Consultant for Energy Market Dialogue and Ecosystem Assessment

1. Nature of the Consultancy:

Context:

Mozambique was hit by two consecutive catastrophic tropical cyclones in March and April 2019. The cyclones brought a path of destruction and damage of properties and infrastructure in Sofala, Manica, Cabo Delgado and Nampula provinces in the country. This also led to deaths and affected more than 1.8 million people with thousands of people being displaced by the floods. The displaced populations, originally hosted in displacement sites, are now hosted in 85 resettlement sites hosting more than 24,250 households, established by the Government of Mozambique.

In the resettlement sites, energy is critical for survival. Energy is needed for cooking food, heating, household and security lighting, mobile phone charging, and for productive use such water pumping, powering businesses etc. However, how the displaced populations access energy in the resettlement sites impacts on their health, livelihoods, safety, and wellbeing. It also brings about gender inequality due to the role women and girls in the provision of firewood at the household level.

In January 2022, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) started the implementation of “New approach to building a participatory and inclusive marketplace for sustainable energy solutions”, project which is funded by Innovation Norway. The goal of the project is to bridge the gap between the demand for sustainable energy solutions and the supply of products/services from the private sector, by overcoming the economic barriers for displaced populations and host communities to access them and reducing the risks for private actors to enter the market in displacement settings. This project will be lead from IOM’s Headquarters and implemented by IOM Mozambique, in partnership with NORCAP Cash Cap. The focus of the project is on five resettlement sites located in the Central province of Sofala in Mozambique, which currently host 2,211 internally displaced households who were affected by the 2019 cyclones.

While economic barriers have often prevented displaced populations and host communities from accessing the energy services that they most need, barriers to entry and perceived risks have also prevented private actors from entering the market in displacement settings and offering solutions. This project wants to bridge the gap between the demand for sustainable energy solutions and the supply of products and services from the private sector by removing barriers to participation on each side. The project will involve both the end users and the suppliers in the design of clean energy solutions, investigate various delivery models which promote financial inclusion within the community (e.g., mobile phone payments, digital bank accounts, pay-as-you-go), and engage the private sector and financial intermediaries in the design of effective de-risking mechanisms. The project will also aim to create new green jobs for displaced persons to fully participate in the growth of the marketplace.

The project will create a thriving ecosystem for a broader set of clean energy-related solutions to be accessible for displaced populations. As part of the project outputs, the partners will develop a resource toolkit for guiding both humanitarian and private sector actors on effectively designing energy solutions for displacement settings. This will allow the model to be replicated and the learnings from this project to be more shared to a wider audience.

2. Objective:

To understand the current (energy) market and access to financial services situation in the resettlement site and appropriately design and implement the proposed project, IOM is seeking the services of a consultant to support the implementation of a detailed market assessment which will focus on household electricity access, energy for cooking and lighting, as well as energy for productive uses. In addition, the consultant will facilitate an energy market dialogue that will be bring together the energy sector players drawn from the private sector, donors, IDPs, government of Mozambique and development partners, as well as any other relevant stakeholders. The market dialogue will be led by the Private Sector Partnerships Unit of the Donor Relations Division together with the Implementation team in Mozambique and Headquarters. The market dialogue will consist in a set of sessions organized according to different topics as well as follow-up meetings (e.g. bilateral meetings) with key stakeholders, when necessary. The consultant will be expected to follow the recommendations of the IOM project team regarding the methodology and plans for the market assessment.

Based on the internal report compiled for IOM Mozambique in October 2020, the consultant is expected to provide an update on any new relevant development that happened in the energy access sector since then in Mozambique, including new actors, new/change in energy policy (e.g., off-grid), change in market dynamics and how would it impact the overall development/delivery of an energy access intervention, etc.

The specific objectives are as follows:

• Analysis of the relevant displacement and energy-related policies, and regulatory framework influencing energy access in Mozambique, and more specifically in the resettlement sites and displacement settings worldwide (e.g., IDPs, refugees).
• Preparation for the market dialogue sessions, including but not limited to the design of the sessions, active outreach to stakeholders, preparation of content for the communication products (concept notes, info sheets, video, social media posts, etc.).
• Preparation for the co-design workshop(s) to be held with the communities, including but not limited to the design of the session(s), preparation of content for the communication products (concept notes, info sheets, video, social media posts, etc.).
• Facilitation of the energy market dialogue sessions as a Rapporteur to lead and engage the various stakeholders participating in the sessions and capture all the key outcomes from the different market dialogue sessions to be fed into the design of the IOM energy project.
• Based on the outcomes of the sessions of the market dialogue, registering of the relevant private sector actors in the energy space in Mozambique offering off-grid solar technologies, improved/clean cookstoves and fuels, solutions for productive uses of energy appliances, and any other relevant energy access solutions. Follow up to collect information on their existing and planned activities in resettlement sites and surrounding areas, their financing/funding sources, and their business models by conducting interviews with key private sector actors.
• Based on the outcomes of the market dialogue sessions, registering of the relevant energy access programmes implemented in Mozambique by donors, NGOs, humanitarian organizations and/or the government. Follow up to collect information on the current state of the programmes, the main types of support (financial, technical, etc.) and delivery mechanisms, the target audience (households, small businesses, private actors from energy sector, etc.) with a focus of the displaced communities/resettlement sites in the Central region and North.
• Based on the outcomes of the market dialogue sessions, registering of the relevant finance institutions offering products and services for improving financial inclusion of low-income communities as well as de-risking mechanisms for the private sector.
• Collation of all the findings described above in the form of a written report.
• Assist in the development of Terms of References (ToRs) for the Innovative Call for Partnership and in the evaluation of bids/proposals, including the development of selection criteria.
• Analysis of any other relevant aspects related to energy access in displacement settings as per the project’s team and consultant’s recommendations.
• Support the project team with any other relevant tasks as requested throughout the three months of assignment.
• Possible duty travel to fulfil the functions above.

3. Expected Results:

• Desk review report on energy-related policies
• Protocol for market dialogue sessions and co-design workshop(s) including agenda, online tools for participant engagement and data collection
• Report on the outcomes of the market dialogue sessions and follow-up sessions
• Terms of References for call for innovative partnerships and selection criteria

4. Supervision

The consultant will work under the direct supervision of the IOM Mozambique Project Manager for Energy, and under the overall supervision of the head of the Private Sector Partnerships Unit.

5. Proposed Methodology:

Following the methodology and workplan for the market assessment recommended by IOM project team and NORCAP Cash Cap expert, it is expected that the study will include a range of methods as follows:

• A desk review using reports and publications from humanitarian organizations, NGOs, governmental actors, and other relevant types of organizations.
• Selection of critical markets and key analytical questions aligned with the recommendations from the project team.
• Conducting data collection through consultative meetings/interviews with stakeholders and key informants, i.e., humanitarian actors, NGOs, policy makers, authorities, the energy sector actors, and any other relevant party.
• Rapporteur for the sessions of the market dialogue; plan, lead, engage and record the outcomes from the various sessions of the market dialogue.
• Report in written form the analysis based on the findings, market mapping, recommendations, and conclusions.

The consultant is also free to employ any other methodology where appropriate, but it must be discussed and agreed prior.

6. Details as to how the work must be delivered:

The consultant will be expected to support the project’s team in completing the tasks over a 3-month working period (starting date to be confirmed). The consultant will also support the project team with any other relevant tasks as requested throughout the 3 months of assignment.

The work will consist in the following activities[1]:

• Desktop review and secondary data collection
• Design of Market Dialogue protocol
• Rapporteur for all the sessions of the Market Dialogue
• Stakeholders’ consultations, key informant interviews
• Draft Report on the outcomes of the market dialogue sessions, incorporating feedback from follow-up sessions
• Final Report write-up (including incorporating feedback from IOM project team)
• Development of ToRs for Call for Partnerships
• Assist with the review of proposals

7. Qualifications and Competencies:

Education:

Master’s degree in one of the following areas: energy engineering/sciences or renewable energy, climate studies, environmental engineering/sciences/protection, humanitarian laws, social development, innovation, project development, or international development.

Experience:

Minimum 5 years of experience in relevant areas mentioned above as well as the following:

• Experience of systems thinking and design thinking approaches, and more so in the energy access sector
• Experience in facilitation of sector dialogues and design/systems thinking sessions bringing to together various stakeholders and reporting on the outcomes
• Experience in planning and organizing events/webinars involving various stakeholders
• Knowledge and experience of off-grid energy access technologies such as mini-grids, solar home systems, productive uses of energy and clean cooking technologies
• Knowledge and experience of one or more of the following subjects: energy economic analysis and least-cost energy access planning, energy markets, enterprise models and bottom-of-the-pyramid delivery, rural development, community engagement, etc.
• Experience in applying a gender–sensitive approach to programming
• Demonstrated understanding of energy sector analysis in sub-Saharan Africa
• Demonstration of an elevated level of professionalism and an ability to work independently and in situations of high pressure, with tight deadlines
• Experience working with UN agencies and/or other international organizations would be an asset
• Experience working in humanitarian energy space would be an asset
• Knowledge of Mozambique would be an asset

General skills:

• Have a strong interest in innovation in the energy sector to improve clean energy access
• Good analytical and problem-solving skills
• Excellent communications skills both in written and spoken forms
• Multi-tasking and hands-on approach

Language: English written and spoken. Portuguese would be an asset.

8. Evaluation Criteria

Potential consultants will be evaluated on their ability to perform the task based on the following criteria:

Criteria

Score

Ability to perform based on previous experience – 20

Specific skills (energy) – 60

General skills – 20

Total – 100

9. Performance indicators for evaluation of final output

The consultant should ensure reports based on measurable indicators. These indicators should reflect the consultant’s commitment to deliver quality work, in line with the agreed methodology as proposed in the initial report. The final set of indicators should be provided in the inception report, along with the progress to be monitored.

10. Remuneration:

This consultancy is planned to last for a period of 3 months (September to November 2022 – provisional), in remuneration scales proportional to the levels of experience, education and skills demonstrated.

Other

Any offer made to the candidate in relation to this vacancy notice is subject to funding confirmation.

Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, verification of Education certificate and security clearances.

[1] Subject to change.