83456403_ Junior Legal Consultant Professional Market Access under the Protocol Trade in Goods

Consultant – Junior Legal Professional: Market Access under the Protocol Trade in Goods

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is looking for Consultant – Junior Legal Professional: Market Access under the Protocol Trade in Goods

Further details of the assignment can be found in the Terms of Reference. Please request all tender documents by email from [email protected]by mentioning “83456403_ Junior Legal Consultant ” on the subject email.

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is a global service provider in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development dedicated to shaping a future worth living around the world. As a public-benefit federal enterprise, GIZ supports the German Government – in particular the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) – and many public and private sector clients in achieving their objectives in international cooperation in around 120 countries. Since 2004, GIZ has been a reliable and trusted partner of the African Union (AU) to enhance inclusive growth and sustainable development on the African continent in line with the AU’s Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want. With more than 200 staff, GIZ African Union cooperates with the AU Commission, as well as the AU’s specialised institutions and agencies, such as the Development Agency AUDA-NEPAD, at continental, regional and national level in more than 35-member states. Key areas of engagement include Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention, Governance and Migration, Sustainable Economic Growth and Employment, as well as Health and Social Development.

GIZ, on behalf of the German government, supports the AfCFTA through the GIZ Support project to the AfCFTA (GIZ AfCFTA). GIZ AfCFTA supports the AU Commission (AUC) Department of Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry, Mining (ETTIM) as well as the AfCFTA Secretariat in Accra, Ghana in the AfCFTA negotiations and implementation. All activities of GIZ AfCFTA are closely coordinated across the continental, regional (East African Community (EAC), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Southern African Development Community (SADC)) and country (Cote d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Niger, Rwanda, Tunisia, Zambia) level to ensure that all levels are appropriately linked. The support is partly provided through the Team Europe Technical Assistance Facility to support the AfCFTA and African regional integration (EU-TAF), which is financed by the EU, Germany, France, and Sweden and jointly implemented with Expertise France and FIIAPP.

In 2020, the AfCFTA Secretariat was established as a new AU Organ in Accra, Ghana to manage and oversee the establishment of the AfCFTA. The Directorate of Trade in Goods and Competition of the AfCFTA Secretariat is mandated with the coordination and monitoring of the implementation and operationalization of the AfCFTA Agreement in relation to the Protocol on Trade in Goods and its related annexes. To effectively manage the negotiation of Trade in Goods (TiG) commitments and prepare their implementation, the AfCFTA Secretariat Directorate of Trade in Goods and Competition is seeking technical support through a Trade in Goods expert to support its work. It is against this background that GIZ, on behalf of the AfCFTA Secretariat, would like to engage the services of an individual Junior Trade Professional to support the work of the Directorate. In addition, the consultant will support the coordination of Market Access programmes, activities, and the initiatives (Guided Trade Initiative) of the AfCFTA Secretariat.

1. Tasks to be performed by the contractor

The Consultant is to support the Member States and Customs Unions in implementation of the AfCFTA Protocol on Trade in Goods and its related annexes concerning the liberalization of Trade in Goods. The Consultant will directly work and report to the Directorate of Trade in Goods and Competition.

The contractor is responsible for providing the following services:

1. Support the supervisor in developing the strategies to support member states in the implementation of the trade liberalization as per the agreed tariff phase down as per agreed modalities on trade in goods as provided for in the legal provision of the Protocol on Trade in Goods.
2. Identify the challenges affecting implementation of the AfCFTA Agreement and propose the necessary initiatives to address the identified challenges.
3. Support the supervisor in designing and developing coordination mechanisms to strengthen stakeholder engagement with the State Parties using AfCFTA rules and preferences.
4. Support in preparations of the meetings to enhance the effective implementation of the Schedules of Tariff Concession;
5. Prepare policy papers for the effective coordination of policy related activities on market access at the AfCFTA Secretariat; and
6. Carry out any other tasks, as may be assigned as may become necessary.

The number of expert days (up to 180 working days throughout the year) is the maximum number of days available for this time period. It is expected that the bidder manages their workload carefully to ensure their regular availability throughout the assignment period, with an average of 15 working days per month.

Period of assignment: From 15 February 2024 until 15 December 2024.

Required qualifications:

Key expert 1

Tasks of key expert 1

• Provide legal support to the AfCFTA implementation on Trade in Goods in close collaboration with the AfCFTA Secretariat, as specified in Chapter 2
• Regular reporting in accordance with deadlines

The qualifications listed below represent the respective level of experience required to achieve a full score for the respective criterion. Should the bidder only partly fulfil a criterion, the points will be awarded proportionally.

Qualifications of key expert 1

• Education/training (2.2.1): Master’s degree in international trade law or a related field
• Language (2.2.2): Fluency in one of the AfCFTA Secretariats working languages (Arabic, English, French or Portuguese). Fluency in a second language is an added advantage (Corresponding to C1 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).
• General professional experience (2.2.3): Five (5) years of professional experience in the area of international trade for bidders with a master’s degree and three (3) years of professional experience in the area of international trade for bidders with a bachelor’s degree.
• Specific professional experience (2.2.4): Two (2) years of professional experience related to Trade in Goods
  • 2 years of professional experience trade policy formulation, negotiation, and/or implementation at national levels
  • 2 years of professional experience on trade in goods negotiations at the level of Regional Economic Communities (REC) or the AfCFTA
• Leadership/management experience (2.2.5): – not applicable –
• Regional experience (2.2.6): Work assignments in two different African sub-regions
• Development Cooperation (DC) experience (2.2.7): – not applicable –
• Other (2.2.8): – not applicable

Soft skills of team members

In addition to their specialist qualifications, the following qualifications are required of team members:

• Team skills
• Initiative
• Communication skills
• Socio-cultural skills
• Efficient, partner- and client-focused working methods
• Interdisciplinary thinking