Webinar on Special Economic Zones for FCDC County Executives and Directors Consultancy Opportunity

Feed the Future – The US Government’s Global Hunger & Food Security Initiative

USAID / Kenya Livestock Market System Activity

Terms of Reference: Webinar on Special Economic Zones for FCDC County Executives and Directors

Introduction: USAID Kuza is issued under USAID/Kenya’s Feed the Future Leader with Associates (LWA) award as Associate Award 4 (AA4) to develop and support economic opportunities in Northern Kenya.

The activity works in the ten arid and semi-arid counties of northern Kenya that constitute the Frontier Counties Development Council (FCDC), Garissa, Isiolo, Lamu, Mandera, Marsabit, Samburu, Tana River, Turkana, Wajir, and West Pokot.

The goal of USAID Kuza is to improve the enabling environment for economic opportunities, accelerate public -private investment, expand, and deepen county-level capacity to build resilience, foster self-reliance, and ultimately reduce the need for humanitarian assistance.

The activity is implemented by ACDI/VOCA, in close collaboration with FCDC and select financial institution partners.

One of the key objectives of USAID Kuza is to improve the enabling environment for expanded economic opportunities through strengthened policies and improved community engagement and accountability.

Rationale

USAID Kuza seeks to host a webinar on Special Economic Zones (SEZ) targeting the ten FCDC counties.

The webinar is intended to raise awareness of the benefits of special economic zones for the FCDC counties and act as an information-sharing platform.

The webinar will be conducted virtually using Zoom.

Through this webinar and additional programming, the county governments will improve the enabling environment for expanded economic opportunities and strengthen their institutional and governance capacity.

Objectives

The specific objectives of the session:

  • To acquaint the relevant county government officials on the concepts of SEZ, the Kenyan legal and regulatory framework related to SEZ, case examples in Kenya, and the steps process of establishing a SEZ.
  • Strengthen the capacity of county governments in identifying SEZ opportunities and establishing SEZs.
  • Inform the county government officials on the incentives that come with SEZ and how to leverage them to attract investment opportunities.
  • To enlighten county government officials on the roadmap towards establishing SEZ.

Deliverables

  • Presentation of three-hour webinar on the Special Economic Zones for up to thirty participants.
  • Use poll questions/discussions to ascertain the status of SEZ in the FCDC region.
  • Activity report and recommendations together with a list of participants.
  • A list of successfully implemented special economic zones in Kenya, and their contact information.

Qualification/requirements of the consultant

  • Advanced training in a related field such as law, economics, public policy strategic management, business management, Agricultural economics, project management, and related fields.
  • At least seven years’ knowledge and experience in the establishment and functionality of SEZ in Kenya.
  • Experience in managing and/ structuring public-private sector engagements
  • Experience in supporting Kenyan County in establishing a SEZ is a strong advantage.
  • Extensive knowledge of Kenyan policies and laws, regulations, and best practices on SEZs.
  • If applying as an institution, at least one facilitator with related training and experience as outlined above.
  • An understanding of the economic context of Northern Kenya is desirable.
  • The consultant may be required to present past references and excerpts of previous work conducted.

Timelines and payments

The webinar will be a three-hour session conducted at a mutually agreed-upon time in June 2022.

Payment of the fee will be disbursed in full following the completion of training and presentation of the final report.

Interested applicants should send their applications to Lmsprocurement@kenyalms.org with the email subject as Consultancy Special Economic Zones Webinar by 26th May 2022 EA.