing the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) signed in Kigali, Rwanda, on 21st March 2018 is a key milestone in Africa’s integration Agenda. The Agreement includes the Protocol on Trade in Goods, the Protocol on Trade in Services and the Protocol on Rules and Procedures on the Settlement of Disputes.

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 term. Firstly, the ratification of the AfCFTA is critical. 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 as well as the required domestication. In this regard, it is critical for Member States to undertake deliberate actions and deploy necessary efforts through effective and integrated AfCFTA national strategies 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. Similarly, they will be informed by regional commitments to economic integration and industrialization; as well as national policies and overarching strategies

As part of its role in providing technical assistance to Member States, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) is leading the implementation of a project aimed at deepening Africa’s trade integration through domestication and effective implementation of the aspirations towards the AfCFTA. The main component of the project is to support African countries to develop AfCFTA National Strategies. These strategies are expected to identify where comparative advantages lie for each country for diversification as well as priority value chains to be developed in order to support economic diversification and maximize trade potential in the context of the Agreement. Beyond sectors identified as having a comparative advantage, the document should be forward looking and identify sectors and industries of the future, which can enable Eswatini to ultimately integrate into Regional and Global Value Chains and higher value-added goods. Cross cutting issues to be considered in the strategy include gender mainstreaming, youth, other vulnerable groups, environmental and climate change mitigation strategies as well as technologies.

Trade liberalization policies will not achieve intended development goals if they are not designed and implemented with the adequate consideration of gender, youth and vulnerable groups’ issues. The liberalization of trade impacts men and women differently due to the different economic and social positions they occupy. Thus, developing a gender-sensitive approach is necessary to mitigate the negative impact of trade policies on women and enhance the positive outcomes for women which will strengthen the overall effectiveness of these policies.

It is in this context that ECA – the African Trade Policy Centre and the Sub-Regional Office for Southern Africa (SRO-SA) intend to recruit a national consultant to lead country-level activities on the development of a national strategy for the AfCFTA to support implementation of this project in Eswatini. The consultant will specifically develop a national AfCFTA implementation strategy for trade in goods, its action plan as well as its Monitoring and Evaluation Mechanism.

Scope of Work

Working under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the ECA SRO-SA, the trade consultant is expected to work in close collaboration with various stakeholders at national, regional and global levels involved in the project. Specifically, the consultant will;

i. Produce a national AfCFTA implementation strategy for Eswatini, its Action Plan and its Monitoring and Evaluation Mechanism, working with a team comprising a national trade in goods expert, a trade and gender expert to develop the strategy. ii. Analyse Eswatini’s production and trade of specific goods and articulate Eswatini’s offensive and defensive issues in trade in goods; iii. Identify opportunities for tapping into regional value chains for domestic production or further value addition; iv. Develop export promotion strategies for identified priority AfCFTA markets; v. Articulate comparative and competitive benefits for Eswatini in relation to the AfCFTA; vi. Collect relevant national data to be used in the development of the Eswatini AfCFTA National Implementation Strategy and Action Plan with nominated champions for specific deliverables and timeframes; vii. Review the relevant national and regional (SACU, SADC, and Tripartite) industrialization and trade strategies and policies as they impact trade between Eswatini and the Tripartite Member States; viii. Contribute to Eswatini’s AfCFTA National Implementation Strategy and Action Plan based on an agreed methodological framework and in full consultation with the national stakeholders identified in consultation with the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade. The national strategy and action plan should be concretely informed by national data and other national strategy documents; ix. Undertake value chain analysis of priority production and trade commodities at national level to map the chains and identify opportunities and challenges/constraints using an approach and outline agreed with ECA; x. Assist the country in establishing and operationalizing a National AfCFTA Implementation Committee to ensure meaningful participation of all stakeholders in the development and implementation of the national strategy on the AfCFTA; xi. Advise on the Legislative amendments required for effective implementation of the AfCFTA National Strategy; xii. Recommend trade facilitation, industrial and export support policies required for effective implementation of the Agreement; xiii. Coordinate all project activities at country level and organize two national consultation forums for the development and validation of AfCFTA National Strategy, working closely with all the stakeholders involved in the project including government officials, the private sector, women entrepreneurs, civil society organizations and the academia; xiv. Integrate gender and youth dimensions through disaggregated data and key relevant gender indicators in the Eswatini AfCFTA National Implementation Strategy and Action Plan; xv. Timeously submit the Eswatini AfCFTA National Implementation Strategy and Action Plan, reports of stakeholder consultations and reports of data collection, to the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade; xvi. Identify training needs for effective implementation of the Eswatini AfCFTA National Implementation Strategy; xvii. Recommend the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) mechanisms of the Strategy; xviii. Ensure quality, and in time delivery of the project outputs at national levels; and xix. Assist with any other ad-hoc requests within the context of the project;

Qualifications/special skills Academic Qualifications: An Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or above) in Economics, Trade, Development Studies or related fields is required. Experience: The candidate should have - a minimum of seven (7) years of proven experience in trade policy formulation, regional integration and development or related areas in Eswatini; - experience in the area of planning and strategy development; design of strategies for implementation of economic policies of Eswatini; - Proven record in successfully managing development projects is desirable; - Experience in the field of trade in goods will be an added advantage and - Familiarity with data analysis using statistical packages is an asset; Language: English and French are the working languages of the United Nations. For this project, fluency in English (both oral and written) is required.

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.