1.0 Introduction

The African Forest Forum (AFF) is a pan-African non-governmental organization with its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya..The purpose of AFF is to provide a platform and create an enabling environment for independent and objective analysis, advocacy and advice on relevant policy and technical issues pertaining to achieving sustainable management, use and conservation of Africa’s forest and tree resources as part of efforts to reduce poverty, promote gender equality, and economic and social development.

AFF is engaged in the development and implementation of projects and activities, and in close collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders. One area of concern has been the link between forests, climate change and the people who depend on forest resources. In response to this, AFF in 2011 developed a project on “African forests, people and climate change” that is in its third phase and contributing to the strengthening of a Climate Change Program (AFF-CCP) in the institution. The purpose of the program is to better understand how forests and trees, and the people who depend on them in the various African landscapes, respond to climate change and variability.  It’s also expected to guide decision makers and stakeholders in strengthening and developing the forests/climate nexus for improved climate change mitigation and adaptation policies and practices.  The overall objective of the AFF-CCP is to enhance the role of African forests in assisting people adapt to the effects of climate change in various landscapes in ways that will improve livelihoods, sustain biodiversity and secure the quality of the environment, as well as to strengthen the capacity of Africa’s forests to adapt to climate change and to contribute to mitigation efforts.

1.1 Background to current project

In the period 2011-2014 AFF implemented the first phase of the project which was guided by three specific objectives that were to:

• foster awareness on forests and climate change issues and promote appropriate changes in policies and practices;
• build and improve capacity to address forest related climate change issues; and
• ensure that production, adaptation, mitigation and policy processes involving forests and trees are backed by sound information.

With the second objective, AFF recognizes that the establishment and operationalization of human capacities are essential for an effective approach to various issues related to climate change, as well as to improve the quality of knowledge transfer. Indeed, civil society organisations, extension agents and local communities who are part of the stakeholders in the implementation of adaptation activities implicit in many climate change strategies need to be appropriately capacitated. In addition, civil society organisations and extension agents are more likely to widely disseminate relevant research results to local communities, who in the majority are and will be affected by the adverse effects of climate change. It is, therefore, crucial that all levels of society are aware of the various mechanisms to employ in order to improve their livelihoods while simultaneously solving their environmental problems. In this regard, training and updating knowledge of professional and technical staff in forestry and new and emerging areas, like climate change, would require knowledge and skills in these areas.

As part of the efforts to undertake this capacity building work, AFF conducted, during the first phase of the project, a needs assessment involving key stakeholders dealing with these issues. Based on the identified needs, AFF developed four training modules for professional and technical cadre, and for guiding implementing short courses for extension agents, civil society and non-governmental organisations (all work with local communities) in Sub-Saharan African countries. The modules were developed on the following thematic areas: basic science of climate change, forests and climate change adaptation, forests and climate change mitigation, and carbon markets and trade.

The training modules, developed in the English language, were translated into French to serve African francophone countries. The modules developed were used by AFF during the second phase of the project (2015 – 2018) to conduct sub-regional training workshops in Cameroon and Burkina Faso for Francophone African countries and Tanzania for Anglophone and Lusophone African countries to better orient and re-tool academicians and researchers as well as staff from extension and civil society organizations in key areas of science and practice of climate change in relation to forests.

The third phase of the project (2018-2021) is built on the outcomes of the two first phases and guided by the following four specific objectives that are to:

• strengthen capacity of African forestry stakeholders in adopting best practices that integrate both adaptation and mitigation options in response to the impacts of climate change and variability to biophysical and social systems in different landscapes;
• enhance national forest governance by strengthening the capacity of African stakeholders to respond to the Paris Agreement and related global climate change policies and initiatives related to forestry;
• promote entrepreneurship opportunities and technologically efficient means for value addition in African forestry, including those related to climate change that enhance livelihoods, national incomes and employment; and
• strengthen AFF’s institutional capacity in creation and sharing of relevant forest and tree-based knowledge and information for improved decision making.

1.2 Rationale and purpose of the work

The African Forest Forum has continued the distribution and sharing of its training modules on the broad aspects of forestry and emerging environmental challenges in the African continent where its current uptake is very promising. However, to improve the delivery of the information contained in the modules in relevant education and training institutions, there was a need to develop in a pedagogical manner, the content for each module.

It’s on this regard, that during the second phase of the project, the following eight training compendiums were developed:

1. Basic science of climate change: a compendium for professional training in African forestry;
2. Basic science of climate change: a compendium for technical training in African forestry;
3. Basic science of climate change: a compendium for short courses in African forestry;
4. Carbon markets and trade: a compendium for technical training in African forestry;
5. Carbon markets and trade: a compendium for professional training in African forestry;
6. Carbon markets and trade: a compendium for short courses in African forestry;
7. International dialogues, processes and mechanisms on climate change: compendium for professional and technical training in African forestry; and
8. Climate modelling and scenario development: a compendium for professional training in African forestry.

In the perspective of continuing in such development for the other training modules on forest and climate change adaptation and mitigation, AFF is, as per its annual work plan of 2019, recruiting an expert to develop appropriate contextualized teaching materials, in a pedagogical manner, for short courses, climate change mitigation in African forestry.

The expert, will undertake the following specific tasks:

(i) Develop content for each of the outlined sessions of module 3 for short courses (named as informal groups in the training module, click this link for the training module: http://www.afforum.org/publications/training-modules);

(ii) Produce a training compendium for short courses with illustrations as appropriate titled as “Forests and climate change mitigation: a compendium for short courses in African forestry”;

(iii) Facilitate a meeting with experts to amend and validate the training compendium produced; and

(iv) Produce a report on this task based on the harmonisation and validation workshops.

The criteria and format for developing the training compendium shall be agreed on in a harmonization meeting scheduled between 04-08 March 2019 in Kenya among selected experts, the pedagogical expert and relevant AFF staff. At this meeting the pedagogical expert will present an outline of the training compendium.

1.3 Deliverables

The experts will be expected to deliver the following at the end of the consultancy period:

• (i) Forests and climate change mitigation: A compendium for short courses in African forestry; and
• (ii) Brief reports of both content harmonisation and validation workshops.

2.0 Minimum qualifications and skills

The interested applicant should meet the following minimum qualifications and skills:

(i) A minimum of 5 years’ teaching experience in tertiary education in an African forestry training/education institution, or a related institution;

(ii) Have considerable experience with civil society organisations, and extension services in forestry;

(iii) Be knowledgeable on current and emerging issues in forestry and especially on climate change;

(iv) Have a master’s degree in any of the following areas: forestry, natural resources management, rural development, climate change, environmental studies or any related area;

(v) A PhD degree and AFF working experience on related work will be an added advantage;

(vi) Evidence on pedagogical training; and

(vii) Excellent written and oral communication skills in English for the Anglophone and in French applicants.

 3.0 Application requirements

The applicant shall submit the following:

(i) Cover letter stating how the above qualifications and experience requirements are met.

(ii) A brief proposal/concept note containing:

(iii) key topics and corresponding specific activities;

(iv) draft work plan (clear deliverables plotted against work weeks for each key results); and

(v) annexed tentative table of contents with corresponding number of pages.

(vi) Curriculum vitae.

4.0 Duration

The work is expected to be carried out in duration of one month spread over a period of two calendar months.

5.0 Deadlines

• Applications must be received by the AFF Secretariat on or before 18 February 2019.
• The successful applicant will be informed by 25 February 2019.
• Consultancy activities must begin no later than 04 March 2019.

6.0 How to apply

All applications must be submitted by e-mail with the subject line: “Consultancy No: 02-112 (b). Development of appropriate contextualized teaching materials/compendium, in a pedagogical manner, for  short courses on climate change mitigation in African forestry” to Dr. Marie Louise A. T. AVANA-TIENTCHEU and Dr. Vincent O. Oeba of the AFF Secretariat through the following e-mail addresses: m.avana@cgiar.org and v.oeba@cgiar.org and copied to Prof. Godwin Kowero g.kowero@cgiar.org and exec.sec@afforum.org.