Job / Communications Consultant / Investment climate advisory services of the World Bank Group

WASHINGTON, December 12, 2011/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Investment climate advisory services of the World Bank Group

Terms of Reference

Short-term Consultant (150 days per year)

Communications Specialist – Investment Climate Reforms - Africa

Background/General Description

The Investment Climate team in Africa (IC Africa) operates in more than 30 countries. IC Africa advises African governments on how to reform their legislative framework to encourage business creation and growth and how to attract investments. As part of that work, IC Africa advises governments, as well as private sector associations, on how to communicate the reforms proposed and made, to ensure that these reforms are actually implemented and are made known to all concerned stakeholders.

Among the activities planned is a multi-country initiative to support reforms being implemented through OHADA, the Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa, Sixteen West, Central and Indian Ocean African Countries adopted in December 2010 new measures to facilitate access to credit and business creation. These reforms should significantly reduce costs and risks of credit and encourage the development of economic activities.

IC Africa is looking for a Communications Specialist to coordinate a multi-country communications effort. Specifically, the consultant will work with the local media to:

- Support hands-on implementation of investment climate reforms related to

o Credit guarantees

o Formalization of small businesses

o Enforcement of commercial contracts.

- Ensure knowledge of the changes by their beneficiaries

- Keep momentum for more reform of investment climate reforms

- Attract foreign investors by giving them news of positive changes

- Inform development partners and encourage synergies

- Inform donor partners of the development impact of their funding

- Inform management of the development impact of activities throughout the region

Marketing and knowledge experts, as well as other communications specialists will participate in that effort. The Communications Specialist will act both as coordinator of this team and in his/her communications expert capacity.

He/She will work on the following countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo Brazzaville, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Niger and Togo.

He/She will have a dual reporting structure to the Regional IC Manager in charge of West and Central Africa, who is based in Senegal, and to the Senior Communications Officer in charge of IC communications in Africa, who is based in Nairobi.

He/She should be located in Western or Central Africa; Dakar, Senegal, or Douala, Cameroon preferred.

Scope of Work

The specialist will undertake the following main tasks:

- To help determine the level/amount of communications support needed by key stakeholders, including government or regional organizations working on reforms, law and banking professionals, private sector associations, and public/private dialogue organizations.

- To draft with the teams on the ground a multi-country communications strategy for the implementation and use by stakeholders of the reforms cited above, as well as program-specific communications strategies for each of the countries listed above, highlighting priorities (between countries, between reforms) and looking into potential.

- Implement the above-mentioned strategy: inform the public about the reforms using main local and regional media. This includes identifying relevant local/regional media, preparing press releases promoting the reforms, and placing materials in the media.

- In countries where IC has a reform program in place, to ensure flawless integration of the reform communications efforts related to the reforms cited above into the general IC reforms communications efforts. This should be done in coordination with the IC Regional Communications consultant for Western Africa and the local IC communications consultant, if there is one.

- To liaise closely with WB communications officers in countries where IFC has no office.

- To help recruit marketing and knowledge specialists.

- To collect from all IC teams, with the support of other IC communications consultants, stories and data showing the developmental impact of IC reform work related to the reforms cited above.

- To support the Senior IC Communications officer in disseminating those stories on all internal and external communications platforms including IFC and World Bank intranets, IC internet, the annual report and the donor annual review.

- To create a series of communications materials that can be distributed to all IC stakeholders, internal as well as external, to explain and promote IC reform work.

Deliverables

- Multi-country communications strategy for the reforms cited above, as well as program-specific communications strategies for each of the countries listed above, to be updated every six months; these should be integrated in the country IC communications strategy.

- Press releases promoting the above-mentioned reforms (to be circulated to local and regional media)

- In coordination with the knowledge expert, training strategies for government officials, and law and banking officials in all countries having to implement the reforms listed above

- In coordination with the marketing expert, marketing strategies aimed at the private sector for all having to implement the reforms listed above

- A monthly progress report on the implementation of all these strategies to the Regional Manager and Senior IC Communications officer.

- Creation of communications tools both for IC staff and clients, such as

o Pamphlets on the potential benefits of IC reforms or on impact already achieved

o Powerpoint presentations on program-specific reforms

o Video interviews of (future) reform beneficiaries

- A pipeline of impact stories along with key data, photos and videos to publicize the programs

Selection Criteria

• Masters degree or its equivalent in communications, journalism, international relations or a related field

• Minimum of 10 years professional communications experience, preferably working in journalism/corporate communications in developing countries

• Experience developing and designing communications plans and strategies

• Experience coordinating a team of consultants

• Knowledge of key determinants of the business and financial environment in Western and Central Africa

• Strong knowledge of local and regional relevant media

• Established network with key constituents - the media, business community, civil society, government officials

• Analytical and research skills - ability to conduct research and contribute to written reports

• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work in a diverse environment, team player

• Excellent writing skills/proofing and editing skills, ability to write simply about complex legal reforms

• Experience and knowledge of radio, video and print production

• Highly proficient in major computer software; including ability to prepare PowerPoint presentations

• Previous experience with WBG reform communications an asset

• Fluency in English and French (speaking and writing)