Recruitment of Consultant/s for Development of AMCOW Strategic Operational Plan (SOP) 2025-2030

Background

The African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) is an autonomous African intergovernmental body formed in 2002 to provide a coordinating platform for water policy dialogue on the African continent and promote sustainable management and development of the continent’s water resources with a focus on expanding access to water supply and sanitation services in Africa. AMCOW serves as a delivery mechanism on water and sanitation to the Specialized Technical Committee (STC) on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment (ARDWE) of the African Union Commission.

To achieve its mission, AMCOW developed a twelve-year year  Strategic Plan (SP) 2018-2030 to guide its activities and initiatives. In line with this overarching strategy, AMCOW has been operating under its current Strategic Operational Plan (SOP) 2020-2024.

The SOP 2020-2024 was designed to operationalize the AMCOW Strategy 2018-2030, focusing on key priority areas including:

Strategic Priorities:

1. 1. Ensure Water Security

1. 1. Ensure Safely Managed Sanitation and Hygiene

1. 1. Promote Good Water Governance and Transboundary Water Cooperation

1. 1. Strengthen AMCOW’s Governance and Operational Effectiveness

Cross-cutting Priorities:

1. 1. Enhance Water and Sanitation Resilience to Climate Change

1. 1. Contribute to Adequate and Sustainable Financing of Water and Sanitation Agendas

1. 1. Improve Monitoring, Evaluation and Knowledge Management Systems

1. 1. Strengthen Gender Equality and Youth Empowerment in Water and Sanitation

The SOP 2020-2024 also outlined specific objectives, activities, and key performance indicators for each priority area, providing a roadmap for AMCOW’s operations and initiatives over the last five-year period.

Objective

The objective of the task is to develop AMCOW (2025-2030) Strategic Operational Plan (SOP) which is   aligned to the AMCOW strategy covering the period from 2018 to 2030. Currently, as we approach the end of 2024, the SOP is set to conclude, necessitating the development of a subsequent strategy. The development of the new SOP comes at a critical juncture.The existing Africa Water Vision expires in 2025 and the formulation of the post-2025 Africa Water Vision, and an accompanying Continental Policy, is underway to provide a continental implementation framework for Agenda 2063.

A mid-term evaluation of the SOP 2020-2024 has been conducted, providing valuable insights and lessons learned for the development of the new SOP. This evaluation will serve as a crucial input in ensuring that the new SOP builds upon successes, addresses challenges, and aligns with evolving needs and priorities in the water and sanitation sector. Thus, given the importance of this document in guiding AMCOW’s activities and initiatives during this pivotal period, AMCOW is seeking to engage the services of an experienced and professional independent consultant or team to develop the SOP 2025-2030.

Scope of Work

The new SOP 2025-2030 will play a crucial role in this transition period. Thus, it will not only translate AMCOW’s overarching strategy into specific actions but also bridge the current strategic framework with the emerging post-2025 Africa Water Vision and Africa Water initiatives and policy. The SOP is expected to define outputs to be delivered, annual milestones to be achieved, planned activities, available resources, and performance indicators to measure progress in achieving the strategic objectives over the next five (5) years, all while aligning with the existing and new continental vision/ policies and global strategies for water resource management.

Deliverables

The development of the SOP 2025-2030 is key for translating AMCOW’s long-term strategy into actionable plans and for aligning AMCOW’s activities with emerging water and sanitation sector needs at the Member States’ level.

Hence, the consultant (s) is expected to undertake the following tasks:

 

Phase 1: Inception and Review

1. Conduct a comprehensive review of relevant documents, including:

• AMCOW Strategy 2018-2030
• Agenda 2063 and related implementation reports.
• Current SOP 2020-2024
• Mid-term evaluation of the SOP 2020-2024
• Africa Position Paper prepared for the 10^th World Water Forum
• Partners’ strategies, especially the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Union Commission (AUC), Africa Water Facility (AWF), Regional Economic Communities (RECs), River, Lake Basin organisations (RLBOs)
• Conduct preliminary interviews
• WASSMO Reports
• • Relevant regional and global water and sanitation policies and strategies
  1. Conduct situational analysis of the current water and sanitation sector needs in Africa, identifying key challenges and opportunities.
  2. Identify key stakeholders for interviews
  3. Develop and present an inception report outlining the detailed methodology and work plan, and for developing the SOP 2025-2030.

  Key Deliverables:

  • Inception report including literature review findings, methodology, and detailed work plan
  • Presentation of inception report to AMCOW Secretariat

  • Phase 2: Stakeholder Engagement and Draft Development

    1. Engage with the AUC and AMCOW-Secretariat teams to understand the roadmap and priorities building on the Africa Regional Position paper for the post-2025 Africa Water Vison and Policy.
    2. Conduct interviews with identified key stakeholders
    3. Develop a draft SOP 2025-2030 that aligns with the AMCOW Strategy 2018-2030 and addresses emerging water and sanitation sector needs in Africa, including:
       • Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) objectives
       • Expected outcomes and outputs
       • Key performance indicators
       • Implementation strategies and timelines
       • Resource requirements and potential funding sources
    4. Design a monitoring and evaluation framework for the SOP 2025-2030, including tools for tracking progress and assessing impact.
    5. Propose strategies to enhance AMCOW’s operational effectiveness and resource mobilization capabilities within the context of the new SOP.

     Key Deliverables:

    • First draft of SOP 2025-2030
    • Draft monitoring and evaluation framework
    • Strategy document for enhancing AMCOW’s operational effectiveness and resource mobilization

    Phase 3: Consultation and Refinement

     

    1. Facilitate an internal consultative workshop to review the draft SOP with AMCOW Secretariat and incorporate feedback.
    2. Support consultations with Member States during statutory sub-regional meetings to gather feedback on the draft SOP.
    3. Synthesize and incorporate inputs received from Member States and partners during consultation and validation processes.
    4. Develop a final draft SOP 2025-2030

    Key Deliverables:

    • Revised draft of SOP 2025-2030 incorporating stakeholder feedback

    Phase 4: Finalization and Presentation

    1. Finalize the SOP 2025-2030, ensuring it addresses all key priorities and stakeholder feedback.
    2. Develop a detailed implementation roadmap for the SOP 2025-2030, including timelines, responsibilities, and resource allocation.
    3. Prepare and deliver a presentation of the final SOP 2025-2030 to AMCOW leadership.
    4. Provide any additional support or clarification required during the approval process of the SOP.

    Key Deliverables:

    • Final comprehensive SOP 2025-2030 document
    • Detailed implementation roadmap
    • Conduct presentation to AMCOW leadership

    Final report summarizing the entire process and recommendations for successful implementation.

  • The consultancy is expected to be completed over a period of 8 months. The consultant will provide the following deliverables, which are linked to payment milestones:

     

    No	Consultant Deliverables/Outputs	Payment Milestones (%)	Timelines
    1	Inception Report Detailed work plan including timeline, methodology, and initial findings from document review and situational analysis   Format: Word document and PowerPoint presentation	25%	Mid November 2024
    2	Consultation and Workshop Reports Summary of feedback from internal workshop and sub-regional consultations, including recommendations for SOP revisions	40%	November 2024 – April 2025
    3	Draft SOP 2025-2030 First complete draft of the SOP, including SMART objectives, outcomes, outputs, indicators, implementation strategies, and resource requirements
    4	Final SOP 2025-2030 Package a.     Final SOP 2025-2030 document b.     Detailed implementation roadmap c.     Monitoring and evaluation framework d.     PowerPoint presentation for AMCOW leadership e.     Final consultancy report summarizing the entire process and providing recommendations for successful implementation   Format: Word documents, Excel spreadsheets (for M&E framework and implementation roadmap), and PowerPoint presentation	35%	May to June 2025

     

    All deliverables should be submitted in English, in electronic format.

    Note: All payments are subject to the satisfactory completion and approval of the respective deliverables by the AMCOW Secretariat.

  • The consultant or team is expected to have the following minimum qualifications and experience:

    §  Demonstrated experience in undertaking similar assignments within Intergovernmental mandated institutions such as the AU, Regional Economic Commissions, River and Lake Basin Organisations and the UN and the Not-for-Profit Organisations such as NGOs and Civil Societies within the last 15 years.

    §  At least an advanced degree in water resources management, development studies, strategic planning, or related fields. In case of team of consultants, the team leader should meet the qualification requirement, and the CVs of team members should be submitted.

    §  Demonstrated knowledge of, the African water sector, and the institutional landscape in Africa.

    §  Strong analytical, writing, and communication skills.

    §  Excellent coordination skills and experience in conducting stakeholder consultations.

     

    §  Fluency in English is required; knowledge of French, Portuguese or Arabic is an advantage.