Call for Expression of interest (EOI)

Final project evaluation

Project title: Creating skilled, capable and effective community co-management associations to secure legal and sustainable fisheries in Liberia (Communities for Fisheries).

Location: Monrovia, Buchanan, Robertsport, Marshall and Grand Cess & Sass Town Work description: Consultancy on project evaluation

Duration: 60 days

Deadline for submission of EOI: 10 January 2025

1. Background/project description

Liberia’s marine fisheries play a critical role in the national economy, food security and rural livelihoods. The sector provides direct employment and income to over 33,000 people, including 11,000 fishers. 80% of the population depends on fish as a primary source of protein. Trade in fish is a significant activity for women. Sustainable fisheries management is key to building resilience against food crises, especially in Grand Cape Mount, Bomi, Margibi and Grand Cess, where over 25% of households are food insecure. Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and over-fishing threaten the sustainability of fish stocks.

The government has made efforts through the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA) to strengthen the structures and processes required to secure effective fisheries management and end IUU fishing. However, holistic and sustainable implementation will need the full participation of local fisher groups. Empowering communities through collaborative management associations (CMA) will help secure communities’ effective participation in fisheries management processes, secure sustainable fisheries, and support efforts to end IUU fishing.

The project “Creating skilled, capable and effective community co-management associations to secure legal and sustainable fisheries in Liberia” Communities for Fisheries, Contract No. FED/2019/411- 342 is a five-year intervention which aims for coastal livelihoods and food security to be supported by sustainable fisheries management, transparency and good governance that contribute to reductions in illegal fishing. The project is implemented by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) in partnership with NaFAA.

The “Communities for Fisheries Project” aims to:

1. Reduce illegal fishing and improve the sustainability of fisheries by expanding and strengthening community co-management associations, creating effective capacity for community monitoring and reporting of illegal fishing
2. Build the capacity of small-scale fishers and representative organisations, enabling them to actively participate in decision-making.
3. Create strong and transparent local governance structures and procedures for reporting illegal fishing.
4. Create networks to share best practices and technical expertise for sustainable and legal fisheries planning and management.

The project activities, mixing communication and advocacy, community engagement and technological innovation, are designed around the above objectives and include the following activities:

• Training and technical assistance to strengthen community monitoring of IUU fishing. Satellite-based observations, sea patrols and surveillance are supported by training and equipment.
• Extensive public engagement to develop local capacity to generate and share knowledge and expertise within fishing communities and new CMAs; and inform policy and practice for sustainable fisheries management.
• Supporting opportunities for collaboration between CMAs and the national government to strengthen monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) and management planning. • Training in advocacy and awareness raising (video, radio, print, events) to engage the wider public, media platforms, government and other stakeholders in supporting legal, sustainable fisheries.
• Providing a platform for women to congregate using the Village Savings and Loans Associations approach to train them in participatory fisheries management, leadership, communications and financial management to increase women’s participation in the CMAs and sustainable fisheries management.

The project is expected to deliver a set of targeted and interlinked economic, social and environmental benefits, as well as contribute to food security and marine resource management. It will also promote a set of innovations, together with partner institutions and organisations, that will help improve IUU monitoring and reporting by strengthening the capacity of CMAs.

The guiding principles of the project intervention are set out in the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT) as well as the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (VGSSF).

The project is planned to consider the following cross-cutting themes where relevant: preventing conflict, stimulating cooperation, making use of existing structures, the inclusion of minority groups, gender equality and minimisation of negative impacts on the environment.

The main target groups of the project are as follows:

• Fishing communities:

o Marshall, Robertsport, Bomie, Tailor Kru Town, Buchanan, Sass Town and Grand Cess

• The local mayor and County Superintendent in the four project counties
• Small scale fishermen, and women fish workers and their representative bodies at the national and county level:

o Liberia Artisanal Fishermen Association (LAFA)

o Collaborative Management Associations (CMA)

• NaFAA and relevant divisions, at the county level, including:
• Fisheries Monitoring Centre (FMC)
• Policy and Development Planning Division
• Grand Cape Mount, Grand Bassa, Margibi and Grand Kru Offices
• Local and national stakeholders, including local and international NGOs and projects involved in the fisheries sector, development partners, universities and research institutes.
• Decision-makers and government authorities, including the House Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
• The media, at local, national and international levels.

The final beneficiaries are the coastal communities.

More information on the project, including structure, objectives, goals, components and activities, are provided in the project document and updated logical framework.

2. Evaluation purpose and target audience

The close-out evaluation of the “Communities for Fisheries Project” aims to focus on the following aspects:

• Evaluation of processes (including stakeholder integration and collaboration; workflows; participation and empowerment; division of labour between project implementers and between project and stakeholders; changes that came about as the result of the project, or changes that may have impacted project implementation during its duration).
• Evaluation of impacts (measuring the immediate effect of the program against its objectives to determine how well the desired short-term changes have been achieved).
• Evaluation of outcome (Has the project met its long-term goal of improving food security and promoting legal and sustainable fisheries in Liberia? Can the CMAs and VSLAs function and sustain themselves beyond the program?)

This close-out evaluation intends to gather feedback from all stakeholders, analyse the effectiveness of the management processes, and assess the quality and sustainability of the project’s deliverables. The evaluation will help the project implementers (NaFAA & EJF) understand what went well and could be improved, providing a framework for refining project strategies and methodologies.

The evaluation must assess to what extent the intervention logic has been followed during the project and if planned outputs and outcomes/project goals formulated in the Logical Framework Matrix were fulfilled.

The evaluation will be undertaken in Liberia. The above-mentioned target groups will be addressed in the framework of the evaluation. Furthermore, communications and exchange of information should be established with the European Union Delegation in Monrovia, NaFAA and EJF. The project implementer and partner will assist the evaluators in identifying relevant contact persons in these organisations mentioned above if requested.

3. Evaluation criteria

The close-out evaluation of the project aims to analyse the relevance, intermediate effects, effectiveness of the management processes, and quality and sustainability of the project’s deliverables.

This evaluation will assess the following criteria and will set out to answer the questions detailed under each criterion:

1. Effectiveness: the extent to which the development intervention’s objectives were achieved taking into account their relative importance.

The effectiveness criterion concerns how far the project’s results were used, or their potential benefits were realised (do they achieve the project purpose?). The Consultants should assess the programme’s effectiveness and analyse the programme implementation with particular emphasis on:

• Perception of programme results and achievements by beneficiaries, local authorities, and other stakeholders.
• Degree of participation of beneficiaries.
• Degree of ownership by beneficiaries.
• The commitment of the county authorities, traditional authorities, relevant Government Agencies etc., in the implementation of the project.

Key questions:

• To what extent were the primary direct beneficiaries reached during the project? • To what extent has the project achieved its expected results according to the Logframe Matrix?
• What is the perception of programme results and achievements by beneficiaries, local authorities, and other stakeholders?
• What is the degree of participation in and ownership of the action by beneficiaries? • What was the commitment of the Traditional authorities, County authorities, relevant Government Agencies etc., in the implementation of the project?
• To what extent have the cross-cutting issues been addressed?
• What improvements are feasible to enhance the effectiveness of the intervention? • Were there framework conditions in place to ensure the desired effects of the project?

1. Efficiency: the measure of how resources/inputs (funds, expertise, time, etc.) are converted into results.

The efficiency criterion concerns how well the various activities transformed the available resources into the intended results in terms of quantity, quality, and timeliness. In assessing the programme efficiency, the Consultants should analyse the programme implementation with particular emphasis on:

• The achievement of the programme’s outputs in terms of quantity, quality, and timeliness, as stipulated in the terms of reference.
• A comparison of the intended results as stated in the Objectively Verifiable Indicators of the Communities for Fisheries project Logical Framework Matrix and the actual output realised. Relevant constraints and bottlenecks should be identified, solutions put in place and lessons learnt should be evaluated, and appropriate adaptations defined.
• Whether the programme produced value-for-money taking into account the specific context of the areas of implementation.
• The organisation, management, and follow-up of the programme: the Consultant should assess the efficiency in the programme’s implementation, the roles of all the stakeholders and the day-to-day management of the programme as regards:

o Management of the budget.

o Management of personnel and human resources.

o Relations with all stakeholders and other partners in development.

o Respect for deadlines.

Key questions under efficiency:

• What is the level of achievement of the programme’s outputs as stipulated in the action’s contract, in terms of quantity, quality and timeliness?
• How do the actual outputs realised compare with the intended results as stated in the Objectively Verifiable Indicators of the project Logical Framework Matrix? Relevant constraints and bottlenecks should be identified, solutions put in place and lessons learnt should be evaluated, and appropriate adaptations defined.
• Has the programme produced value-for-money, taking into account the specific context of the areas of implementation? (planned use of the items purchased, use of material and non material resources to reach the project goal, cost-effectiveness etc.)
• What is the level of efficiency in the programme’s implementation, the roles of all the stakeholders and the day-to-day management, including the following:

o Management of the budget.

o Management of personnel and human resources.

o Relations and synergies within the project with all stakeholders and other partners in development.

o Respect for deadlines.

1. Sustainability: The continuation of benefits from the action after the end of the financial support, the probability of long-term benefits and the resilience to risk of the net benefit flows over time.

The sustainability criterion relates to whether the positive outcomes of the project at the purpose level are likely to continue after external funding ends and whether its longer-term impact on the broader development process can also be sustained at the level of the sector or country. The Consultants should assess the sustainability of the programme’s impact and outcome with regard to:

• Socio-economic viability.
• Ownership by beneficiaries of programme objectives and achievements. • Cooperation with other donors, consistency of the approaches, etc.

Key question under sustainability:

• To what extent has local ownership been developed?
• What measures have been conducted to ensure the sustainability of project results? Are any further measures planned until the end of the project, and if yes, which?
• To what extent have the cross-cutting themes been considered so far? How successful were these considerations?
• What improvements are feasible to enhance the sustainability of the intervention?

1. Relevance: the extent to which the objectives of a development intervention are consistent with beneficiaries’ requirements, country needs, global priorities and partner and donors’ policies.

The relevance criterion concerns the appropriateness of the project design to the problems to be resolved at two points in time: when the project was designed, and at the time of the evaluation.

Key question under relevance:

• Was the project relevant to the achievements of the government’s strategy, policy and plan and other relevant regional and global priorities in terms of sustainable fisheries, particularly the European Union?
• Was the project relevant to the felt needs of the beneficiaries?
• How well did the project complement and fit with other ongoing programmes and projects in the country?
• Was the project design and its implementation approach valid and realistic? • Were any lessons learned from previous pilot projects considered in the design and implementation of the project?

4. Evaluation design

The evaluation should be designed in different steps. The first step should be a detailed Desk Study outlining the methodology for evaluating and assigning resources. The outcome of the Desk Study should be documented in an Inception Report. The Field Study is the phase of actual data gathering (e.g., interviews, focus groups etc.), the findings of which will be analysed and documented within a Draft Report and subjected to feedback from the main stakeholders. The Final Report will include all feedback, recommendations and lessons learnt.

It is noted that all chosen evaluation methods must be in line with the European Union’s methods for evaluating its external assistance. The Guidelines for Project and Programme Evaluations developed by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development (DEVCO) should be considered throughout the entire evaluation process, see https://europa.eu/capacity4dev/evaluation_guidelines.

5. Expected outputs and timelines

A maximum of 60 days is expected for this assignment. The Timeline below gives an overview of the expected timeframe for the planned evaluation activities:

The Consultants will be responsible for delivering a number of services, most notably producing a final report and presenting the key results and findings to EJF, NaFAA and the EU Delegation in Liberia.

Besides that, the minimum outputs to be delivered by the Consultants are:

• Detailed design of the evaluation plan, including the identification and definition of appropriate methods in the frame of an Inception Report.
• Evaluation of the project considering the evaluation criteria under point 3) above, as well as the evaluation of project processes.
• Analysis, interpretation, documentation, and presentation of the evaluation results in a Draft Report.
• Incorporation of feedback into the Draft Report and provision of recommendations for future projects to be designed by the European Union or implemented by EJF in Liberia.

The Inception Report should contain no more than 10 pages, and the Final Report no more than 35 pages, excluding annexes. The Final Report will be scrutinised in light of the following questions:

• Are the Terms of Reference fulfilled and reflected within the report?
• Does the report contain a clear and comprehensive summary?
• Are the findings of the evaluation report methodologically substantiated and transparently argued according to scientific standards?
• Are the recommendations of the report clearly described and in a manner that can contribute to the further implementation of the project? Do they follow a logical argumentation?
• Are the methods of the evaluation clearly explained within the report?
• Have all relevant stakeholders, i.e. not only the target groups, been included in the evaluation process?
• Have all relevant documents been included in the evaluation process?
• Are cross-cutting issues such as gender equality tackled in the report?
• Does the report analyse and comment on the Logical Framework?
• Is the final report structured comprehensively and appealingly?
• Is the report free of errors and spelling mistakes and can hence be disseminated as required?

The evaluation cost will be covered by the Project and will include:

1. The consultant’s agreed fee and the Daily Subsistence Allowance (EJF rate), and travel 2. As per EJF rules and regulations to cover the anticipated mission costs
2. Additional transportation as required during the in‐country field mission visit(s) 4. Interpretation and/or translation services (as necessary)
3. Stakeholder meetings and workshops
4. The consultant will be contracted from 13 January to 3 April 2025 for a total of 60 days, excluding review times by EJF
5. Qualification, experience, and skills

Functional Competencies:

• Familiar with EU’s procedures
• Demonstrated experience, especially within the EU system, in M&E and results‐based management
• Ability to research and write at a high level
• Expert knowledge of government processes
• Ability to research and conduct interviews with key informants
• Experience in using computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) Core Competencies:
• Ability to produce high-quality outputs in a timely manner while understanding and anticipating the evolving client needs
• Strong organisational skills
• Ability to work independently and produce high-quality outputs
• Sound judgement, strategic thinking, and the ability to manage competing priorities ● Demonstrates integrity by modelling EJF and EU’s values and ethical standards ● Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of EJF
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability ● Fulfils all obligations to gender sensitivity

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced University degree in M&E or relevant degree

Experience:

• A minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in carrying out project evaluation work, assessments and similar work

Language:

• Excellent written and spoken English.

7. Application instruction

Please send your CV, cover letter and technical proposal (with budget) to:

recruitment@ejfoundation.org

Deadline for submission of EOI: 10 January 2025. Applications will be considered on an ongoing basis.

Candidates must have the legal right to work in Liberia.

EJF is an equal opportunities employer committed to diversity within the workplace. We encourage applications from females and marginalised groups.

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Background

The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) exists to protect the natural world and defend our basic human right to a secure environment.

EJF works internationally to inform policy and drive systemic, durable reforms to protect our environment and defend human rights.

We investigate and expose abuses and support environmental defenders, Indigenous peoples, communities, and independent journalists on the frontlines of environmental injustice. Our campaigns aim to secure peaceful, equitable, and sustainable futures.

Our investigators, researchers, filmmakers, and campaigners work with grassroots partners and environmental defenders across the globe. Our work to secure environmental justice aims to protect our global climate, ocean, forests, wetlands, wildlife and defend the fundamental human right to a secure natural environment, recognising that all other rights are contingent on this.

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