The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group and Green Growth Knowledge Partnership (GGKP) have launched a joint programme to support the mainstreaming of natural capital approaches in African development finance. A key pillar of the programme seeks to apply and test robust natural capital approaches to infrastructure projects in Africa.

As part of the programme, AfDB and GGKP have launched a Request for Proposals (RfP) to identify a technical partner to apply robust natural capital methods, support data collection and generate convincing results to influence infrastructure decision making in African development finance, in particular an AfDB project in Madagascar and Mozambique. One proposal for each country will be selected in this round.

Download the RfPs:

Madagascar (PDF) | Version française

Mozambique (PDF) | Versão portuguesa

The deadline for submissions: 8th August 2021, COB.

 

Background and Expected Activities

Please refer to the RfP for a full scope of the request and the selection criteria.

The Request for Proposals aim to identify a technical partner and methods for demonstrating the value of the natural capital approach in an AfDB infrastructure project in Mozambique and Madagascar. Please refer to the PDFs for full listing of each project.

Both country projects are comprised of two phases. The main objective of Phase I (2021-2023) is to improve agricultural productivity and agribusiness development to generate surpluses that can be marketed and processed further for value addition. The main objective of Phase II of the project is expected to be focused on value addition, though the specific details are not known at present. The Phase II activities and components will be identified through studies that shall be funded and carried out during the implementation of Phase I components. Additional information about the Project is available upon request.

The selected applicant will be responsible for integrating natural capital accounting and assessment (NCAA) approaches throughout all Project components in Phases I and II by engaging relevant Project stakeholders, building capacity to co-create results, identifying a high-potential impact pathway, gathering data, assessing the results, and validating final recommendations with decision-makers and stakeholders in Madagascar.

In this process, the selected applicant will be supervised and supported by the AfDB, GGKP, and programme partners including GIZ, UNEP, and WWF. The aim is to provide the required NCAA support at relevant stages of the Project decision-making process within the required timeframe. These may include Project appraisal, Environmental and Social Impact assessment, AfDB Board approval, and/or implementation.

 

Who Can Apply

The Request is open to not-for-profit institutions involved in work related to the natural capital assessment of infrastructure projects in Africa. Preference will be given to a proposal which involves both an institution which works closely with African development finance institutions and national stakeholders. There are opportunities for multiple institutions and individuals to collaborate and apply as a consortium.

Proposal Guidelines and Procedure

Applicants are asked to present a set of NCAA support activities for the Project to achieve the following outcomes:

1. Committed stakeholder engagement to prioritize NCAA activities and facilitate the application of results;
2. Demonstration of the value of the natural capital approach to AfDB infrastructure finance decision-making in Mozambique;
3. Facilitation of the co-creation, uptake, and replication of results through stakeholder workshops, communications, and public events.

A successful proposal will be scenario-based with a clear and convincing pathway to impact Project decision-making. The target intervention will be based on a cost-benefit comparison with the proposed Business-As-Usual (BAU) solutions and include financial assessments for structuring investments. Assessments should offer different flow scenarios for natural capital benefits, taking into account risks arising from Phase I and II impacts and dependencies. The applicant will also give due consideration to nature-based solutions as well as co-benefits to upstream and downstream sectors.

Proposals must be designed to ensure that project scoping is completed by 31 October 2021 and that initial results are available by 31 January 2022. Final results, including the incorporation of peer review and stakeholder comments, formatting and copy-editing, must be completed by 15 March 2022. A detailed budget proposal must be included not exceeding USD 50,000.

Selection Procedure

Proposals will be selected by comparing cost to impact potential under the following criteria:

1. Robustness of the approach to influence Project decision-making;
2. Scientific quality, including the relevance and availability of data sources;
3. Demonstrated stakeholder commitments to contribute and respond to the results.
4. Replicability in other projects and geographies.
5. Good understanding of local context, impact on the selected organization, and native mainstreaming potential: including ability to operate in both Portuguese and English.
6. Additional advantages such as co-finance, high-level support and communications.
7. Qualification: Demonstrated expertise in completing similar NCAA assessments of related scope and context.

Proposals must be written in English and submitted to the contacts below by 8 August 2021. Length should be 4-6 pages and not exceed 10 pages including annexes. The AfDB, GGKP, and WWF focal points will evaluate the proposals and notify shortlisted applicants by 20 August 2021. Shortlisted applicants will be notified of the final selections by 31 August 2021.

Submission Information

Applicants should submit an application by email to the following people:

Andre K. Toham, Lead, NC4AF Programme, AfDB             a.kamdemtoham@afdb.org

John Maughan, Co-chair, NC4AF Programme, GGKP         jmaughan@ggkp.org

Durrel Nzene Halleson, Lead, NC4AF Programme, WWF   dhalleson@wwfint.org

Please also email us for any inquiries.

Who we are

The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group was founded in 1964 to assist its Regional Member Countries to achieve sustainable socio-economic development. The AfDB’s headquarters are in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, with five regional offices and country offices in 35 African countries. Through its strategic frameworks such as the High 5s and Ten-Year Strategy (2013-22), the Bank has prioritised the management of Africa’s natural resource assets to foster inclusive growth and the transition to green growth.

The Green Growth Knowledge Partnership (GGKP) was established in 2012 and is steered by five international organizations including its co-hosts, the United Nations Environment Programme and the Global Green Growth Institute, as well as the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and the World Bank. Today, it is a global network of over 70 organizations that aims to catalyse a green economy transition among leading policy, industry and finance institutions and experts.

The project is supported by the MAVA Foundation for Nature and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.