Last Updated on Monday, 04 February 2013 14:35
The Macroeconomic and Financial Management Institute of Eastern and Southern Africa (MEFMI) is a regionally owned institute currently with 13 member countries: Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique Namibia, Rwanda, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Secretariat of MEFMI is in Harare, Zimbabwe, MEFMI was founded with the view to build sustainable capacity in identified key areas in ministries of finance and/ or planning and central banks, or equivalent institutions.
MEFMI strives to improve human and institutional capacity in critical areas of macroeconomic and financial management. The Institute delivers its products and services through workshops for professionals, seminars for senior professionals, retreats for heads of departments/ divisions, executive fora for top executives, and country missions. These products and services are delivered in all 13 member states on a rotational basis.
SCOPE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:
The Consultant(s) will work in conjunction with MEFMI to provide the required services. The Consultant(s) will carry out the following assignment(s):
- Provide relevant inputs on the draft workshop and/or country mission programme:
- Prepare workshop and/or country mission materials relevant to the respective activity:
- Submit to MEFMI electronic copies of work shop and/or country mission materials
- Conduct training and/or country missions as outlined in the detailed Terms of Reference:
- Collaborate with MEFMI staff and other experts in the delivery of the activity;
- Produce a report of the workshop and/or country missions and submit to MEFMI Secretariat in accordance with the conditions outlined in the Ten11S of Reference: and
- Carry out studies on specific countries or subjects.
- Carry out other consultancy work as may be agreed
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
A. PUBLIC DEBT MANAGEMENT
The consultants should have expertise in one or more of the following areas:
- Experience in External and Domestic Debt Management and operations including course and workshop design and delivery;
- Formulation of debt strategies and analysis of debt sustainability preferably with hands on experiencc in design and documentation of country debt strategies, including application of Breton Woods Institutions tools such as Medium Term Debt Strategies (MTDS) and Debt Sllstainability Framework (DSF);
- Ability to design e-learning material on debt sustainability analysis and debt strategy formulation and delivery 10 students of the e-Learning material:
- Experience in fiscal and debt analyses, including key quantitative applications;
- Experience in compilation of, and reporting Oil public debt st.uistics using computer debtsystcms of United Nations Conference on Trade and Devclopment (UNClAD) and Commonwealth Secretariat (COMSEC). This includes either experience in UNClAD DMFAS 5.3 computer system and procedures for debt data recording and validation orCOMSECs CS-DRMS 2000' :
- Expericnce in sovereign liabilities analysis and eomputcr-bascd modelling of related risks; Hands-on experience in technical application ofthe DSF tor LICs using live country data and projections: Experience in debt management office operations and institutional arrangememsandreforms.
B. FINANCIAL SECTOR MANAGEMENT
The consultants should have expertise in one or more of the following areas:
Foreign Exchange Reserves Management
Respondents must have the following
- A thorough understanding of investment strategies. strategic asset allocation, benchmarking and indexation and understanding international capital markets:
- Front Office: dealing in foreign currency both in the domestic and international markets, investing in money market and fixed income investments, trading in these investments including complex instruments
- such as derivatives; Portfolio construction, management and protection
- Middle Office Risk Management: exposed to risk analytics such as performance measurement, benchmarking and indexation, asset valuation and pricing, use of Bloomberg. Reuterd and spread sheet
- tools such as goal seek, solver. simulations, etc.
- Hands on experience on clearing and settlement of deals. back office operations including reconciliation
- and accounting for investments; use of SWlFT. etc
Domestic Financial Markets Development
- Respondents must have practical expertise in the development of domestic financial markets with specific
- focus on fixed income securities issuance,
- Clear understanding and application of legal instruments that strengthen domestic market operations;
- Strong trading skills in fixed income instruments. and:
- Clear understanding of the relationships between monetary policy operations domestic market development.
Payment Clearing and Settlement Systems
Respondents must have practical experience in the following:
- Operations of payment. clearing, settlement and securities systems;
- Large Value Systems: development and operations of RTGS systems, Securities Settlement Systems and Cross border settlement systems;
- Retail systems: development and operations of retail systems, switches, clearing syatems and electronic payment instruments.
- Oversight/ Risk Manangement: use of analytical tools in mananging payment systems risks and conductingoversight 9on and offsite) etc.
Supervision of Financial Institutions
Respondents must have practical experience in the following:
- Expertise in the regulation and supervision of financial institutions (banking and non-bank institutions);
- Thorough understanding of modem supervisory methodologies used for on-site examinations and off-site surveillance such as risk-based supervision, consolidated supervision and Basel II;
- Good understanding of evolving advances in markets and the impending risk management practises;
- Regulation and supervision of micro-finance and issues of financial inclusion,
Risk Management
Experts must be conversant with the following:
- Bank -wide risk management as it pertains to central banks;
- Hands on experience on market risk particularly foreign exchange risk and interest rate risk;
- Practical experience in credit risk analysis and modelling; ability to appraise counterpart risk, etc.
- Good understanding of operational; and,
- Other risks such as strategic risk and reputational risk, etc.
Monetary Policy Implementation
Respondents must possess practical experience in the following:
- Implementation of monetary policy;
- Open Market Operations: use of indirect tools such as government securities, use of rep os, discount rate, reserve requirements, etc;
- Monetary Policy Regimes: thorough understanding of various monetary policy regimes such as inflation targeting. monetary targeting, exchange rate targeting and interest rate targeting;
- Liquidity management and forecasting: thorough understanding of various methods of liquidity management and forecasting in monetary policy transmission.
C. MACROECONOMIC MANAGEMENT
The consultant should have expertise in one or more of the following areas:
- Applied Econometrics (to macroeconomics); Research Methodologies and Macroeconomic Policy Analysis; Macroeconomic modelling and forecasting in Eastern and Southern Africa or any other developing countries;
- Monitoring and analysis of cross border transaction; Compilation and analysis of Balance of payments and International lnvestmem Position (liP) statistics based on latest IMF manuals; Experience in Eastern and Southern Africa or other developed countries, knowledge in the IMF CDIS and GDDS System;
- Specialisation in the practice of Trade policy: Analysis, negotiations and rules; Up to date in issues of Trade policy, Regional Integration, economic underpinnings of trade policy, negotiations skills, advanced knowledge of the rules of international trade and the capacity to integrate theory and practice in all these areas: Hands on experience dealing with regional integration and trade policy; Knowledge o fWTO and I: NCTAD rules and procedures;
- Financial Integration Process, Monetary and Custom unions pre-conditions, feasibility, implementation and Management;
- Capacity building evaluation and planning in macroeconomic management; facilitation of macroeconomic capacity building;
- Developments in the design and implementation of tax systems; ability to adapt basic principles to the complex variety of domestic and international economic, political, social and historical constraints; hands on experience in tax policy and administration in African countries;
- Macroeconomic Management with a bias to monetary and exchange rate policy management; Hands on experience in economic policy management in African countries and other developing countries in general and Eastern and Southern African countries in particular;
- Knowledge of best practice in public expenditure and financial management and linkages with growth and poverty reduction; understanding of the fiscal frameworks and determinants of revenue and expenditure; analysis of how to manage fiscal deficits; how to critically evaluate budgets formats, Structures and classification; short and long term fiscal planning; performance and output budgeting; current approaches to accounting system reforms including strengthening of budget execution, cash management, financial reporting and use of integrated Financial Management Information Systems; Hands on experience in public expenditure and financial management in African Countries or other developing countries.
- Inclusive Growth and Development Strategies for Eastern and Southern Africa or any other developing countries;
D. OTHER CONSULTANCY WORK
The consultant should have expertise in one or more ofthe following areas:
- Organisational and Human Resources Management
- Monitoring and Evaluation
- Records Management
- Plain language editing
- Provision of English Language Centres -6) Database design and management.
EXPECTED OUTPUTS
- Jointly deliver presentations at MEFMI workshops;
- Prepare Power Point Presentations and relevant background papers;
- Provide inputs and written comments on the draft programme;
- Carry out a country situation analysis or implementation missions;
- Prepare and submit a report or/the workshop and/or country mission. Electronic copies of workshop material to he presented;
- Produce a report or paper on the study carried out. The details to be included in the report will be specified in a contract with MEFMI
SUBMISSION OF PROPOSAL
- MEFMI now invites eligible Consultant(s) with requisite expertise in providing the above-mentioned services to submit proposals. The Experts/ Consultant(s) should be "hands-on" and demonstrate knowledge and ability in skills transfer, general training and proof of expertise in the area of consultancy. The Expert/ Consultant(s) should:
(i) have a minimum academic qualification of a Masters degree in Finance, Banking and Economics or
(ii) for other consultancy work, have a relevant Masters degree in the relevant field. A PhD and a track record of research will be an added advantage.
The proposal from eligible Consultant(s) should include the following information as a basis for pre-qualification:
- Submit either electronic or hard copies.
- Statement of relevant experience in executing similar assignments in the last five years.
- Professional fces/rates for short term consultancy (daily rate)
- Relevant documentation such as CVs
c) The duration of the consulting services varies and will be determined by the needs of each consultancy.
d) The Consultants will be selected in accordance with the MEFMI tendering procedures.
e) Interested consultants should submit a written expression of lnterest of not more than ten (10) pages.
I) Proposals clearly marked "EXPRESSION UF INTEREST TO PROVIDE CONSULTANCY SERVICES" should be delivered or e-mailed to the address below, not later than 31st March, 2013:
