Support for the organization of the Annual General Assembly (AGA) for NIF strategic review

Consultancy Description

Location : Nigeria based or Home-based in a similar time zone with a travel to Abuja for the AGA

Contract: Consultancy

Consultancy period: From 1st of December 2023 till end of March 2024

About ICVA

Established in 1962, ICVA (International Council of Voluntary Agencies) is a global network of over 160 nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) active in 160 countries. Operating at global, regional, national, and local levels, ICVA is dedicated to enhancing the principled and effective nature of humanitarian action. Through collaborative and independent efforts, the organization strives to influence policies and practices, fostering a collective impact on the humanitarian landscape. ICVA promotes and facilitates effective NGO engagement in the humanitarian sector, with a focus on Forced Migration, Humanitarian Coordination, Humanitarian Financing, and cross-cutting system-strengthening issues.

Background to the Consultancy

Founded in 2014, NIF is an alliance of international NGOs providing humanitarian and development assistance in Nigeria, with 55 members and nine (9) observers. The forum exists to facilitate members’ collective action in the principled and effective delivery of much needed assistance to save and improve the lives of poor and vulnerable people. Its work focuses on:

1. Fostering cooperation, coalition-building and collaboration of international NGOs;
2. Promoting and protect principled and effective humanitarian action and peacebuilding and development interventions;
3. Advance the rights of affected populations and perspectives of operational actors.

NIF holds annually a General Assembly, where all member INGO Country Directors gather for one day to steer collectively the directions of the Forum. The Plenary of Country Directors is the primary decision making body of the Forum, and while monthly meetings provide the space for day-to-day information sharing, collective positioning, and action; the AGA represents the unique opportunity to review collectively the progress and successes of the Forum; challenges it has faced; and how it can best align with the priorities of its members in terms of needs for collective engagement.

While NIF work revolves around pillars that have been agreed-on with its members, the Forum never had a strategy document to support its work internally and to interface with its external counterparts. Therefore, the consultations before and during the AGA, and deliberations during the Assembly, should lead to the development of a NIF Strategy that will be endorsed by its members.

Consultancy Objectives

General Assembly preparation

• Analyze existing documents and discussion with NIF direction team and NIF Steering Committee
• Develop a survey to get feedback from NIF members and partners on NIF strategic positioning (perception and expectations)
• Complete the survey with a series of around 30 consultations (NIF members and partners) at national and at state level

General Assembly organization

• Develop the concept note of the event in close consultation with NIF Director
• Develop the participants and guest list
• Develop a draft agenda
• Develop the STD and invitation
• Follow the registration/participation
• Manage invitations of external NIF stakeholders/speakers if any
• Follow up with the NIF programs/ops team to ensure the good logistic preparation of the event: room rental, list of material needed, coffee breaks and catering, etc.
• Develop the detailed agenda with responsibilities repartition: note taking, session facilitations, etc.

Annual General Assembly support (event will take place in Abuja the second week of February – TBC)

• Support the AGA facilitation.
• Capture all relevant information and recommendations that will support the strategic document development.

Development of the NIF strategy document

• Based on survey results, consultations, and discussions during the AGA, develop the NIF strategy document (objectives, pillars, areas of work, way of working, etc.) in close collaboration with NIF Director.

Consultancy outputs

In support of the below objectives, the consultant will develop:

• The survey and the consultation template.
• 1 short report describing the methodology of the consultations and the main results.
• The toolbox with all tools related to AGA organization (CN, invitation, participants lists, agenda, etc.).
• 1 final report: the NIF strategy document.

Methodology

Desk review of existing documentation; key informant interviews with NIF members and partners (NNGO, Donors, UN, government, etc.), highlight recommendations based on the discussions and decisions taken during the AGA.

Costs coverage

• Daily rate of the consultancy, based on timeframes agreed on with ICVA and NIF Director.
• If the consultant is not based in Abuja, the consultancy will cover travel costs from the city of residence to Abuja for the AGA. The costs will include:
  • Flight ticket up to 1500 $
  • Transfer from city of residence to the departing airport up to 100 $
  • Accommodation in Abuja, up to 100 $ / day
• NIF will cover directly the following costs:
  • Movement in Abuja, including transfers from/to the airport
  • Temporary SIM card and phone data
  • Potential travel to Maiduguri, including flight tickets and accommodation in NIF Guesthouse
  • Visa on arrival costs
• The consultant will be responsible for any costs related to:
  • Their own medical insurance
  • Their social welfare
  • Their daily expenses (food, etc.).

Reporting lines

The consultant will directly report to the ICVA West and Central Africa team with a very close coordination/link with the NIF Director.

Consultant requirements, competencies, and skills

• Expertise in the humanitarian sector and an established understanding of how humanitarian coordination works – ideally through practice experience interacting with fora or coordination bodies, as well as in HDP nexus contexts;
• Experience in planning research work, conducting key informant interviews, literature reviews and documenting results;
• Experience in the WCA region;
• Fluent in English and conversational French with proven writing and editing skills, including the ability to develop materials ready for publication with limited external editing;
• Proven ability to work autonomously and/or in a virtual work environment and meet agreed deadlines with limited direct oversight.

Note: Throughout the work, the consultant must be registered in accordance with legal requirements in their country of residence and must be able to submit documentation that proves that they are meeting all legal obligations for the consultancy, including full compliance with ICVA regulations and its safeguarding policy.

ICVA’s selection process includes rigorous background checks and reflects our organizational integrity and commitment to make humanitarian action more principled and effective.