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TERMS OF REFERENCE
CULTURE SECTOR EVALUATION FOR THE HORN OF AFRICA
Organization: Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in Kenya
Duration: Between September 2020 - October 2020
Contract Type: Consultancy
Closing date: 06th August 2020
1. Purpose
The present Terms of Reference (ToRs) provide the framework for the evaluation of the culture sector for the three countries of the Swiss Regional Programme Horn of Africa (RPHoA), specifically: Somalia (including Somaliland), North-Eastern Kenya (Somali region of Kenya) and South-Eastern Ethiopia (Somali region Ethiopia).
The purpose of the evaluation is to determine key entry points for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) to establish a long-term, 12 year, culture programme in the Horn of Africa (HoA) region.
The evaluation will seek to identify culture institutions and partners, ongoing donor initiatives in the culture field and areas of engagement for the preservation of tangible or intangible cultural heritage. It should seek to identify how culture initiatives can be used to promote social cohesion, inclusion and reconciliation. It should also provide an increased understanding of regional / cross-border issues that can be addressed through a long-term culture programme, linked to at least one of SDC’s four strategic domains i.e. Food Security, Health, Governance and Migration/Protection.
The evaluation should generate learning and recommendations for SDC on how best to approach and engage in the culture sector in the HoA region. It should help identify Switzerland’s niche in the culture sector, in the region.
2. Background
SDC’s activities in HoA region are concentrated in Somalia and the arid and semi-arid zones of North-Eastern Kenya and South-Eastern Ethiopia. SDC has provided significant humanitarian, development and peacebuilding assistance in the region since 2013 and before. The priority domains of SDC in the HoA are: 1) Food Security, 2) Health, 3) Governance and 4) Migration/Protection. Good governance, Gender and Conflict Sensitive Programme Management (CSPM) are cross cutting themes. Due to the shared challenges and opportunities across national borders of the three countries, and the transboundary character of population movements, instability and climate change, SDC applies a regional approach in its programming.
SDC considers culture a component of development and a catalyst for social transformation. In its efforts to contribute to the reduction of poverty and inequality, SDC seeks to identify and build on the cultural resources, local knowledge and creative forces on hand, in the societies where it works.
As a general rule, the aim of culture promotion initiatives is to strengthen local cultural identity, social cohesion, and intercultural exchanges in partner countries. They represent a contribution to the richness and diversity of local cultural life.
In the HoA region, SDC has been supporting culture initiatives since 2013. Activities supported include: book fairs, photo festivals, music concerts, art exhibitions, preservation of poetry, as well as workshops on literature, social inclusion and identity, resulting in artistic expression. However, such projects did not have a long-term strategic investment in culture as they are supported by short-term funding modalities. They do not necessarily build synergies among each other or further a regional approach, within the HoA region.
Establishing a sustainable long-term culture programme in the HoA, will allow SDC to build-up the local culture sectors in the three countries of the RPHoA. SDC will address common challenges and opportunities through a regional approach that will mainly target women, youth and marginalized groups such as persons with disabilities, displaced persons and minorities. It will enable SDC to gain experience and comparative advantage in the field of culture and development, in the region.
3. Evaluation objectives
After seven years of short-term engagements in the field of culture in the region, SDC intends to evaluate the culture sector of the countries of the RPHoA i.e. Somalia (including Somaliland), North-Eastern Kenya and South-Eastern Ethiopia.
The following are the objectives of the external evaluation:
Identify culture institutions and potential partners in the RPHoA region.
Identify ongoing donor initiatives and potential synergies in the culture sector.
Identify new potential initiatives not supported by others geared towards culture.
Identify new potential culture initiatives that promote social cohesion, inclusion and reconciliation.
Get an increased understanding of common regional issues to address through culture initiatives, linked to at least one of the RPHoA domains i.e. 1) Food Security, 2) Health, 3) Governance and 4) Migration/Protection; or its transversal themes, i.e. a) Gender, b) Conflict Sensitivity.
Identify concrete entry points of engagement for the preservation of tangible and intangible heritage and artistic expression such as, but not limited to music, poetry or a combination.
The consultant(s) will carry out a desk review of project documents, policy documents and previous culture assessments in the region. The consultant will also interview program staff and SDC management in Nairobi and Addis Ababa, to get a better understanding of culture projects that have been supported by SDC, regional issues, domain objectives and how culture can be used to achieve domain objectives. Current and previous SDC culture partners in the region will also be interviewed.
The consultant(s) will also conduct a field mission to Somalia, North-Eastern Kenya and South-Eastern Ethiopia, if security and safety conditions permit. S/he will interview partners SDC has worked with in the field of culture, as well as potential institutions and partners for collaboration. S/he will also assess current culture initiatives in the region and synergies.
4. Evaluation scope
The scope of the evaluation includes:
Previous and ongoing culture projects managed by SDC in Nairobi and Addis Ababa.
Culture institutions in the region.
Ongoing and planned interventions related to culture by other stakeholders (institutions, donors, multilateral, bilateral, NGOs, private sector, etc.).
New interventions where cultural support would promote social cohesion, intercultural exchanges and address gender related issues.
New interventions where a regional exchange between cultural institutions or artists is being promoted.
Information on potential synergies of culture linked to the SDC domains (Food Security, Health, Governance and Migration/Protection) in the target area.
Geographically, the focus will be on the countries of the RPHoA: Somalia (including Somaliland), North-Eastern Kenya and South-Eastern Ethiopia, where a field mission will be conducted.
The results of the evaluation will be shared with the SDC office in Nairobi and Addis Ababa.
5. Timetable
The evaluation should be conducted between September 2020 and October 2020.
Phase 1 (Covid-19 independent):
- Introduction, preparation and inception phase: week of 7th – 11th September 2020.
- Desk review: week of 14th - 18th September 2020.
- One to one discussion (Nairobi & Addis Ababa):** week of 21st – 25th September 2020.
Phase 2 (Covid-19 dependent):
- Field mission: week of 28th September – 9th October 2020.
- Phase for writing-up provisional final report:** week of 12th - 16th October 2020.
- Sharing the report and feedback with the team:** week of 19th – 23rd October 2020.
- Finalising report: week of 26th- 30th October 2020.
The activity schedule is for guidance and is liable to be modified at any time. The consultant(s) is expected to plan their interviews and fieldwork accordingly.
NB: Should the situation not allow for travel to the field, the field work phase will be postponed to a later date. This also means that the consultancy will be finalized later and not as per the above timetable. However, as soon as the Covid-19 travel situation allows, the evaluation will continue with newly agreed timelines and a work plan.
The culture officers in the SDC Nairobi office and SDC Addis Ababa office will coordinate and facilitate the work of the locally recruited consultant. SDC will provide the list of programme officers and SDC management, for the consultant(s) to schedule for interactions. All travel arrangements and interactions during the field mission will be organized by the consultant(s).
6. Deliverables
The following products are expected from the evaluation:
An evaluation approach paper and a work plan is elaborated ahead of the desk review of the project documents. The approach should describe key stages of the review process, including the field mission, timelines, and establish clear roles and responsibilities in the review process. Joint approval will be required by the Nairobi office, Addis Ababa office and the consultant. The work plan should describe the 2 key stages of the assessment and its timelines.
An inception report is produced at the end of the desk review work phase (phase 1). In addition to the summary of the desk review documents covered, the report should provide a background of the general culture engagements in the target region, culture institutions and common issues that can be addressed through culture.
A provisional final report is produced at the end of the review, after the field mission. SDC will then have a few days from receiving the provisional report to circulate its comments and observations.
An evaluation report (max. 30 pages, excl. the executive summary and annexes) with an analytical review and recommendation part. The final report has to incorporate these comments /remarks/exchanges/discussions.
A validation and outlook debriefing session/workshop, for both the Nairobi and Addis Ababa office, co-organized by SDC and the consultant.
7. Review Team
The entire exercise shall be conducted either by a single consultant or by a team of consultants fulfilling the following requirements:
Proven track record and experience in culture related work. A minimum of 7 years of relevant experience in the areas of culture for development and creative industry development, especially linked to social cohesion. Know-how of social anthropology in the Horn of Africa (HoA) is an advantage. A university degree in a discipline related to the assignment is an added advantage;
Substantial knowledge and expertise on culture and arts matters, trends and issues in the HoA region as well as networks;
Ability to communicate ideas in a manner conducive to their practical application;
Comfortable working as part of a team to add value to collective results;
Background and demonstrated knowledge in monitoring and evaluation (M&E);
Strong analytical capacity combined with ability to synthesize/communicate conclusions and recommendations and report-writing skills are required;
Cultural sensitivity to deal appropriately with different interlocutors in the HoA region;
Excellent command of oral and written English;
Knowledge of the Horn of Africa context.
8. Time Frame and Budget
The maximum time frame for this assignment will be as per the timetable in chapter 5 above. The allocation of working days for the inception, desk review, NPO interviews, etc. will be agreed on the basis of the agreed work plan and the decision of conducting a field visit (based on travel restrictions related to Covid-19).
The budget for the assignment is CHF 40’000 - 60’000.
The consultant will propose a schedule including:
Execution: time necessary to achieve the objectives and results of the evaluation.
Regarding reports: deadline for submission of preliminary reports and final reports.
Reporting and exchanges with the programme staff and management of SDC Nairobi and Addis Ababa.
Reporting and exchanges with SDC culture partners in Nairobi and Addis Ababa.
Reporting and exchanges with potential partners and institutions during the field mission to Somalia (including Somaliland), North-Eastern Kenya and South-Eastern Ethiopia.
The consultant will also propose a detailed methodology of work, broken down as follows:
Preparatory phase: document reviews and briefings.
Interview phase: 1. with the programme and management staff in SDC Nairobi and Addis Ababa. 2. with SDC culture partners in Nairobi and Addis Ababa. 3. with SDC partners and potential partners and institutions in Somalia (including Somaliland), North-Eastern Kenya and South-Eastern Ethiopia.
Field mission.
Drafting of provisional final report.
Validation session and finalisation.
9. Logistics and management
The consultant(s) must have a laptop, USB key and tape recorder to facilitate the work.
The consultant(s) will have mobile telephones with sim cards. Credit will be paid by the consultant(s).
The evaluator will contact and set meetings with the relevant external stakeholders.
Accommodations and transport in Kenya, Somalia (incl. Somaliland) and Ethiopia will be covered by the consultant(s).
Visa and travel authorizations procedures will be facilitated by the consultant(s).
How to apply
10. Application
Consultants invited to apply will provide a full application pack of 10 to 15 pages maximum, and send it to the following e-mail address: nairobi@eda.admin.ch and specifically headed “SDC HoA Culture Sector Evaluation”:
The technical proposal should include:
Understanding of the Terms of Reference.
Technical approach developed and detailed methodology.
Composition of the team (if more than one person), division of responsibilities between its members, CVs submitted and availability of members.
Provisional timetable for the evaluation and an estimate of cost per person per day.
References from two similar previous assignments.
A sworn statement as to the absence of any conflict of interest.
The financial proposal should include:
- Total budget including all taxes and incorporating a budget break-down (fees, living expenses, travel, etc.).
The winning bidder shall be required to submit the following administrative information to be verified and validated before the contract is awarded.
Corporate person/company
Certificate of registration/Incorporation of the company.
Latest Tax Compliance Certificate of the company.
Copies of academic certificates of proposed consultant(s).
For natural persons/individuals/freelancers
Latest Tax Compliance Certificate.
Copies of academic certificates of the consultant(s).
Compliance with local law on taxation
Taxes, charges and social security contributions will be applicable in conformity with local legislation. The Embassy is obligated to deduct and submit Withholding Tax (WHT) to the Kenyan Revenue Authority (KRA). WHT is a percentage of the earnings and will vary depending on the country of origin of the consultant.
For non-residents, the Embassy will respect existing “double taxation agreements (DTA)”. It is the consultant’s duty to provide proof of tax payment in the residing country. If no proof is available the full percentage, currently at 20% (subject to change depending on legislation) for non-resident, will be deducted.
More information on the applicable tax rates can be found here https://www.kra.go.ke/en/helping-tax-payers/faqs/more-about-withholding-tax.
Legal status of the consultant in the country of engagement: The consultant must have valid a work permit or equivalent authorizations before travelling, that allows such a person to live and work in the respective country.**
Final date for submission of applications: Thursday, 06th August 2020, 1700 hrs local time, Nairobi. Send it to the following e-mail address: nairobi@eda.admin.ch and specifically headed “SDC HoA Culture Sector Evaluation”. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
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