AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK GROUP
INDEPENDENT DEVELOPMENT EVALUATION (IDEV)
Impact Evaluation of the Last Mile Connectivity Project (Phase I) in Kenya
Request for Expression of Interest (EOI) for the Recruitment of Individual Consultants
- The Independent Development Evaluation function (IDEV) of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB or the Bank) invites Individual Consultants to indicate their interest for the Impact Evaluation of the Last Mile Connectivity Project in Kenya (the assignment). Overall, the electrification project aims to increase access to electricity among poor households, firms, and healthcare centres in rural Kenya.
Background :
- The mission of the Independent Development Evaluation (IDEV) is to enhance the development effectiveness of the Bank’s operations, policies, and strategies in its 54 Regional Member Countries (RMCs) by providing independent and influential evaluations that support sustainable economic development and poverty reduction in Africa ;
- The evaluation will focus on the Bank-funded Last Mile Connectivity Project approved in 2014 and scheduled to close in 2020. The project aims to maximize the use of 35,000 distribution transformers, spread across the 47 counties in Kenya, by extending the low-voltage network to reach households (1.2 million people) within 600 meters of existing transformers ;
- The project is implemented in the entire country, especially targeting low income customers along rural access roads. The project has the following components: i) Construction of 12,000 km network of distribution lines; ii) Installation of equipment for the connection of a minimum of 284,200 customers and a minimum of 30,000 commercial users; iii) Project supervision and Management, and iv) Capacity building activities in targeted areas of expertise ;
- The overall objective of the evaluation is to inform the mid-term review of the Bank Group’s Strategy for the NDEA (2016-2025) by identifying lessons and potential areas for improvement. It primarily aims to provide credible evidence-based information on the impacts of AfDB funded energy projects. The specific evaluation objectives are to :
- Assess to what extent reliable and new access to electricity have been achieved by the project ;
- Assess to what extent employment, in particular for women has been achieved by the project ;
- Assess achievement of health and educational outcomes by the project, with a specific interest for girls ;
- Assess to what extent productive use of energy, especially small businesses have been accomplished by the project;
- Assess Poverty reduction and increase in household income of beneficiaries as a result of the project; and
- Assess Environmental and social impact of the project ;
- The contribution of the project to the financial sustainability of the power utility, specifically on Kenya Power and Lighting Company.
- Overall, the impact evaluation is expected to quantify the socioeconomic impacts of increased access to electricity (and usage) for connected households and small and medium enterprises (SME) under the project area, and finally, identify key barriers to increased electricity usage and other benefits that accrue from it, including unintended consequences.
Evaluation Process, Deliverables and Timeline :
- The assignment will constitute the following four phases :
- Inception Phase: This will include the full definition of methodology for assessing the quantitative and qualitative impact of the Last Mile Connectivity Project on specific outcomes for connected beneficiary communities and households. It will provide a detailed description of the program, types of interventions and implementation and the details of the quantitative impact evaluation design and methodology, survey questionnaires, sample designs, guides for Focus Group and Interview of Key Informants for a qualitative analysis. It will also outline the implementation plan and the outline for the technical report. The Draft Inception Report will be presented for discussion and validation by IDEV’s Management ;
- Implementation Phase: This will include desk review, questionnaire pre-testing; overseeing the data collection process; providing guidelines for data entry and recording; organizing focus group and key informants interviews; and communication with other evaluation team members, and participate in the recruitment of a firm for the survey data collection to be recruited by the Bank ;
- Report Writing Phase: This will include data validation, econometric analysis and drafting of the report writing, with findings and conclusions drawn from quantitative and qualitative data. The Individual Consultant will also prepare a Summary Report of no more than 20 pages, based on a longer technical report, jointly with the Evaluation Team.
- The deliverables of the Individual Consultant will include the following (in English): i) An Inception Report, ii) A Technical Impact Evaluation Report, and iii) A Summary Report. The assignment will be coordinated by a Task Manager with support of an IDEV Consultant that will provide research support, data analysis and contribution to data collection and report writing ;
- The assignment is expected to start by June 2020 and end in January 2021. However, if the current COVID-19 pandemic persists, the timeline will be shifted to September 2019 to March 2021. The Consultant is expected to work from their countries of residence, with working visits to Abidjan, and Kenya, for data collection.
Profile and Qualifications of Individual Consultant
- The Consultant is expected to have a strong background in conducting impact evaluations, preferably in rural electrification, with strong experience in the use of non-experimental methods. The Consultant is expected to have the following minimum qualifications and experiences :
- At least 7 years of experience in leading impact evaluation projects in developing countries. Specific experience in electrification interventions would be an advantage ;
- At least MSc degree in Economics, International Development or related subject areas, with strong research experience and econometrics background ;
- A strong and demonstrated knowledge of quantitative and qualitative data analysis (STATA or R) shown by peer-reviewed publications in journals ;
- Strong expertise in designing methodology and data collection tools (SurveyCTO), especially non-experimental methods in Impact Evaluation ;
- Excellent spoken and written proficiency in English essential ;
- An understanding and knowledge of Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) and Kenya would be an added advantage ;
- A demonstrated ability to write succinctly and manage complexity in evaluations will be an asset ;
- Strong communication and people’s skills.
Application Process :
- The Independent Evaluation Department invites Individual Consultants to indicate their interest in providing the above-described services. The Consultant will be granted the right, if necessary, to constitute his team for specific tasks – in this case, the team should be presented ;
- Interested candidates should notify their interest to IDEV no later than Friday, 15 May 2020 and provide the following documentation in support of the EOI :
- An updated CV, including those of other team members (if required) ;
- Details of similar assignments completed recently and in the past 5 years, with links to evaluation reports/or related research publications ;
- References and contacts for previous assignments and clients ;
- Confirmation of their availability during the indicated period ;
- Please be informed that this Expression of Interest does not involve any binding obligation for recruitment by the Bank at this stage ;
- EOIs must be received by email at the addresses below no later than Friday, 15 May 2020, 17:00 hours local time and specifically mentioning “Expression of Interest for Consultancy Services: Impact Evaluation of Kenya Last Mile Connectivity Project”.
For the attention of: Mr. Eustace Uzor,
African Development Bank Group.
Independent Evaluation Development (IDEV)
Avenue Joseph Anoma
01 BP 1387 Abidjan 01- Côte d’Ivoire
Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Telephone : +225 2026 5592
Email : [email protected]
Copy : [email protected], [email protected]