Summary
Date Posted: Thursday, December 16, 2021 , Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
Consultant -Study on Assessing the potential of Green and Sustainable Value Chains in the textile, and apparel sectors in Mauritius in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)

Result of Service
The objective of the consultancy is to undertake a study and produce a high-quality policy-oriented study report that assesses and demonstrates the potential of developing green and sustainable value chains in the textile, and apparel, sector with due attention paid to the potential for developing backward linkages with key sectors and forward linkages with the accessories and other sectors. The report shall among others, integrate the principles of circular economy, empirical analysis and contain case studies and examples.
Work Location: Lusaka
Expected duration: Duration and timeline

Time frame Activity
• 2 weeks after the signature of the contract Consultant submits to ECA an inception note, detailing the methodology, conceptualization of the study, the annotated outline and case studies to be included in the study
• 1 week after the submission of the inception report The inception report is reviewed by ECA and EDB and updated by the consultant and approved
• 4 weeks after signature of the contract Consultant submits to ECA and EDB terms of reference to undertake a first mission to Mauritius along with a schedule of visits and draft questionnaire for stakeholders;
• 6 weeks after signature of the contract The consultant undertakes a first one week mission to Mauritius and facilitates the Inception Workshop;
• 8 weeks after the signature of the contract Consultant submits mission report and Inception report;
• 16 weeks after the signature of the contract Consultant submits a first draft of the report for comments to EDB and ECA. ECA and EDB provides comments within two weeks.
• 20 weeks after the signature of the contract Consultant travels to Mauritius and facilitates the Validation workshop
• 25 weeks after the signature of the contract The report is finalized and sent for editing

Remuneration
The total fees for the assignment will be US$20,000 to be paid in three instalments.
(a) A first 15% will be paid upon signature of contract and submission and acceptance by ECA and EDB of the inception report and annotated outline of the report;
(b) A second 25% will be paid after the submission and acceptance by EDB and ECA of a satisfactory first draft report;
(c) the final 50% will be paid upon submission of a satisfactory final report, incorporating the comments received at the Validation Workshop.

Background and Context
Mauritius is a small island developing state (SIDS) that is increasingly moving towards sustainability. The country ranks first in the UNCTAD transformation index in Africa, which testifies to the effort that the country has deployed over the last decades to position itself as a manufacturing hub, while promoting sustainable tourism on the island, by demonstrating and scaling up self-sustaining mechanisms for improving sustainability impacts along value chains. It is good to note that the vision for the manufacturing sector has been to create a globally competitive and sustainable sector that contributes to higher economic growth for Mauritius through continuous innovation, technological upgrading, productivity gains and high skilled employment.
With the start of trading under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Mauritius can have a major role to play in becoming a reliable supplier of goods and services for Southern African region and rest of the continent. Already, Mauritius has embarked on a national process of formulating an AfCFTA National Response strategy which has been finalized andwill soon be validated and subsequently implemented. It is anticipated that, among others, the AfCFTA will help Mauritius to:
• transform itself into a competitive export-led economy, supported by a thriving domestic market and in pursuit of regional markets;
• increase production and consumption of locally and regionally produced goods and services;
• boost services exports and position itself as a regional trade gateway;
• enhance employment and business opportunities for Mauritius’s growing population; and
• create additional market opportunities to advance its national export growth agenda including through the building of a green, blue and digital economy.

In line with the above, Mauritius was one of the first African Member States to sign and deposit instruments of its ratification. The main objective of the AfCFTA is to among others, create a single market for goods and services, boost intra-African trade and intra-African investment and promote industrial development. Mauritius will leverage this platform to establish additional development pathways in a bid to improve its manufacturing competitiveness by tapping into regional value chains. Notwithstanding the fact that regional manufacturing value chains, and in particular, green regional value chains, are grossly underdeveloped and somewhat non-existent, the island has been very committed to engage in sustainable consumption and production and is encouraging manufacturing companies to embrace sustainable production patterns in a bid to optimise the use of existing resources as well as reuse by-products. The textile and apparel sectors have been the major contributors to the Mauritian economy and have enormous potential to develop and commercialize green value chains.

While Mauritius has enjoyed rapid economic progress over four decades, it is currently at a crossroad facing significant socioeconomic challenges which have been amplified by the Covid-19 pandemic. Against this backdrop, coordinated actions are required from all regional stakeholders to transform the textile value chain into a sustainable-cum-circular economy system. Textiles and apparel products are unique among consumer goods in part because of the economic opportunities they represent especially to promote the development of African regional value chains by leveraging the AfCFTA.
The Textile and Apparel sector remains among the major contributors to merchandise export earnings to the tune of Rs. 24 bn (approx. 558 million US dollars) and representing 44% of total domestic exports of Mauritius in 2019. It actively engages a labour force of 41,937, generating a Gross Value Added (GVA) of Rs. 15 bn (approx. 349 million US dollars) making up 27% of the manufacturing industry’s GVA.

The Mauritian textile and apparel sector is vertically integrated and encompasses activities that provide value from designing, spinning, knitting/ weaving, dyeing, finishing, garment making, printing/embroidery, garment wash and packing/ packaging. Multiple types of waste and secondary products are generated in this sector that can be streamlined for re-use and/ or recycling. The reduction in carbon footprint (negative impacts of emissions, overuse) of one industry will then impact on the carbon handprint of the whole sector. Moreover, this process might also reduce the production cost of some activities and open up possibilities to tap into niche markets for environmentally friendly goods, appealing to environment conscious consumers in advanced and developing countries at premium prices. The sector also has the potential to foster the development of backward linkages (e.g. links to the leather sector) and forward linkages (e.g. accessories and links to tourism).

Purpose of the Market Assessment and Value Chain Analysis
Mauritius imports almost all raw materials for the production of textile products to be transformed into garments mainly geared towards exports. In 2019, Mauritius imported Rs. 4 bn worth (approx. 93 million US dollars) apparel products while the trade balance was offset by an export of Rs. 19 bn (approx. 442 million US dollars) for the same year. On the other hand, the country imported Rs. 9 bn (approx. 209 million US dollars) worth of textile yarn, fabrics and trims to export Rs. 4 bn worth (approx. 93 million US dollars). This sector has been the backbone of the industrial base for the country and there remains room for improvement to create a sustainable value chain for the textile sector.
Africa produces cotton and leather products. This industry comprising garment, leather and accessories provides tremendous opportunity to the region to form regional value chains thereby increasing competitiveness of each country in producing and exporting high-value added manufactured goods while using the large base of the natural resources available within the region.

The circular economy, as the opposite approach to the current linear economy, has been one of the most important areas of environmental policy affecting the fashion and textile industry among others. Furthermore, in recognition of the need for buyers such as brands and retailers to improve purchasing practices, Better Buying has recently launched a first-of-its-kind index – Better Buying Purchasing Practices Index (BBPPI) to support the transformation of buyer-supplier relationships so that all parties can achieve their financial, social, and environmental sustainability goals. In this respect, issues such as Higg Index, BBPPI, Oeko-TEX and all the prerequisite labels would be some of the competitive advantages to leverage upon in this study.
Against this background, the services of an international consultant are being sought to undertake a study and produce a report in line with the objectives and tasks outlined below.

Issues to be analyzed and Scope of Work
The International Consultant will assess and demonstrate the potential of green and sustainable value chains in the textile, and apparel, sector with attention paid to the potential for developing backward linkages with the leather sector and forward linkages with the accessories and tourism sectors. The Economic Development Board (EDB), with technical and financial assistance from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) (Sub-Regional Office for Southern Africa and Africa Trade Policy Center) will assist in conducting consultations, surveys and field activities to gather data and intelligence for these defined sub-sectors. In this context, the international consultant will provide expert advice and guidance on the ground field investigations to be undertaken by the EDB. It is proposed that an in-depth study be conducted to identify viable business strategies that will bring revenue to the country and deliver on the objectives of green/sustainable industrial development for Mauritius and for Mauritius to remain a High-Income Country.

Duties and Responsibilities
The consultant will report to and perform the assignment under the direct supervision of the representatives of the EDB and the Economic Affairs Officer of ECA Sub regional Office for Southern Africa (ECA-SRO-SA), Sub regional Initiatives Section (SRIS), and under the overall guidance of the Chief of ECA-SRO-SA SRIS. Representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Regional Integration will also provide feedback and comments. Upon mutual agreement, there will be a fortnightly reporting on progress in the implementation of the project and appropriate guidance provided on quality and timely delivery on the assignment:
The consultant shall use well-established and recognized methodologies to undertake the below tasks:
(a) Articulate an analytical case for developing and commercializing green value chains in Africa with a focus on Mauritius in the textile and apparel sector, based on theoretical constructs and empirical analysis and making references to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the Mauritius National Vision, National AfCFTA Response Strategy, the SADC industrialization Strategy and Roadmap and relevant AU strategic documents;
(b) Demonstrate how the AfCFTA and other bilateral, regional and global trade agreements of Mauritius can be leveraged to develop and commercialize green value chains in the textile and apparel sector in Mauritius, highlighting challenges and opportunities and the specific provisions and protocols that are relevant, and using the National AfCFTA Response strategy as a reference document;
(c) Propose market opportunities for Mauritius to pursue to advance its national export growth agenda in the context of Textile and Apparel;
(d) Carry out a desktop review of best practices in the development of green value chains, in the textiles and apparel sector at a regional and global level and having other sectors as comparators;
(e) Undertake a baseline survey of selected textile and apparel establishments in Mauritius with a view to mapping value chains in the context of the AfCFTA and the National AfCFTA Response Strategy and identifying their strengths, weaknesses and readiness to shift to green growth models and insert into green value chains;
(f) Propose green supply chain models for the textile sector of Mauritius linking suppliers to manufacturers and wholesalers/retailers across Africa in a bid to establish relationships with supply chain partners and create significant value and resilience to the value chains;
(g) Demonstrate how Mauritius, being a SIDS, would gain competitive advantage in the whole Green Value Chain process across Africa while taking into consideration the upfront and backward linkages;
(h) Analyse the backward, forward and horizontal linkages that can be developed across the Green Value Chains;
(i) Highlight the specific legal, regulatory and policy reforms and institutions, infrastructure and financing that will be necessary in order to develop and commercialize Green Value Chains in the Textile and Apparel sector in Mauritius;
(j) Outline the potential viable business strategies that the Textile and Apparel sector in Mauritius has to develop to develop and integrate into Green Value Chains, including harnessing the AfCFTA and its bilateral, regional and global trade agreements;
(k) Provide a list of main policy recommendations and specific measures to be implemented to develop and commercialize Green Value Chains in the sector;
(l) Conduct stakeholder consultations in the form of workshops with a view to garner consensus on the best approaches to the development of the green value chains in Mauritius, in the textiles and apparel sector;
(m) Prepare and validate the report on green value chains development in the textile and apparel sector in Mauritius in the context of AfCFTA and the National AfCFTA Response Strategy;
(n) Support the organization of, and participate in the Inception workshop, and the Validation workshop;
(o) Undertake two missions to Mauritius to engage with stakeholders and collect the relevant data.

Deliverables and other provisions
A draft report should be submitted for review to UNECA and the EDB following which the final report should be produced by the consultants based on feedback through a validation workshop. After mapping the textile and apparel value chain and taking into consideration the existing infrastructure, strategies, policies, incentives and institutional support, the consultant should come up with a list of proposed actions in key priority areas. The final report will then be circulated to the respective stakeholders and Ministries.

The specific deliverables from this assignment will include: -
1. A 10-page (max) inception report outlining the understanding of the task, issues to be addressed, methodology and sources of information; an annotated outline of the study and a list of references, to be reviewed and approved by ECA and EDB;
2. A survey questionnaire to be implemented among stakeholders, to be reviewed and approved by ECA and EDB;
3. A draft report of the findings and recommendations of the study;
4. A final report of the findings and recommendations of the study incorporating comments and perspectives from both the UNECA and the Economic Development Board of Mauritius and other relevant stakeholders;
5. An excel file containing the databases used, charts, figures and tables of the study.
6. Terms of reference of the two missions to be undertaken to Mauritius and Mission reports upon completion of said missions;
7. Power point presentations and workshop reports (Inception workshop and Validation workshop)

All the deliverables shall be prepared in English or French. Except for the power point presentation, all outputs shall be prepared using single line spacing, times new roman 12 font size, contain page numbering, list of acronyms, a table of contents, foot notes, references, relevant annexes and appendices.
All work submitted must be the original work of the consultant, and contain proper citation and recognition of reference documents and data sources.

Qualifications/Special Skills
Academic Qualifications:
Advanced degree (Minimum of Masters) in Economics, Engineering, Industry, Development planning, financial management or other related fields.
Experience:
a) Minimum of 10 years of relevant professional job experience (market assessments, local economic development, value chain development, strategic planning, etc.);
b) Proven experience in planning, implementing, and monitoring livelihoods programmes (and managing multiple projects);
c) In-depth understanding of the African Textile and Apparel landscape, issues and challenges to source from Africa, existing and upcoming value chains in Africa;
d) Good knowledge of sustainable consumption and production, and circular economy concepts and principles;
d) Experience in working with international and national NGOs and UN organisations, or with government authorities at national level.

Other Skills: The candidate should also have a good publication record, including in the field of industrial development. Good computer skills for compilation and analysis of statistical data are required.
Language: English and French are the working languages of the United Nations. Fluency in English or French is required for this position

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 120

Level of Education: Postgraduate Degree

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