SRO-SA National Consultant Research on Trade in Goods and Services Kingdom of Eswatini

Result of Service ECA – the African Trade Policy Centre and the Sub-Regional Office for Southern Africa (SRO-SA) – intend to engage a national/resident consultant to support country-level activities on the development of a national strategy for the AfCFTA. The consultant will specifically provide research assistance and technical backstopping towards developing a national AfCFTA implementation strategy for trade in goods and services in the Kingdom of Eswatini, its action plan as well as its Monitoring and Evaluation Mechanism.

Work Location Kingdom of Eswatini

Expected duration The consultant will be recruited for a period of 4 months covering the duration of the national AfCFTA strategy development.

Remuneration :

USD 5000 in total, allocated according to the following product submission timetable:

- 30% after the submission of a report (in collaboration with the two trade strategy experts) 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 from public and private sector as well as CSOs); - 30% after the submission of the report the national AfCFTA forum; and - 40% after the submission of the report of the AfCFTA validation workshop.

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 and services. 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 engage a national/resident consultant to support country-level activities on the development of a national strategy for the AfCFTA. The consultant will specifically provide research assistance and technical backstopping towards developing a national AfCFTA implementation strategy for trade in goods and services in the Kingdom of Eswatini, its action plan as well as its Monitoring and Evaluation Mechanism.

Duties and responsibilities

Working under the overall guidance and supervision of the ECA SRO-SA, the consultant is expected to work in close collaboration with the two trade strategy experts (goods and services) leading the development of the national AfCFTA strategy, as well as various stakeholders at the national level involved in the project. Specifically, the consultant will:

i. Collect national data (qualitative and quantitative) on trade in goods and services, including data on the legal and regulatory environment in each of the priority service sectors and their sub-sectors; ii. Assist the trade strategy experts in the design of questionnaires and interview questions to be addressed to a wide range of national stakeholders including government officials, business entities, civil society organizations, financial institutions, academia and development partners among others; iii. Conduct stakeholder interviews and surveys on relevant issues and matters related to the project; iv. Assist in the provision of timely and relevant data and related-materials for the trade strategy experts in goods and services; v. Maintain accurate records of interviews and surveys, safeguarding the confidentiality of subjects, as necessary; vi. Manage and respond to project related queries; vii. Act as a liaison between the trade strategy experts and national stakeholders; viii. Prepare briefing notes and generic summary reports as requested and guided by the trade strategy experts; ix. Assist in the organization of consultative and sensitization workshops as well as the validation meeting on the draft national AfCFTA strategy; x. Attend the project meetings and assist in A the preparation of outcome statements and reports; xi. Ensure quality, and in time delivery of the project outputs at the national level; and xii. Assist with any other ad-hoc requests within the context of the project;

Qualifications/special skills Academic Qualifications: Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or above) in Economics, Trade, Statistics; Development Studies or related fields is desirable. A Bachelor’s degree will be accepted in combination with an additional two (2) years of relevant work experience. Experience: - A minimum of Five (5) years of proven experience in economic research and analysis; trade policy research and analysis, stakeholder engagement; regional integration and development or related areas, in Eswatini and/or at the international level; - Experience in the area of planning and strategy development; design of strategies for implementation of economic policies of Eswatini is desirable; - Familiarity with qualitative research and data analysis using statistical packages; - Experience in successfully managing development projects is desirable; - Experience in the field of trade in goods and services will be an added advantage. Language: Language: English and French are the working languages of the United Nations. For this project, fluency in English (both oral and written) is required. Knowledge of the national language is highly 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.