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Consultancy: Institutional Learning – Baseline Study Consultant

Niger-Delta, Nigeria

Position Summary

As part of startup processes for the project “Sharing the Green Grass: Cultivating a Locally-led Peace Architecture in the Niger Delta”, Search seeks the services of an external consultant to lead a baseline analysis, conflict mapping, and capacities assessment that is planned in Delta State, to determine local conflict dynamics aimed at informing the approach to project activities, including risk mitigation and Do No Harm strategies. This will ensure programming is adapted to respond to the particular needs of people in the target areas, and that the participants selected to engage in project activities include both the farmer and herder leaders in target communities and marginalized groups affected by the conflict, such as women and youth.

The objectives of the assessment are to:

• Determine current conflict dynamics in the target LGAs including types of conflict, the dynamics and key driving factors for conflict and peace;
• Identify gender and youth dynamics of the farmer-herder conflict and recommend potential strategies that ensure women and youth are fully represented and substantively engaged on the project, while upholding the principles of Do No Harm;
• Identify and recommend priority communities in each LGA, based on their unique characteristics;
• Identify key stakeholders and their capacities to respond to early warning information;
• Identity potential barriers to peace in communities and recommendations to overcome these;
• Identify advocacy and policy influencing priorities regarding the farmer-herder conflict in the state;
• Provide recommendations on Conflict Sensitivity strategies for programming based on findings from the assessment.
• Provide baseline data for project outcome indicators including:
• % of target community members interviewed who report reduced violent conflicts between members of other communities
• % of target groups with increased capacities to promote collaboration between farmer-herder communities
• % of community members who report creating new, positive relationships with members of the other community
• % of participants interviewed who demonstrate greater capacities to detect, report, and respond to potential violence
• % of participants interviewed who report resolving disputes between farmer-herder communities
• % of target partners, associates, and farmer-herder community members interviewed who feel confident that project-related activities will continue long-term

Findings from this assessment will be used to inform programme planning and implementation. As such, clear and actionable recommendations are expected, in light of data collected on site. The report will also be shared widely with project participants and partners, and presented during SFCG Nigeria programs. The assessment report – with sensitive details redacted – will eventually be published on SFCG’s website and shared with other learning networks in order to enhance the broader field of peace-building in Nigeria and the world.

About the Project

The overall objective for the project “Sharing the Green Grass: Cultivating a Locally-led Peace Architecture in the Niger Delta” is to strengthen local capacities to peacefully manage conflict and prevent violence from escalating within a locally-led peace architecture in the Niger Delta. The 24-months project, funded by the USAID/CMM, is being implemented in Ethiope East LGA, Isoko North, Ndokwa West and Ughelli North in Delta state, Nigeria. It is supported by two objectives and five expected outcomes:

Objective 1: Farmer and herder communities cultivate the skills and relationships to collaborate on peace and security issues.

Expected results:

• Local partners, civil society organizations, and community members have increased capacity to identify and respond to conflicts.
• Farmer and herder community members have improved relationships, deeper understanding about each other, and increased trust.

Objective 2: Farmer and herder communities develop effective, sustainable local mechanisms for early warning response, dispute management, and violence mitigation.

Expected results:

• Local partners and farmer-herder communities develop new mechanisms to identify and respond to early warning signs for potential violence.
• Farmer and herder communities improve the management and mitigation of disputes in nonviolent mechanisms within and between their communities.
• Local partners and stakeholders expand ownership over a sustained and scaled peace and community security architecture that includes law enforcement, government, and civil society actors.

Local partners and stakeholders expand ownership over a sustained and scaled peace and community security architecture that includes law enforcement, government, and civil society actors. The project is based on the theory that if farmer and pastoralist communities in the Delta have improved understanding and relationships across dividing lines, and locally-owned and sustained mechanisms are developed for conflict prevention and dispute resolution then the risk of intergroup violence will be reduced and norms and institutions favorable towards peace and reconciliation will be reinforced.

This proposed theory of change is informed by our “Peace Architecture” approach to bottom-up People-to-People conflict resolution in Nigeria, which focuses on supporting local-level cohesion and community-owned conflict prevention and mitigation, and linking communities with government, security, justice, and other actors where necessary. The project proposes to adapt and strengthen the capacities of local peacebuilding and civil society organizations, as well as key community stakeholders, to build relationships, skills, and sustainable structures that reduce farmer-pastoralist tensions and elevate women and youth perspectives in the Niger Delta, in conflict sensitive ways that adhere to the principles of Do No Harm.

Methodology

The proposed methodology is to be clearly stated in the technical offer, detailing why the methodology is preferred and its relevance to the state, the farmer/herder conflict and purpose of the assessment. In addition, the technical offer should include details on logistics and roll-out of the study: who the target respondents will be and why, how will they be identified or recruited, how data collection and data quality assurance will be carried out, as well as how data analysis will be done.

The assessment will target community residents in the locations where the project is being implemented, as well as other prime/affected locations in Delta states, as listed above and as logistically feasible. Tools for the assessment will be developed by the consultant and/ or team in collaboration with Search’s DME staff. The inception and final reports will also be developed by the consultant and/or team with Search’s input. The tools will be administered in the identified communities and the data analyzed by the consultant and/or team chosen to perform this research.

Deliverables

The baseline assessment deliverables are:

• An inception report detailing the proposed method, study matrix, and work plan. It is to be approved by Search’s DME staff before starting data collection.
• Research tools (developed by the candidate and/or team with the input of Search’s DME staff)
• Draft report for review by SFCG staff and other stakeholders
• Final Report (maximum 30 pages, excluding appendices), consisting of but not excluded to: Executive Summary, Methodology, Findings and Analysis, Conclusions, Lessons Learned and Recommendations. The report should be structured according to the evaluation questions. A template for baseline research within Search will be provided.
• All data collected for this research including audios and transcripts for all interviews, and quantitative data entered in a template, based on the methodology used
• Appendices, including data collection tools and list of interviewees
• A power point presentation of the report

Required Profile

Education

• Graduate degree in Conflict Studies, Social Work or other relevant degree is an added advantage;

Experience

• 5 years or more of experience in evaluations and large-scale qualitative and quantitative studies with international organizations;
• Experience in evaluating programs relating to community development, peacebuilding, and conflict resolution;
• Experience in evaluating programs relating to farmer-herder conflicts will be an added advantage;

Other Relevant Requirements

• Strong analytical skills
• Excellent written communication and report writing skills in English
• Prior work experience in North East Nigeria
• Ability to communicate fluently in Hausa and Kanuri
• Ability to be Gender Sensitive and flexible with time and work schedule

Logistical Support

SFCG will provide the following logistical support to the consultant;

• Transmission of background materials (project proposal, meeting notes, etc.)
• Availability of a meeting room in Abuja and Warri, as required;
• Meeting arrangements with stakeholders and beneficiaries as requested by the consultant
• Support of a SFCG Field Officer for introductions to key stakeholders and equivalent

Timeframe

The assessment will take place between Mid-February, 2019 and March, 2019, with the final deliverables due end of March, 2019.

Budget and Terms of Engagement

• All production costs incurred will be covered from the consultancy fee.
• 5% withholding tax will be deducted at source from the total cost of the consultancy fee for a firm.
• 40% of the consultancy fee will be paid when initial the contract is signed, 30% will be paid upon submission of initial findings and the remaining balance of 30% will be paid on final completion and submission of satisfactorily deliverables.

The consultant is required to respect the following Ethical Principles:

• Comprehensive and systematic inquiry: Consultant should make the most of the existing information and full range of stakeholders available at the time of the review. Consultant should conduct systematic, data-based inquiries. He or she should communicate his or her methods and approaches accurately and in sufficient detail to allow others to understand, interpret and critique his or her work. He or she should make clear the limitations of the review and its results.
• Competence: Consultant should possess the abilities and skills and experience appropriate to undertake the tasks proposed and should practice within the limits of his or her professional training and competence.
• Honesty and integrity: Consultant should be transparent with the contractor/constituent about: any conflict of interest, any change made in the negotiated project plan and the reasons why those changes were made, any risk that certain procedures or activities produce misleading review information.
• Respect for people: Consultant respect the security, dignity and self-worth of respondents, program participants. Consultant has the responsibility to be sensitive to and respect differences amongst participants in culture, religion, gender, disability, age and ethnicity.

In addition, the consultant will respect SFCG’s evaluations standards, to be found in SFCG’s evaluation guidelines: https://www.sfcg.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/SFCG-External-Evaluation-Guidelines-FINAL.pdf