BFA: CONSULTANT FOR MIDTERM EVALUATION OF BUILDING RESILIENCE IN KAYA-DORI AXIS

INTRODUCTION TO GGGI

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) is a treaty-based international, inter-governmental organization dedicated to supporting and promoting strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth in developing countries and emerging economies. To learn more please visit about GGGI web page.

GGGI-Burkina Faso is seeking a national consultant for the Midterm Evaluation of the Building Resilience in Kaya-Dori axis. This is a deliverable-based consultancy position that will provide technical support to GGGI Country Office.

The consultant is required to interact closely with relevant project members and stakeholders on a regular basis. He/She is  expected to work from the GGGI offices on a regular basis during the period of the consultancy. Any changes in work location (during part of the consultancy) would need to be agreed with GGGI prior to the start of the consultancy. A non-disclosure agreement of the data and information obtained and reviewed during this assignment may be required.

PROJECT BACKGROUND

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) seeks an individual consultant to conduct a mid-term evaluation of the Building Resilience in Kaya-Dori Axis in Burkina Faso (hereinafter the “Project”). The evaluation is intended to refine the Project’s implementation during its remaining period based on an independent assessment of results achieved and lessons learned. The primary audience for the evaluation is the Project Steering Committee (PSC) as well as GGGI’s Africa Regional Office. GGGI’s Burkina Faso Country Program will manage the evaluation with GGGI’s Impact and Evaluation Unit providing technical oversight.

GGGI is an intergovernmental organization established with the objective of promoting sustainable development of developing and emerging countries including the least developed countries. Its vision is a low-carbon, resilient world of strong, inclusive, and sustainable growth; and its mission is to support Member countries in the transformation of their economies to a green growth economic model.

GGGI started its operations in Burkina Faso since 2018 and has been supporting the country in its transition on a green growth pathway. GGGI’s current Country Planning Framework (CPF) 2023-2027, developed together with the Government of Burkina Faso, is focused on scaling up green investment, strengthening climate action, promoting climate resilient agriculture, promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency, and has a cross-cutting dimension promoting social inclusion and add value in the context of fragility and the humanitarian-development nexus.

In March 2023, GGGI and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) signed a funding agreement for the delivery of the “Building Resilience in Kaya-Dori Axis in Burkina Faso” (the “Project”). The Project’s objective is “to improve the living conditions and livelihoods of vulnerable communities within the Kaya-Dori axis (municipalities of Kaya and Pissila)”.

GGGI identified in the Project proposal that the Centre-North Region hosts more than 50% of Burkina Faso’s internally displaced population. The humanitarian emergency exacerbates previous challenges of degradation of natural resources, the lack of water (for drinking and irrigation), and the continuation of traditional, climate vulnerable farming and animal husbandry methods.

The Project has been designed around three outcomes, namely:

• Increase the local capacity to manage the humanitarian emergency among displaced people through emergency food assistance, access to water, awareness-raising on social cohesion, nutrition and WASH, the supply of clean cooking systems and skills training to promote income-generating activities.
• Ensure a green, resilient, and inclusive local development of communities where displaced people (IDPs) resettle, through trainings on livestock-based income generating activities combined with small animals’ distributions, the creation of five nutritious community gardens, the reclamation and valorization of 250 ha of degraded lands, and the provision of 25 solar irrigation kits to support agriculture.
• Strengthen governance capacity for local green recovery, peace building, and reconciliation while supporting municipalities and village councils to ensure that their local development plans include green growth strategies for economic and social stabilization and recovery; build the capacity of administrative and local authorities to understand the potential of green growth strategies for economic and social stabilization and recovery, and for ecosystem restoration.

GGGI is the lead implementing agency of the Project. The Project’s implementation is overseen by a Technical Project Coordination Committee (PSC). That meets every 6 months to review project results and provide guidance over implementation. This PSC is composed of representatives from:

• The Ministry of Environment, Water and Sanitation;
• The Ministry of Energy and Mines Ministry of Agriculture, Animal and halieutic Resources;
• The Centre Nord Governorate;
• The Regional Council of Centre-Nord region;
• Municipal local communities;
• KOICA Country Office in Cote d’Ivoire;
• Key implementation partners (APIL and ATAD); and
• Ouaga – Kaya – Dori Project (OKD Project).

As of June 2024, the Project has achieved the following key results by outcome:

Outcome 1: The local capacity to manage the humanitarian emergency among displaced people is increased

• 750 households of which 59% headed by women benefited with food distribution;
• 100 young people and women have been placed in training centers to receive training in their areas of activity with the purpose of improving their income-generating capacity;
• 5 solar cooking systems were provided to 5 women as a pilot test before scaling up; and
• 4,000 people were sensitized on social cohesion, nutrition and WASH thematic

Outcome 2: Green, resilient and inclusive local development of communities where IDPs reinstall is ensured

• 2 nutritious gardens operated by 72 beneficiaries 83% of whom are women; and
• 190 ha of degraded land reclaimed for agricultural, breading and forestry.

Outcome 3: The governance capacity for local green recovery, peace building, and reconciliation is strengthened

• 1 Regional Development Plan was revised to integrate green growth strategies; and
• 142 administrative and local authorities including 13 women, received training on green growth, green economy, circular economy, climate changes, conflict sensitivity etc.

OBJECTIVE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The key objective of this evaluation is to review and assess the extent to which the Project is contributing to improving the living conditions and livelihoods of vulnerable groups, including internally displaced people as well as their host households, in the five target villages in the municipalities of Kaya and Pissila, Centre-Nord Region. The evaluation will cover all Project activities delivered between April 2023 and September 2024 (i.e. 18 months). These covers activities delivered by GGGI as well as its implementing partners (i.e., APIL and ATAD).

Specifically, the evaluation seeks to answer the following key evaluation questions (KEQs),

• How has the Project responded to the evolving local context in the Kaya-Dori Axis as well as evolving beneficiary needs and feedback?
• How has the Project coordinated with local stakeholders and other development partners operating on the ground in the Kaya-Dori Axis?
• What has been the Project’s progress towards results, including related to gender equality and social inclusion, and is it on track to achieve its expected outcomes?
• How has the Project managed the risks associated with operating in the fragile security context?
• Were additional resources available as part of a second phase of the Project, what could the Project target and why?
• How well do targeted beneficiaries understand KOICA’s role in the project?

The evaluation report will identify lessons learned on delivering green growth outcomes in humanitarian and conflict situations as well as make recommendations to strengthen the Project’s delivery and the monitoring framework to measure the project outcomes.

METHADOLOGY AND APPROACH

The evaluation must provide evidence-based information that is credible, reliable, and useful. This evidence base should

The Consultant shall ensure the evaluation methodology is participatory, learning focused, iterative, and flexible. To support this approach, the Consultant will need to ensure:

• The inclusion of mixed methods that leverage quantitative and qualitative evidence that support triangulation of evidence to strengthen confidence in evaluation findings in response to the KEQs;
• An open and collaborative approach in developing the evaluation methodology, involving regular discussions and open communications;
• The use of gender-responsive approach and methodology throughout the evaluation process; and
• Adequate opportunities for GGGI and key stakeholders to comment and discuss the content of draft evaluation outputs, including opportunities to present initial evidence and findings.

The inception report and final evaluation report should describe the approach taken and the rationale for the approach, making explicit the underlying assumptions, challenges, strengths and weaknesses about the methods and approach.

As part of the inception phase, the Consultant shall, among other things:

• Review the Project logframe, and monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) Plan to understand the project design and the availability of data;
• Arrange a workshop with the Project team and key stakeholders to discuss the theory of change and hearing about whether there is a common agreement – or diverse views – on whether it is well articulated (causal mechanisms) and leads to well-defined outcomes (based on realistic assumptions and external factors/context).
• Refine the KEQs and articulate a small number of sub-questions for each KEQ, in discussion with GGGI’s Burkina Faso Impact and Evaluation Unit (IEU), and develop an evaluation matrix outlining the evidence sought, the data collection and sampling methods, and approach for analyzing and triangulating data to support robust findings.
• Develop data collection tools, including semi-structured interview questionnaires, informed consent declarations, etc.

As part of the inception and data collection phases, the Consultant shall

• Review key Project documents, including the proposal, logical framework, risk framework, communication strategy, budget, bi-annual, annual and finance report submitted to KOICA.
• Review Project-MEL data related to activities linked to the means of verification associated with project activities, outputs, and outcomes.
• Review Project Communication and Knowledge sharing materials that specifically seek to communicate the results (i.e., outputs, outcomes, and impacts)

And, as part of the data collection phase, the Consultant shall

• Conduct in-depth interviews with the project implementation entities: GGGI, ATAD, and APIL;
• Conduct interviews and/or focus group discussions with KOICA and Government of Burkina Faso counterparts including and not limited to the Ministry of Environment, Water and Sanitation, Central North Governorate and Regional Council, Regional Directorate of Environment, Water and Sanitation, municipalities of Kaya, Boussouma, Korsimoro and Pissila, etc.
• Conduct interviews and/or surveys of a representative sample of direct and indirect beneficiaries. Interviews and/or surveys should be conducted using survey software (e.g., Kobo Collect, ONA, or equivalent) that can capture geospatial coordinates where the data was collected and be supplemented by photographic evidence.

As part of the reporting phase, the Consultant shall ensure

• The report should use robust evidence and neutral language to communicate findings, identifies the strength of evidence, and explores the implications of the findings;
• The findings should trace the factors that have, over time, led to the current situation;
• The conclusions should be supported by evidence and analytical work in the body of the report;
• The lessons learned should describe the circumstances under which they are transferable to other contexts; and
• The recommendations should be feasible and be limited number, with clear responsibility allocated, and any significant cost implications of recommendations estimated.

The Consultant is responsible for safeguarding and ensuring ethics at all stages of the evaluation cycle. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring informed consent, protecting privacy, confidentiality, and anonymity of participants, ensuring cultural sensitivity, respecting the autonomy of participants, ensuring fair recruitment of participants (including women and socially excluded groups) and ensuring that the evaluation results do no harm to participants or their communities.

The consultant must ensure the “informed consent” of the interviewees by means of a control mechanism guaranteeing that S/he has obtained the interviewees’ agreement to the use of the information they have shared.

The Consultant is responsible systematically applying quality assurance through the evaluation and relevant documents. The Consultant will be required to ensure the quality of data (reliability, consistency, and accuracy) throughout the data collection, synthesis/analysis/drafting, and reporting phases. GGGI expects that all deliverables from the consultant are subject to its own thorough quality assurance prior to submission.

GGGI’s Burkina Faso Country Program will provide the following support for the Consultant,

• Sharing a ZIP folder of relevant project documents, including Project documents (proposal, logframe, risk matrix, budget data), Project MEL data, GGGI media coverage of the Project.
• A list of project stakeholders, including the names, titles, and affiliations, to support the consultant to identify and prioritize any interviews;
• Templates for the inception and final evaluation reports;
• Logistical support for any travel to the villages to conduct interviews and / or surveys

DELIVERABLES AND PAYMENT SCHEDULE

The Consultant will report to the GGGI Burkina Faso Country Representative. It is expected that the Consultant will be in regular contact (e.g., fortnightly, or as otherwise agreed during the kickoff meeting) with GGGI via email and MS Teams to provide progress updates and raise issues for resolution as required.

S/he is expected to deliver the following outputs per identified timeline and payment schedule below. All deliverables are to be delivered of high quality, within budget and the agreed upon timeline. The assessment of quality of deliverables shall be approved by GGGI’s IEU.

All draft deliverables must be submitted in English, and final deliverables must be submitted in English and French. GGGI shall share consolidated feedback within one week of the receipt of the draft outputs.

Data collection may only commence following the approval of the inception report.

NB: The consultation fees ($7,500) is a complete package including travel-related expenses to the Project sites and the cost of engaging enumerators, subscription for data collection tools, etc.

EXPERTISE INFORMATION

Note: The Consultant cannot have participated in the Project preparation, formulation, and/or implementation and should not have a conflict of interest with Project related activities.

• Recognized master’s degree or equivalent in sustainable development, economics, or other relevant disciplines;
• At least five (5) years of professional experience in designing and conducting project and program evaluations in Burkina Faso;
• At least five (5) years of experience working in Burkina Faso, with knowledge of the country’s socio economic development challenges.
• Experience working with resilience projects, Food Security, Agriculture, Social cohesion, Renewable Energy, Environment protection and Sustainable land management etc.
• Expertise in survey design, including proficiency in the use of open-sourced applications for survey data collection for the design and collection of survey data;
• Proficiency in analyzing and visually presenting quantitative and qualitative data collected through surveys, field and other interviews, as well as focus group discussions;
• Experience planning and facilitating focus group discussions with a diverse range of project stakeholders, from senior government officials to residents of rural communities;
• Working level spoken and written proficiency in French and English; and Proven capability to meet deadlines and work under pressure.

Tagged as: Burkina Faso, GGGI