United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) helps developing countries attract and use aid effectively. In all our activities, we encourage the protection of human rights, capacity development and the empowerment of women.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Position: International Private Sector Investment Specialist on Integrated Analyses for a REDD+ Strategy in Nigeria, with focus on Cross River State
Type of Contract: Individual Contract
Post Level: International Consultant
Duration of Initial Contract: 30 working days
Expected Duration of Assignment: 30 working days

Background
The engagement of private sector is imperative for a number of reasons:

• Forestry includes operations across a range of sectors in Nigeria and Cross River State. The private sector can, and is encouraged, to play an important role in enhancing REDD+ and sustainable, long term returns on investments in forest resources;
• The private sector can contribute to REDD+ initiatives through its range of expertise and as part of the solution to mitigating climate change by addressing key drivers of deforestation and forest degradation across key sectors and in REDD+ value chains;
• Some private enterprises impact directly on deforestation and forest degradation through activities such as agriculture, forestry, infrastructure, etc and on REDD+ value chains;
• Private sector engagement in REDD+ can bring additional financing to the public sector financing that presently comprises all of the funding for REDD+ in Nigeria; and
• The private sector is key in designing and implementing market-based mechanisms such as carbon trading in voluntary or compliance markets.
• This analysis will assess the role of private sector in the implementation of REDD+ and identify strategic opportunities and entry points for private sector engagement. The outputs of this consultancy will be integrated into REDD+ Strategy development, used to enhance private sector engagement in REDD+ processes, and position private sector actors as key collaborating partners in the implementation of a sustainable REDD+ mechanism as it continues to evolve.

Duties and Responsibilities

There are two core objectives of this analysis of REDD+ private sector investment opportunities in Nigeria:

• To identify opportunities for engaging private sector to contribute to achieving REDD+ results, that is, by reducing the impact on forests through better regulation/legislation or economic incentives and/or possibly through private sector contribution to REDD+ finance.
• This entails developing an understanding of the nature, feasibility and magnitude of potential private sector REDD+ investment opportunities in Cross River State and at the national level in Nigeria. This can potentially build on previous UN-REDD Programme work on multiple benefits in Nigeria (see Background Documents);
• To understand the potential role of the private sector in REDD+ and assist with private sector capacity building to contribute to REDD+ in Nigeria. This second objective is two-fold: (i) to increase awareness and understanding of REDD+ within the private sector, and (ii) to increase the level of understanding about the private sector amongst REDD+ stakeholders;
• The tasks set forth below to accomplish these two objectives include a broad survey of private sector businesses that have an impact on deforestation and/or forest degradation, or could potentially contribute to REDD+. To strengthen the contribution of the second objective, the assignment will help identify possible avenues for enhancing private sector engagement.
• This is important, too, because the enabling conditions for private sector engagement and the emergence of inclusive markets - competitive markets that extend choice and opportunity to address REDD+ issues - are not yet in place.

The consultants will carry out the following specific tasks, among others:

• Provide a baseline overview of the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in Nigeria and identify any interventions - especially those involving the private sector - that have been proposed or employed to tackle these drivers.
• The drivers’ analysis should both focus on direct drivers of deforestation and indirect drivers (including e.g. subsidies to farmers or other forms of incentives to currently add pressure on forests);
• Identify the key private sector players in sectors particularly sectors whose activities impact on deforestation and those that could be relevant in identifying solution. Sectors such as agriculture, mining, forestry, trade, energy, banking and finance amongst others, their type of and potential interventions in the REDD+ value chain, their interests and motivations;
• Map key bank and non-bank financial actors in the Nigerian financial system and the relevant services they provide;
• Describe the terms and conditions under which finance and investment are provided to actors in the key sectors identified above (e.g. for debt products: sectors/activities lent to, size/maturity/interest rate of loans, collateral requirements, repayment terms, social and environmental risk policies, etc.);
• Identify key on-going REDD+ (related) initiatives that are supported by the private sector including the form and nature of their support (e.g. corporate social responsibility, on the ground investments, clean technology);
• Develop a ‘long-list’ of possible private sector REDD+ interventions that would address the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation from across multiple sectors and identify what enabling environment (i.e. incentives) will have to be provided by the state/federal government to make it (economically) attractive;
• Develop a framework using multiple criteria to highlight the private sector REDD+ investment opportunities with the most potential in the short to medium term. The criteria may include the following (among others): GHG abatement potential/environmental impact, level of community/gender benefits and poverty reduction, clarity of land tenure, scalability/potential size of opportunity, unit size of opportunity, relative cost, commercial viability, ease of implementation, return 'break-even time', opportunity cost, likely government interest, compatibility with current livelihoods, risks related to permanence/leakage, and risks and/or difficulties associated with land tenure;
• Identify a short-list of stakeholders (using a ranking system) who are relevant to the highest scoring potential opportunities, and interview them to deepen understanding of the constraints, opportunities and critical enabling steps necessary for implementation;
• Interview representatives from financial actors identified above to assess constraints and opportunities to finance high scoring REDD+ activities based on the ranking system described above under point 7;
• Prepare a summary identifying, classifying and prioritising potential sub-national and national private sector REDD+ investment opportunities in Nigeria, describing critical constraints to these investments, and recommending possible next steps;
• Produce a summary of opportunities and constraints of the Nigerian finance sector to provide finance and investment for private sector REDD+ activities;
• Provide a listing of on-going private sector contributions to REDD+ as well as an estimation of potential private sector contribution to REDD+ related programmes or initiatives, and if possible, the delivery mechanisms for the amounts provided;
• Outline and assess challenges private sector faces or likely to face in the implementation of REDD+;

Recommend strategies that should be developed or promoted to enhance private sector engagement in REDD+ including those that may be relevant to:

• Incentives to the private sector in reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation;
• Development of special instruments to facilitate public-private-partnerships such as risk sharing instruments, enterprise development and innovative facilities;
• Identification of priority sectors/areas that the private sector can engage in (e.g. REDD+ smart ventures, technologies and opportunities);
• Identification of potential role(s) for companies and corporations in REDD+ implementation;
• How an enabling environment can be created to enhance private sector engagement in REDD+ with considerations of the existing privileges and incentives for investments including from regulatory, policy and institutional points of view;
• How to make a strong business and economic case to the private sector to invest in REDD+;
• How to initiate or build on existing platforms to promote dialogue and partnerships around REDD+ investment opportunities;
• How private sector can practice and/or facilitate observation of REDD+ safeguards particularly in the areas of managing risks, ensuring full and effective participation of the private sector and respect for the knowledge and rights of communities; and
• A roadmap for engaging private sector including developing an agenda for a follow-on REDD+ private sector engagement workshop for early in 2016. Building on the analysis and recommendations from the review workshop, the industry/private sector workshop will likely bring together a cross-sectoral group of key experts and business leaders to build momentum, discuss developing systems and approaches, and clarify next steps for REDD+ private sector investment in Nigeria.
• The cross-sectoral group will collectively combine knowledge of the forest and agriculture sectors (and any other relevant drivers of deforestation and forest degradation), the private sector, improving agricultural productivity, lowering risk, promoting sustainable supply chains, increasing community-level benefits, and related social, legal and institutional issues.
• Present report to stakeholders on the findings, conclusions, and preliminary recommendations of the analytical work at a workshop;
• Incorporate stakeholder comments in a final report;
• Prepare a Policy Brief on Private Sector Engagement with the Support of the UN-REDD team.

Required Skills and Experience
Education:

• Advanced Degree in a relevant Social and Nature Science, Public or Business Administration or a development-related subject.

Experience:

• Extensive experience in developing and strengthening small- and medium-size agricultural and forest product enterprises and producer groups, including community-level farm and forest enterprise;
• At least 10 years of experience in the private sector, carbon finance and markets, investment analysis and development of Public-Private-Partnerships (PPPs);
• Some experience in natural resource management, environmental policies and/or forest-climate linkages is highly valuable;
• Proven track record of working with governmental and non-governmental institutions;
• Proven experience in drafting reports and action plans.

Competencies:

• Excellent writing skills;
• Good interpersonal skills;
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment;
• Excellent Team building skills.

Language
Fluent English.