HAUS Finnish Institute of Public Management

African Capacity Building Foundation 

The African-Finnish Partnerships on Taxation Capacity in Africa Programme 

Terms of Reference for Curriculum Development in Leadership and Governance  

1. Background 

African Capacity Building Foundation 

The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF or the Foundation) is Africa’s premier institution in capacity building. Established in February 1991, ACBF builds human and institutional capacity for good governance and economic development in Africa. The Foundation has empowered governments, parliaments, civil society, private sector, and higher education institutions in more than 45 countries and six regional economic communities over the past three decades. It supports capacity development through grants, technical assistance, and knowledge generation by implementing projects and programmes in these areas across the continent.  

Since its inception, ACBF has made a major contribution to the strengthening of government and policy capabilities of African countries. In this vein, ACBF is implementing several projects and programs, including African-Finnish Partnerships on Taxation Capacity in Africa (AFP-TCA) in partnership with HAUS Finnish Institute of Public Management, and the Enhancing Leadership and Governance in Public Financial Management (ELG-PFM) program in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF). 

ELG-PFM Programme 

The ELG-PFM program will be a distinct complement to support traditional partners like African Ministries of Finance and other Public Finance related Departments and Agencies. It would represent a shift from technical training to provision of leadership and transformational management skills, something that Oversee Development Institute (ODI) among others recognizes “has not attracted significant support from the international community, which means there is a gap to explore”. Unlike traditional PFM training programs focusing on transactional competency issues such as budgeting and debt management, the program will mainly address leadership and governance issues relevant for today and future organizations. The aim is to enhance public finance performance and accountability through African Ministries of Finance driven by transformative leaders to effectively respond to crises, make sound decisions, evaluate, and formulate policies and, hence, gain more leverage when engaging with the international system. 

ACBF is dedicated to enhancing professional skills and promoting excellence in Africa’s public sector and recognizes the critical role of effective leadership in driving positive change and innovation within government organizations across the continent.

AFP-TCA Programme 

The goal of The African-Finnish Partnerships on Taxation Capacity in Africa (AFP-TCA) Programme is to strengthen the capacity of ACBF to better serve its clientele through an efficient and economically viable way of conducting its activities. As a key part of the programme, the ACBF will be supported to develop digital training content and to launch the African Capacity Building Academy (ACB-Academy) under which the training will be provided. 

The AFP-TCA programme has three outcomes, including the following: 

• ACBF has increased organizational capacity and tools for capacity building in tax related issues, especially through leadership, digital learning solutions and an improved external communication and advocacy processes. 

The key output underpinning this outcome is: 

• ACBF has improved organizational capacity to operate high quality digital learning processes and piloting taxation and leadership related training content through digital learning solutions.

2. About the assignment

The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) in partnership with the HAUS Finnish Institute of Public Management, under the Economic and Social Governance key impact area of ACBF’s Strategic Plan 2023-2027, are working towards achieving its Strategic Objective 3: Improve Public Finance Management performance through soft skills development. This is done through the implementation of two programs: “African-Finnish Partnership on Taxation Capacity in Africa” (AFP-TCA) and “Enhancing Leadership and Governance in Public Financial Management” (ELG-PFM) that seek to improve the performance of the public financial management systems through enhanced leadership and governance skills development. 

To develop the leadership and governance skills (soft skills) identified under the AFP-TCA/ELG-PFM programs, ACBF and HAUS Finnish Institute of Public Management have launched the “Leadership Excellence in Africa’s Public Sector” (LEAPS) Program with a focus on leaders in the Public Financial Management sector. The LEAPS Program aims to address specific challenges and opportunities faced by public sector leaders in Africa. By equipping them with tailored leadership skills and strategies, ACBF aims to enhance governance, domestic resource mobilization, service delivery, and sustainable development in the region.

The main beneficiaries of the program will be senior public officials in the AU member countries. The development of a new leadership program aligns with ACBF’s mission to develop the human capital and institutions required to enable Africa’s inclusive and sustainable development. ACBF plans to achieve this by working together with senior leadership in African public institutions to enhance essential skills and knowledge on leadership and governance. This program aims to address the evolving demands of leadership roles, emphasizing strategic thinking, change management, agile working methods, emotional intelligence, and adaptability, among other themes. 

HAUS, in close cooperation with the ACBF, is hereby looking for qualified Consultant(s) to develop the curricula for the first module on leadership and governance: Leadership Challenges in Africa, Leadership in the African Context and New Paradigms of Leadership. The Consultant(s) will work with the core team from HAUS and ACBF digital learning personnel. 

 3. Objective of the assignment

The overall objective of this assignment is to develop a comprehensive and culturally relevant curriculum that equips public sector leaders in Africa with essential competencies and strategies for effective leadership. The course should focus on practical applications and real-world scenarios relevant to the African context. 

The specific objectives are to: 

• Identify and understand the specific leadership challenges within Africa’s public sector. 
• Identify and understand current global trends and paradigms in leadership.  
• Develop a curriculum that addresses key competency gaps and promotes best practices in public sector leadership. 
• Design course content that is practical, interactive, and applicable to diverse African contexts. 

4. Scope and methodology 

he Consultant(s) will frame the leadership and governance issues and approaches that reflect the country context, including to: 

• Reviewing and incorporating feedback from the capacity improvement plan on leadership and governance in the public sector, to identify leadership gaps and challenges. 
• Developing a detailed course outline with module descriptions, learning objectives, and instructional methods. 
• Creating engaging and culturally relevant learning materials, including case studies, role plays, and interactive exercises. 
• Incorporating feedback from stakeholders to ensure relevance and effectiveness. 
• Ensure alignment with international best practices while integrating local perspectives and examples. 

The curriculum development process will involve: 

• Utilizing a participatory approach, engaging stakeholders from various African countries and public sector entities using virtual and in person consultations. 
• Desk review (review of relevant literature, program documents, policies, and guidelines) 
• Employ a blend of interactive workshops, peer learning activities, and practical simulations to enhance participant engagement and knowledge retention. 

To guide the process, the HAUS/ACBF team under the coordination of the Chief Partnership Adviser (HAUS) and the Head of Economic and Social Governance (ACBF) will facilitate the activities of the Consultant(s). The HAUS/ACBF team will identify and facilitate meetings with key individuals and institutions that need to be engaged during the assignment. 

5. Deliverables 

The Consultant(s) is/are expected to produce the following deliverables: 

• Inception Report that highlights the Consultant(s) understanding of the assignment, proposed methodology and detailed work plan. 
• Draft course curriculum with module outline, learning objectives, and recommended resources. This should also include engaging instructional materials, including presentations, handouts, and multimedia content. 
• Final course curriculum with module outline, learning objectives, and recommended resources. 
• Evaluation framework for assessing participant learning and course impact. 
• Risk analysis and mitigation plan. 
• Recommendations for the effective implementation of the program. 

6. Compensation/Timelines

This is a fixed-term assignment until the end of August 2024 with a maximum of 20 consultancy days during that period. The application needs to include the consultant’s daily rates, and estimation of other costs. Please indicate a possible starting date in the proposal. 

7. Qualifications

The required qualification, competencies and experience for this consultancy include: 

• Minimum of master’s degree or higher in Education, Strategic Management or similar fields including Public Finance / Public Administration, Public policy, Economics, and Political Science. 
• Relevant certificate in leadership and governance training and coaching program. 
• Minimum 15 (fifteen) years of professional experience in conducting similar assignments in African context. 
• Extensive experience in developing leadership capacity development curricula, particularly in public sector.
• Experience in implementing a leadership capacity development program in the public sector. 
• Proficiency in technical writing skills, with the ability to synthesize research and policy reports for diverse audiences employ effective knowledge repository methodologies. 
• In-depth knowledge of leadership and governance issues in Africa with a focus on Public Finance Management; 
• Experience in carrying out leadership needs assessments, for programmes in the public sector. 
• Experience and knowledge of digital capacity building for effective leadership will be an added advantage. 
• Experience in working with senior public officials in the African continent. 
• Strong research, analytical, and communication skills. 

The proposals will be evaluated on: 

• Responsiveness to the Terms of Reference and applying the evaluation criteria. 
• Point system specified below: 

A proposal shall be rejected if it does not comply with key aspects of the Terms of Reference or if it fails to achieve the minimum technical score of 70/100. Daily rate and other expenses will be evaluated at 30%.   

The consultant will have access to all relevant information needed to carry out the tasks involved in this assignment. As this is a remote assignment, the consultant must provide his/her own workstation (laptop, Internet, scanner/printer, etc.) and have access to a reliable Internet connection. 

8. Application for the consultancy

To apply for this consultancy, please send your proposal, cover letter, and CV in English by 17 June 2024 to konsta.heikkila@haus.fi (cc: Rodolphe.bance@acbf-pact.org and lotta.fors@haus.fi). Any questions relating to the consultancy can be addressed to Mr. Konsta Heikkilä (konsta.heikkila@haus.fi) or Mr. Rodolphe Bance (Rodolphe.bance@acbf-pact.org). 

Note:

Proposals and CVs will be shared among the selection panel. 

The selected consultant will be expected to adhere to the project timeline and deliverables outlined in the terms of reference. Any deviations or challenges should be communicated promptly to the project management team.