Result of Service

The overall objective of the consultancy is to develop practical, evidence-based continental guidelines that strengthen the integration of national planning, budgeting, and financing systems across African countries.

Work Location

Remote

Expected duration

9 months

Duties and Responsibilities

Background The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) supports African member States in strengthening national planning systems and improving public financial management to accelerate the implementation of Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Despite significant progress in public financial management reforms across the continent, including the adoption of Medium-Term Expenditure Frameworks (MTEFs), Programme-Based Budgeting (PBB), and Integrated Financial Management Information Systems (IFMIS), many African countries continue to experience weak alignment between national development plans and public budgeting processes. In many countries, national development plans establish clear policy priorities but are not adequately translated into medium-term expenditure frameworks and annual budgets. This disconnect contributes to:

Misalignment between policy priorities and resource allocation;
Low implementation rates of national development plans;
Fragmented public investment programming;
Weak traceability between development outcomes and public expenditure; and
Continued dependence on external financing due to insufficient domestic resource mobilization strategies. To address these challenges, ECA is undertaking an initiative to develop practical, evidence-based continental guidelines aimed at strengthening the integration of planning, budgeting, and financing systems in Africa. The guidelines will be informed by country diagnostics, comparative analysis, and consultations with African member States and development partners. Objective of the Consultancy The overall objective of the consultancy is to develop practical, evidence-based continental guidelines that strengthen the integration of national planning, budgeting, and financing systems across African countries. Specifically, the consultant will support ECA in:
Developing a comprehensive analytical framework linking planning, budgeting and financing;
Conducting comparative analysis of planning and budgeting systems across selected African countries;
Designing a country diagnostic methodology and typology framework;
Developing operational guidance on planning-budget integration, expenditure traceability, and financing strategies;
Supporting validation of the guidelines through consultations with Member States and regional stakeholders; and
Providing guidance to national consultants working on country level case studies. Duties and Responsibilities Under the overall supervision of the designated officials of the Sustainable Development and Integrated Planning Section in the Macroeconomics, Finance, Governance and Planning Division, and in coordination with the project focal persons, the International Consultant shall undertake the following task. Task 1. Inception Phase
Review existing literature on planning, budgeting, public financial management, and financing frameworks in Africa.
Review international good practices on planning-budget integration.
Develop an inception report outlining: o methodology; o workplan; o diagnostic framework; o country selection criteria; o consultation strategy. Task 2. Country Diagnostic and Typology Development Develop standardized diagnostic tools to assess planning-budget integration across selected African countries. The diagnostic should assess:
National development planning systems;
Programme-based budgeting structures;
MTEF implementation;
Budget classifications;
IFMIS integration;
Public investment planning;
Domestic financing arrangements;
Monitoring and evaluation systems;
Institutional coordination mechanisms. Task 3. Comparative Analysis Undertake comparative analysis of selected countries by:
Identifying common institutional patterns;
Analysing different planning-budget integration models;
Assessing financing approaches;
Documenting lessons learned;
Identifying scalable good practices. Task 4. Development of Continental Guidelines Based on the evidence generated, prepare comprehensive operational guidelines covering:
Alignment between national development plans and budget systems;
Programme-budget mapping;
Budget coding and expenditure traceability;
Financing strategies for national development priorities;
Institutional coordination mechanisms;
Monitoring and evaluation frameworks;
Practical implementation roadmap for member States. Task 5. Stakeholder Consultations and Validation Support ECA in organizing technical consultations and validation workshops by:
Preparing consultation materials;
Facilitating technical discussions;
Incorporating stakeholder feedback into the final guidelines. Deliverables The international consultant shall produce the following deliverables:
Inception Report including methodology and workplan
Country Diagnostic Methodology and Assessment Tools
Country Diagnostic and Comparative Analysis Report
Validation Workshop Materials Duration and remuneration The consultancy will be conducted over a period of 36 weeks (9 months), starting upon contract signature. A competitive fee will be offered, commensurate with the consultant’s qualifications and experience. Remuneration will be deliverable-based and disbursed in installments upon the satisfactory completion of the agreed milestones, as outlined below:
First payment (50%): Upon submission and approval of the inception report and initial analytical outputs, including the typology framework and country selection.
Final payment (50%): Upon submission and approval of all final deliverables, including inputs to the draft guidelines and strengthened project proposals. The consultant’s performance will be assessed against the following indicators:
Timely submission of the deliverables and outputs specified in this Terms of Reference (ToR), with minimal revisions required.
Quality, rigor, and comprehensiveness of the analysis and outputs produced.
Responsiveness and receptiveness to feedback from stakeholders and the project team. Work location The consultancy will be home based. Travel may be required, subject to project needs and prior authorization.

Qualifications/special skills

Advanced university degree in economics, statistics, sociology, development studies, or related fields. A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

At least 15 years of progressively responsible experience in development planning, public financial management, macroeconomic policy, or public sector reforms; is required
Extensive experience in Programme-Based Budgeting (PBB), Medium-Term Expenditure Frameworks (MTEFs), public investment management, and fiscal policy is desirable
Demonstrated experience supporting governments in Africa on planning and budgeting reforms is desirable
Experience conducting institutional diagnostics and comparative policy analysis is desirable
Proven experience drafting high-level policy guidelines, analytical reports, and strategic frameworks for governments or international organizations is desirable.
Previous experience working with the United Nations, African Union, African Development Bank, World Bank, or similar international institutions is desirable. The consultant should demonstrate:
Excellent analytical and conceptual skills;
Strong knowledge of African public finance systems;
Ability to synthesize complex policy issues into practical guidance;
Excellent drafting and report-writing skills;
Ability to facilitate multi-stakeholder consultations;
Strong communication and presentation skills;
Ability to work independently and deliver high-quality outputs within agreed timelines.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations. For this position, proficiency in written and oral communication in English or French is required.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.

International consultant to Support the analysis and development of the guidelines for strengthening linkages between national planning and budgeting in Africa - MFGPD