Consultant – National Expert – Regional Study on Remittances and their Potential Use in Migrant Remittance Receiving Households

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the UN Migration Agency. With 174 member states it is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. Established in 1951 and now active in over 400 field locations worldwide, IOM works with partners, government and civil society to:

1. Assist in meeting the operational challenges of migration and mobility
2. Advance understanding of migration issues
3. Encourage social and economic development through migration; and
4. Uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants and mobile populations.

IOM is committed to a diverse and inclusive environment. Internal and External candidates are eligible to apply to this vacancy. IOM’s Regional Office for the East and Horn of Africa supports and monitors the following countries: Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Through a team of specialists, the Regional Office supports the development, implementation, monitoring, reporting and evaluation of projects and initiatives undertaken by country offices and regional programmes.

Purpose of the Consultancy:

To support the lead consultant in conducting a thorough desk review, data collection, and analysis on the remittance landscape in EHOA and target countries and to provide evidence based data for shaping remittance programmes and interventions for social and economic development in RWANDA AND KENYA, and for guiding Government’s future remittances for development capacity, strategies, and policies.

Specific Objective of the Consultancy

• To assess the characteristics of remittances flows, usage patterns, transfer mechanisms and attitudes and preferences regarding savings and investment schemes and their impacts and use with remittances sent to migrant households in Rwanda and Kenya.
• To gather detailed information on use of remittances in migrant households receiving remittances as well as the level of interest and willingness of households to participate in savings and investment remittance schemes.
• To determine potential benefits or challenges associated with savings and investment schemes for remittances.
• To map existing frameworks, policies, and practices affecting remittance flows in the 2 targeted countries, identifying gaps and potential areas of opportunity for recommendations.
• Based on the identified practices and lessons learnt, to draw conclusions and prepare recommendations and guidance to inform the process of developing and implementing policies and regulatory frameworks to steer remittance flows toward savings and investment schemes.
• To contribute to evidence based and regional discussions at the Regional Ministerial Forum on Migration around remittance flows and potential areas of engagement and harmonization across the region.

Background

Migration for temporary employment is becoming a critical component of the EHOA countries development path, from both the jobs and remittance flows perspectives. EHOA economies are at a demographic phase where people of working-age are generally at higher side of the shares of populations, with millions of people entering the working-age cohort every year. All the EHOA countries have sizeable shares of the working age population migrated overseas. Migrants move within the region and externally for a variety of reasons including economic, social, political and environmental. The main reason is due to economic drivers, and the flow of remittances are the most obvious evidence of this.

Global labour migration trends are changing and more women now tend to migrate autonomously for economic reasons, and not only as the dependants (spouses or daughters) of male migrants. In 2000 and 2017, the number of women migrants in Africa increased, yet as a share of total international migrants in Africa, remained stable at 47 per cent. More women appear to be moving due, in part, to population ageing and greater job opportunities in the North and in Eastern Asia and the Middle East in the health sector and the care and domestic service sector. In 2017, the share of international women migrants was 50% in Eastern Africa exceeding the continental average of 47%. Globally, women are known as recipients of remittances sent either by their spouse or by a relative working abroad. Women and men migrants act differently as both remittance senders and recipients. Women tend to use these remittances for basic household consumption, consumer durables, housing, and debt repayment. As remittance senders’ women tend to transfer smaller amounts of money and more regular than men as most of them work in different labour sectors than male migrant workers, with varying levels of job security and wages. It is vital to recognize these new migration trends and the differences between women and men as senders and recipients of remittances to maximize the potential impact of remittances on development.

some countries have been attempting to restrict migration, in the belief that it does not enhance economic development. However, the evidence suggests otherwise that development-oriented actions can help in tackling the root causes of migratory flows, and migration can, in turn, contribute positively to development, including economic growth, social empowerment and technological progress. IOM also believes that if migration is managed properly, it can contribute to the development of countries of origin, transit and destination, as well as to the well-being of the actual migrant workers and their families. To discharge the development potential of migration however, greater partnership between countries of origin, transit and destination as well as the full integration of the migratory dimension in development policies and dialogue at all levels is crucial. Though remittances are undoubtedly good for development and have a potential to contribute to the region’s development, still many challenges remain to be addressed to make EHOA remittances a more effective and impactful development tool. Recipient households’ lack of capacity to effectively manage the funds, low levels of financial inclusion and literacy among migrants and their families back home, weak or missing payment infrastructure in origin countries, and fragmented markets are just a few obstacles among many others. Besides, 75 per cent of remittances is used for consumption in the EHOA countries. Harnessing remittance funds for development is generally low scale, uncoordinated and have shown limited success in the countries. More needs to be done to leverage the full potential of remittances for financial inclusion and to have multiplier effects.

The use of remittances as a resource for development in the selected countries requires better information and data on remittance flows, usage patterns, transfer mechanisms and attitudes and preferences regarding savings and investment schemes. Data currently available on remittances in these countries is limited. IOM will work together with governments, academics, banks, inter¬national organizations and the private sector to fill these data and research gaps by putting in place mechanisms for improved and expanded data collection and sharing. IOM will support the countries to collect, analyse and present information about remittance transfers by the Diaspora, their impacts and use in migrant sending households, as well as documenting other policies and practices affecting remittance flows. Research results will be used to develop concrete, feasible investment strategies to enhance the development impact of remittances in the selected countries.

Scope and Purpose of the Mapping:

Better Regional Migration Management (BRMM), Labour Mobility and Regional Integration for Safe, Orderly and Humane Labour Migration in East And Horn Of Africa is a program funded by to Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to enhance labour migration governance and protection of migrant workers and their family members’ human, social and labour rights through intra and inter-regional cooperation on a whole of government and whole of society approach, to support regional integration and facilitate mobility for transformative inclusive and sustainable economic growth as well as youth and women empowerment. More specifically, the programme is expected to strengthen national and regional Labour migration governance in accordance with the global and regional frameworks; increase national and cross-border cooperation on labour mobility; promote ethical recruitment and protection of migrant workers’ rights; and enhance avenues for safe, regular, and humane labour migration and mobility pathways through FMPs/CMPs and BLMAs. A robust communication and visibility strategy and action plan will support the aims of the programme.

The programme works at two levels: the regional and national levels. At the regional level, IOM proposes to work with both RECs and their Member States through the Regional Ministerial Forum on Migration (RMFM) and its four Technical Working Groups (TWGs). At the national level, the program will support Member States in enhancing their capacities in policy and practice leading to greater impact and faster results, engaging local government and non-government partners, from the diaspora, private sector, and civil society. The program II phase will run for 3 years, from 1 July 2022 to 31 March 2025. It is under the scope of this program that the LMI Unit of the IOM Regional Office for East & Horn of Africa is looking to recruit an experienced assistant consultant to support the undertaking of the REGIONAL STUDY ON POLICIES AND PRACTICES AROUND REMITTANCES & MIGRANT ATTITUDES TOWARD SAVINGS AND INVESTMENT SCHEMES AND THEIR POTENTIAL USE IN MIGRANT HOUSEHOLDS IN RWANDA and KENYA.

The focus of the study will be mapping the remittance landscape in Kenya and Rwanda. It will take stock of detailed information and data on remittance flows, usage patterns, and transfer mechanisms in these two countries as well as current policies and practices aimed at regulating remittances and utilizing them for potential development. It will document migrant knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward remittance savings and investment schemes and identify low hanging fruit and potential areas of engagement for the respective governments moving forward.

It will also map the remittances landscape from Countries sending remittances (USA in this case) whereas future agreements on facilitating remittances may be of use. The study is expected to provide concrete recommendations to targeted MS governments that are based on the general overview of the existing remittance infrastructure and feasibility of engagement of migrant remittance receiving households into remittance-based savings and investment schemes. The findings of the study will be presented at the Regional Ministerial Forum on Migration (RMFM) aimed at initiating inter-state dialogue through the RMFM TWG on Consular/Labour Attaché/Diaspora to support the development of regional SOPs/framework on remittances engagement for social and economic development.

The study will contribute to the evidence base needed in the region to identify gaps in research and data regarding remittance transfers and their impact and use in migrant remittance receiving households and will be used to develop concrete, feasible investment strategies to enhance the development impact of remittances in the selected countries. The study will also contribute towards effective implementation of the Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular migration (GCM), Sustainable Development Goals (targets 8.8 and 10.7), African Union`s Vision 2063 and Regional Ministerial Forum on Migration (RMFM) Objectives and other relevant regional cooperation and development frameworks. It will feed into BRMM PHASE II Output 4.3 Returning migrant workers and member of their families’ vulnerabilities, protection needs, and social, economic, labour, and human rights are better met through enhanced, return and reintegration in the East and Horn of Africa; and Activity: 4.3.9 Conduct a regional study on remittances flows, usage patterns, transfer mechanisms and attitudes and preferences regarding savings and investment schemes and their impacts and use in migrant remittance receiving households, as well as policies and practices affecting remittance flows in Rwanda, and Kenya.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

Under the overall supervison of the Senior Regional Policy and Programme Coordinator and the direct supervision of the Lead Consultant, and in close collaboration with Senior Regional Specialist on Labour Mobility and Social Inclusion, BRMM Regional Program Management Officer, BRMM Country Focal Persons in the selected countries, and HQ LMI focal persons, the consultant will have the responsibility for the following duties:

• Support the lead consultant in drafting the inception report of the study including research questions, guiding questions for desk review, stakeholder interviews, and the planning of the overall activities of the mapping.
• Support the lead consultant in conducting, desk review, data collection and collation and analysis of data collected in the countries where remittances are received -in this case Kenya and Rwanda
• Support the lead consultant in development of both country specific report and one regional report on POLICIES AND PRACTICES AROUND REMITTANCES & MIGRANT ATTITUDES TOWARD SAVINGS AND INVESTMENT SCHEMES AND THEIR POTENTIAL USE IN MIGRANT REMITTANCE RECEIVING HOUSEHOLDS IN RWANDA AND KENYA report.
• Support the lead consultant in developing preliminary recommendation/guidance per country and for the region to enhance knowledge around harnessing remittances for development of the targeted countries and avenues for increased government involvement in regulating remittances and identifying policies and practices for use.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Master’s degree in economics, or social sciences, international relations, or migration studies.
• Experience in conducting research related to remittances
• Experience in data collection, desk review and data analysis
• Excellent knowledge of labour migration issues in EHOA, Africa and at least 5-year experience in conducting research and mapping on migration related issues.
• Knowledge of contemporary developments in remittances and migration, and global processes such as GCM and SDGs.
• Experience conducting mapping using mixed approach.
• Good knowledge of the UN system and organizational mandates as well as interagency cooperation platforms on migration.

SKILLS

• Excellent ability in writing reports suitable for publishing.
• Excellent command in English. VII. LANGUAGES Required
• Fluency in English is mandatory. Working Knowledge of any EAHOA languages and/or other UN official language is advantageous.