Individual International Consultant for the development of a climate-Resilient Water Investment Programme for Sierra Leone

Terms of Reference

Individual International Consultant for the development of a climate-Resilient Water Investment programme for Sierra Leone

1. Context of the Continental Africa Investment Programme (AIP)

On 6 September 2023, African Heads of State and Governments committed to support the implementation of the Continental Africa Water Investment Programme (AIP) as part of the Nairobi Declaration on Climate Change. Africa is highly vulnerable to climate change, and it is expected to significantly impact water, with an increase in extreme events, including droughts, floods, water scarcity, and waterborne diseases. Despite this marked vulnerability, many African countries have limited capacity to access climate finance for strategic water investments. Access to climate finance for water security in Africa is critical to achieving the objectives of the African Union (AU) Climate Change and Resilient Development Strategy and Action Plan (2022-2032), which recognizes the need to strengthen climate-resilient water systems under Focus Area 2: Adopting Pathways Towards Transformative Climate Resilient Development.

The Continental Africa Water Investment Program (AIP) supports the implementation of the African Union Climate Change and Resilient Development Strategy. The Assembly of the African Union Heads of State and Government adopted it as part of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa—Priority Action Plan 2 (PIDA-PAP 2) to address the growing need for investment in water, which is greatly exacerbated by climate change. The AIP comprises five pillars that aim to contribute towards narrowing the investment gap in water across Africa, namely:

1. International High-level Panel on Water Investments for Africa. The International High-Level Panel on Water Investments for Africawas established in 2022, comprising current and former Heads of State and global leaders. During 2023, the Panel developed and launched a report, Africa’s Rising Investment Tide, and an Africa Water Investment Action Plan with actionable pathways for countries to mobilise at least an additional US$30bn annually by 2030 for implementing the AIP

2. AIP-PIDA Water Investment Scorecard to enhance mutual accountability, transparency and efficiency of water finance and investments – The AIP-PIDA Water Investment Scorecard supports countries to track progress, set benchmarks, identify bottlenecks, and take action to meet Africa’s water investment needs. The Scorecard was adopted by AUDA-NEPAD as part of PIDA in February 2022. The Scorecard was developed and piloted in 10 countries in 2023, ahead of its roll out across AU Member States.

3. Regional and national water investment programmes to close the water investment gap– The AIP supports AU Member States to develop national water investment programmes. Many African countries are extremely vulnerable to climate variability and climate change; and are further faced with weak institutional capacities, water infrastructure, and information systems to support water management. National water investment programmes address these gaps and are informed by insights from the AIP-PIDA Water Investment Scorecard.

4. AIP International Blended Investment Facility to leverage public-private finance– The AIP will assess the need for an International Blended Investment Facility to support countries to leverage ODA (Official Development Assistance) and grant finance to de-risk priority water investments using a variety of innovative financial instruments and sources. These include sovereign wealth funds, guarantees, commercial finance, institutional investors and private equity investors, foundations, value-based impact investment, and climate finance.

5. Gender equality and empowerment of women and girls in water investment through the AIP Gender Transformative Water Climate Development Program (AIP WACDEP-G) – The AIP WACDEP-G develops tools to assist governments agencies, structures, and social relations. The AIP WACDEP-G was piloted in five African countries during 2020-2024 and is expected to be expanded to many other countries.

2. Context of the AU AIP Multicountry GCF Readiness Support Programme

Sierra Leone is one of the fifteen (15) countries participating in the first phase of the Programme “Readiness Support for the Africa Union Multi-Country Program to Accelerate Water and Climate Resilience Investments through the Africa Water Investment Programme (AU-AIP Multicounty GCF Readiness Project (AU AIP Multi-country GCF Readiness Programme). The Green Climate Fund (GCF) funds the project. The African Union Commission is implementing the Programme through the Global Water Partnership (GWP) in Southern Africa (GWP-SA) as a Delivery Partner.

The overall objective of the project is to strengthen the capacities of participating countries to plan climate-resilient water investments and prepare projects to undertake climate actions through:

• Strengthening countries’ capacity for climate finance programming and direct access to GCF resources, with a focus on water-related climate actions;
• Improving strategic frameworks for planning climate-resilient water investments by developing water investment programs;
• Developing national project pipelines through the development of concept notes;
• Establishing a continental knowledge and investment platform to facilitate learning and investment in water security in Africa.

During preparation of the AU Multi-Country GCF Readiness proposal, Sierra Leone identified gaps in strategic frameworks, investment planning, data and coordination, and limited capacity to access and programme climate finance for water. These constraints affect the country’s ability to develop, prioritize and finance climate-resilient water investments.

In response, the Government of Sierra Leone supported by the Africa Water Investment Programme (AU-AIP) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF) will develop a national Climate Resilient Water Investment Programme (CRWIP) to define investment priorities, estimate financing needs and gaps, outline a financing strategy, propose institutional/governance improvements, and assemble a sequenced pipeline of bankable projects. The process will align with national policies, the National Water Development Plan, NDC/NAP and AU-AIP guidance, and will be informed by structured consultations with government institutions, federal member states, utilities, development partners and civil society.

3. Objectives

The objective of the assignment is to deliver an implementable, costed, and endorsed CRWIP in line with the AU guidelines (CRWIP Guidelines) on the formulation of a CRWIP that:

• Defines climate sensitive and gender inclusive water investment priorities, targets and governance arrangements
• Identifies financing gaps and financing options and a sequenced, bankable project pipeline (incl. GCF-aligned concepts) to bridge the investment gap
• Is aligned with national development policies and processes, and synergized with relevant ongoing programmes and initiatives
• Defines key indicators of success and accountability and reporting mechanisms based on the AIP scorecard framework
• Achieves stakeholder validation and formal endorsement.

4. Scope of Work

The Consultant will serve and provide technical support the inter-ministerial CRWIP Technical Committee that will be set up by the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation to oversee the process on the formulation of the CRWIP. Working with the Committee, the Consultant will draft, co-develop and finalize the CRWIP Roadmap, facilitate stakeholder input, and ensure validation of the final CRWIP in line with the AU guidelines on CRWIPs. More specifically, the Consultant will:

• Draft and finalize the CRWIP Roadmap and provide technical inputs to ensure quality and alignment.
• Assess Sierra Leone’s water-sector investment landscape (public/donor/private flows) and governance structures.
• Ensure alignment of the CRWIP development process with the AU-AIP and national plans/policies (incl. NDC/NAP).
• Facilitate and lead the drafting of the CRWIP in collaboration with the CRWIP Technical Committee
• Identify and prioritize climate-finance projects for the GCF pipeline for inclusion in the CRWIP; and contribute technical review and input into to Concept Note (s) and proposal refinement for Sierra Leone to be developed under the project;
• Plan and facilitate structured consultations (with, e.g., ministries, FMS, utilities, private sector, CSOs) on the draft CRWIP
• Support the validation/endorsement of the CRWIP with the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation and the National Designated Authority (NDA).
• Maintain a deliverables tracker, version control, and weekly check-ins with the National Technical Coordinator.

1. Deliverables and Timelines

This consultancy will be for 50 billable days to be completed in five (5) months from February 2026 to June 2026. The expected deliverables and timelines are indicated in the table below:

2. Working Modality

This is an individual consultancy with no travel expected outside the agreed duty station and outside the country. GWPSA will cover administrative costs associated with stakeholder consultative workshops or meetings. The consultant will be expected to meet own local travel costs for day-to-day work associated with the consultancy service.

3. Reporting

The consultant will work under the direct supervision of / and communicate directly to the National Technical Coordinator for the AU AIP Multi-Country GCF Readiness Support Project in Sierra Leone on administrative issues and to the Inter ministerial Technical Committee on the CRWIP through the Ministry of Water and Sanitation Focal Point.

Services will be rendered and will be considered completed upon approval of the deliverables by the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation and GWP-SA.

4. Consultant’s Qualifications and Experience

The successful candidate should possess the following qualifications and experience:

• A minimum of a Master’s degree in water resources/engineering, environmental sciences, economics, public policy, or a closely related field.
• At least 7–10 years of experience in climate finance, water governance, or institutional capacity development
• Demonstrated expertise and experience in developing financing strategies for investment programmes
• Demonstrated experience in developing water investment plans or similar strategic documents
• Demonstrated strong international consulting record or profile on similar assignments
• Track record of supporting multi-stakeholder partnerships and governance structures
• Strong understanding of climate change adaptation and mitigation; policy, legal and institutional context of the water sector in West Africa and Sierra Leone in particular
• Familiarity with the GCF and AU-AIP frameworks and requirements.
• Excellent analytical, writing, and communication skills.
• Fluency in English is required.

5. Evaluation Criteria

The selection of the Consultant will be based on their experience across the following criteria:

6. Application Process and Instructions to Bidder

Consultants meeting all the above requirements are invited to express their interest through submitting a Technical Proposal and a Financial Proposal to the below email address: gwpsaprocurement@gwp.org and cc joseph.mbinji@gwpsaf.org  by the deadline of 20^th January 2026 at 00:00 (Southern Africa Time).

GWPSA will evaluate the proposals received based on the criteria stated above. GWPSA reserves the right to negotiate any aspect of a proposal before conclusion of a Contract for the Assignment. GWPSA furthermore reserves the right to reject all proposals submitted without giving any reason. GWPSA may discontinue or suspend without responsibility or liability to any Bidder including (without limitation) any liability for any costs or expenditure incurred by, or inconvenience caused to, any Bidder. The proposal shall be prepared in the English language. The financial proposal should be expressed in US Dollar and payment for the Services will be made in the same currency.

A withholding tax of 10 or 15% shall be charged to the consultant for fees only, depending on the consultant’s home country, and GWPSA will avail the corresponding tax certificates. GWPSA will not be liable for any additional taxes due to tax Authority/ies in the country of origin of the Consultant.