RITD/ATPC/SRO WA Consultant to develop the AfCFTA step-by-step guide for Sierra Leone

Tags: Law English translation
  • Added Date: Thursday, 17 July 2025
  • Deadline Date: Thursday, 24 July 2025
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Result of Serviceโ€ข Improved access to trade information for Sierra Leonean businesses, particularly MSMEs, women and youth traders, through a practical Step-by-Step Guide and foundational content for a digital Trade Information Portal, enabling effective participation in trade under the AfCFTA; and โ€ข Strengthened national implementation of the AfCFTA by supporting Sierra Leoneโ€™s efforts to operationalize the Agreement through private sector engagement and improved regulatory transparency. Work LocationHome based Expected duration6 months Duties and ResponsibilitiesBackground The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) has been instrumental in supporting African countries throughout the negotiation and implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The AfCFTA represents a key milestone in Africaโ€™s regional integration and a catalyst for economic growth, industrialization, and sustainable developmentโ€”aligned with both the UN 2030 Agenda and the African Unionโ€™s Agenda 2063. To realize the full potential of the AfCFTA, ratification by all AU Member States and the adoption of robust national implementation strategies are essential. ECA continues to support Member States in these efforts, including through assistance with outstanding negotiations under Phase I (Trade in Goods and Services) and Phase II (Investment, Intellectual Property Rights, Competition Policy, Digital Trade, and Women and Youth in Trade). The private sector, particularly SMEs and women and youth-led businesses, plays a vital role in AfCFTA implementation. However, limited access to trade-related information remains a major barrier to their engagement. To address this, ECA, through its African Trade Policy Centre (ATPC), has developed a methodology for country-specific Step-by-Step Guides for Trading Goods under the AfCFTA. These practical tools outline the regulatory and procedural requirements for imports and exports under the Agreement and serve as key content for Trade Information Portals. In response to an official request from the Government of the Republic of Sierra Leone, ECA will recruit a national consultant to support the development of a Step-by-Step Guide for Sierra Leone. The Guide will contribute to the development of a broader Trade Information Portal, a digital platform aimed at providing accessible, up-to-date trade information for businesses in Sierra Leone. The development of the Guide and the Portal is being implemented in close coordination with Sierra Leoneโ€™s Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) and the Sierra Leone Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (SLCCIA). This initiative is funded through the Government of Japanโ€™s support to ECA under the project titled โ€œBoosting Intra-African Trade through Leveraging Digitalization for Effective and Inclusive AfCFTA Implementationโ€, funded through Japanโ€™s Supplementary Budget for JFY2024. The project seeks to promote inclusive AfCFTA implementation by supporting digital tools, trade portals, and knowledge productsโ€”such as the Step-by-Step Guidesโ€”to enhance the ability of businesses, especially women-led MSMEs, to trade under the AfCFTA. Purpose This consultancy aims to develop a Sierra Leone-specific Step-by-Step Guide for Trading Goods under the AfCFTA to strengthen private sector engagement in cross-border trade. The Guide will clearly outline the regulatory and procedural requirements for trading under the AfCFTA framework and serve to inform the development of the Sierra Leoneโ€™s Trade Information Portal. Objective To develop a practical, user-friendly Step-by-Step Guide for Trading in Goods under the AfCFTA that outlines Sierra Leoneโ€™s regulatory and procedural requirements for importing and exporting goods, with the aim of improving private sector awareness and capacity to trade under the AfCFTA. The Guide will contribute to the development of Sierra Leoneโ€™s Trade Information Portal. Methodology The development of the Guide will rely on a triangulated methodology, combining desk research, primary data collection, and illustrative case studies to ensure both accuracy and usability: i) Desk Research: Desk research focusing on the AfCFTA Agreement and relevant national frameworks will be conducted. This includes examining Sierra Leoneโ€™s trade related legislation, customs regulations, regulatory procedures, institutional frameworks, and the countryโ€™s National AfCFTA Implementation Strategy. ii) Primary Data Collection: Information will be gathered from relevant government Ministries and agencies and selected businesses across different sectors within Sierra Leone through questionnaires and interviews. This effort aims to gain insights into the practical regulatory requirements and procedures for exporting and importing specific goods under the AfCFTA. iii) Case Studies: Subject to resource availability, case studies documenting the real-life experiences of individual businesses involved in actual import and export transactions under the AfCFTA will also be included in the Guide. These cases will help illustrate practical challenges and opportunities, making the Guide more relatable and impactful for prospective users. The Guide will follow the structure outlined in the Methodology that will be shared. Duties & Responsibilities of the Consultant The Consultant will work under the overall guidance of the Director of the SRO-WA and the Coordinator of the African Trade Policy Centre (ATPC), in close collaboration with the assigned ECA Staff. He/she will work under the direct supervision of an official designated for this purpose by Sierra Leoneโ€™s Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) and the Sierra Leone Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (SLCCIA). The tasks to be performed by the Consultant include: โ€ข Engage with the Ministry, SLCCIA and other stakeholders to assess the current state of Sierra Leoneโ€™s trade policy, level of engagement in AfCFTA and its business environment; โ€ข Conduct research, guided by the Methodology with the support of the MTI and SLCCIA; โ€ข Analyze Sierra Leoneโ€™s national trade policy, (including the National AfCFTA Implementation Strategy) as well as legal and institutional frameworks and the AfCFTA Agreement (including its Protocols) for preparing the Guide; โ€ข Collect and incorporate information from selected Sierra Leonean businesses representing priority sectors on their experience in exporting or importing goods. These inputs will be anonymized and integrated as illustrative case studies; โ€ข Develop a comprehensive Step-by-Step Guide, following the proposed structure and incorporating relevant national and AfCFTA-specific procedures; โ€ข Present the draft Guide at a stakeholder validation workshop organized in collaboration with MIT and SLCCIA; โ€ข Revise the draft Guide based on comments and suggestions from ECA, MIT, and SLCCIA and validation workshop participants; โ€ข Submit the final approved version of the Guide to ECA, MTI and SLCCIA. Where necessary, review and support translation into other official languages to ensure accuracy and consistency; โ€ข Provide technical input for the design and content development of the Sierra Leone Trade Information Portal, โ€ข Assist with other tasks directly related to the above as may be assigned by ECA, MTI and/or SLCCIA. Qualifications/special skillsAdvanced university degree (Masterโ€™s degree or above) in economics, international trade law, political economy or related fields is required. A minimum of seven years of experience in trade-related research and/or analysis is required. โ€ข Expert knowledge of the AfCFTA, Sierra Leoneโ€™s trade, economic policies, strategies, and priorities as well as demonstrated experience working in Sierra Leone and familiarity with its institutional context also required. โ€ข Experience in conducting and publishing interdisciplinary research in policy, economics and/or legal aspects of trade-led integration in Africa is highly desirable. โ€ข Report writing skills and experience are also desirable. LanguagesEnglish and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in English is required. Additional InformationNot available. No FeeTHE 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 APPLICANTSโ€™ BANK ACCOUNTS.

๐Ÿ“š ๐——๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—›๐—ผ๐˜„ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—š๐—ฒ๐˜ ๐—ฎ ๐—๐—ผ๐—ฏ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—จ๐—ก ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฏ! ๐ŸŒ๐Ÿค ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ก๐—˜๐—ช ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ฟ๐˜‚๐—ถ๐˜๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ ๐—š๐˜‚๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—จ๐—ก ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฏ ๐˜„๐—ถ๐˜๐—ต ๐˜๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜ ๐˜€๐—ฎ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—จ๐—ก๐—›๐—–๐—ฅ, ๐—ช๐—™๐—ฃ, ๐—จ๐—ก๐—œ๐—–๐—˜๐—™, ๐—จ๐—ก๐——๐—ฆ๐—ฆ, ๐—จ๐—ก๐—™๐—ฃ๐—”, ๐—œ๐—ข๐—  ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ผ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€! ๐ŸŒ

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