CONSULTANCY FOR UNDERTAKING AN END-OF-TERM EVALUATION FOR SPURRING JOB CREATION IN KENYA BY ENHANCING THE COMPETITIVENESS OF THE BANANA SUBSECTOR PROG Full Time

ELIGIBLE TO KENYAN REGISTERED FIRMS ONLY

TERMS OF REFERENCE

1. MESPT Background

Micro-Enterprises Support Programme Trust (MESPT) is a Kenyan development organization established in 2002. MESPT’s overall objective is to promote economic growth, employment creation and poverty alleviation through enterprise development. This is achieved predominantly through support to the development of agricultural value chains whilst embracing and promoting the green growth and climate change agenda. Through its vision of building a more Prosperous Society, MESPT facilitates increased commercialization, decent employment, and green transformation through targeted interventions in the selected value chains. The Trust is a multi-donor entity jointly founded by the Government of Kenya and the European Union who later relinquished their position to the Royal Danish Embassy in Kenya, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark (DANIDA). To learn more about MESPT, please visit www.mespt.org.

1. Programme Description and Results

Spurring job creation in Kenya by enhancing the competitiveness of the banana subsector is a programme funded by DANIDA Market Development Partnership (DMDP) designed to give an opportunity to enterprises that are keen on delivering Sustainable Development. The programme brings commercial and non-commercial actors together in partnerships to promote sustainable business, development and employment opportunities contributing to SDGs 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and 17 (Partnerships for Sustainable Development).

Programme Goal: – The overall objective is to contribute to poverty reduction, climate adaptation and mitigation by embedding sustainability and green growth practices in the banana value chain in Taita Taveta County leading to increased income and employment opportunities.

1. Purpose of End Term Evaluation.

The project End Term Evaluation will seek to assess the overall programme achievements against set objectives and targets as stipulated in the programme document. The overall programme performance assessment will be done using the OEDC/DAC criteria focusing relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability of programme achieved results. It will aim to identify and document key lessons, challenges, innovations and recommendation for consideration in future programming.

Specific objectives of End Term Evaluation

The End Term Evaluation (ETE) will take stock of DMDP achievements over the five-year period from its inception in June 2020. It will provide the programme team including the commercial partners with an opportunity to reflect on what worked well and what did not by determining: –

1. Program Relevance & Coherence:
2. Program Efficiency:
3. Program Effectiveness:
4. Programme impact:
5. Sustainability:
6. Contextual Adaptation:
7. Learning & Accountability:
8. Gender &Youth perspective:
9. Programme management:
10. Partnership Management:
11. Risk management:

Scope of Work

This end-term evaluation aims to comprehensively assess the performance, outcomes, and sustainability of the DMDP programme implemented from 2020 to 2025 in Taveta Sub County. It will cover all aspects of programme design, implementation, and management. In addition, it will examine the project’s relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability against stated objectives. Specific activities to be undertaken include: –

1. Preparation Phase
2. Data Collection Phase
3. Analysis and presentation and reporting phase

Expected deliverables:

1. Inception Report
2. Draft Final Report
3. Final Endline Report
4. Datasets/ data analysis framework/ field reports

   Qualifications and competencies of the consultant

The lead consultant should have at least the following qualifications:

1. An advanced university degree (preferably master’s degree) in Statistics, Agricultural Economics, Monitoring and Evaluation, Natural Resources Management, environmental Science and Management, Climate Change, Development Studies and other related social sciences/ disciplines.
2. A minimum of 10 years of professional experience specifically in assessing programmes in Market Systems Development, integrated NRM and Sustainable Agriculture for international development initiatives preferably in Kenya.
3. Demonstrated expertise and capability in assessment of projects on agriculture and environment management.
4. Proven experience with logical framework approaches and other strategic planning approaches, M&E methods, and approaches (including quantitative, qualitative, and participatory), information analysis and report writing.
5. Proven experience with logical framework approaches and other strategic planning approaches, M&E methods, and approaches (including quantitative, qualitative, and participatory), information analysis and report writing.
6. Experience and expertise of evaluating programmes using OECD/DAC guidelines.
7. Demonstrated experience in measuring projects promoting access to micro credit among the MSMEs.
8. Knowledge and experience of the DANIDA/ DMDP System will be an added advantage
9. Excellent communication and interview skills.
10. Excellent English report writing skills.
11. Demonstrated ability to deliver quality results within strict deadlines.

Associate consultants should have the following qualifications:

QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES

The lead consultant should have at least the following qualifications:

1. An advanced university degree (preferably master’s degree) in Statistics, Agricultural Economics, Monitoring and Evaluation, Natural Resources Management, environmental Science and Management, Climate Change, Development Studies and other related social sciences/ disciplines.
2. A minimum of 10 years of professional experience specifically in assessing programmes in Market Systems Development, integrated NRM and Sustainable Agriculture for international development initiatives preferably in Kenya.
3. Demonstrated expertise and capability in assessment of projects on agriculture and environment management.
4. Proven experience with logical framework approaches and other strategic planning approaches, M&E methods, and approaches (including quantitative, qualitative, and participatory), information analysis and report writing.
5. Proven experience with logical framework approaches and other strategic planning approaches, M&E methods, and approaches (including quantitative, qualitative, and participatory), information analysis and report writing.
6. Experience and expertise of evaluating programmes using OECD/DAC guidelines.
7. Demonstrated experience in measuring projects promoting access to micro credit among the MSMEs.
8. Knowledge and experience of the DANIDA/ DMDP System will be an added advantage
9. Excellent communication and interview skills.
10. Excellent English report writing skills.
11. Demonstrated ability to deliver quality results within strict deadlines.

The Associate consultant(s) should have the following qualifications:

1. University degree (preferably master’s degree) in natural resources management, Agricultural Economics, development studies and other related disciplines.
2. A minimum of 5 years of professional experience specifically in evaluating development projects/programmes in the employment area, small-medium scale enterprise development or related areas of work, preferably in Africa.
3. Demonstrated experience/engagement in agriculture Value Chain development projects working with farmer groups
4. Demonstrated experience in assessing green technology/ climate smart projects.
5. Demonstrated experience in measuring projects promoting access to micro credit among the MSMEs
6. Knowledge and experience of the Danida/ DMDP System will be an added advantage.
7. Well versed with data analysis software such as SPSS, STATA and R
8. Excellent communication, interview and report writing skills.
9. Demonstrated ability to deliver quality results within strict deadlines.