Objectives and organization

Based on the regional strategy of the SBE-WASOP project, the expert will develop a specific national strategy to exploit the potential of the blue economy in Cape Verde.

The mission will include:

(i)                  Proposing a national version of the WASOP-SBE strategy;

(ii)                supporting the operationalization of this strategy through project activities in Cape Verde.

The expert will be led by the SBE-WASOP technical team, including the Technical Assistance Coordinator and the Grants Coordinator.

He/she will be involved in the technical coordination meetings of the WASOP SBE project and may interact with the Cape Verde DUE and authorities, regarding the needs for intervention in Cape Verde.

Activities

1.       Sectorial watch on Blue Economy in Cape Verde [continuous, 10 days]

In general, the expert’s mission is to:

(i)                  Collect needs from project beneficiaries: DUE, local authorities,

(ii)                identify opportunities for synergies with technical and financial partners in Cape Verde on the topics of blue economy and sustainable management of ocean resources,

(iii)               Identify successes and good practices related to the blue economy in Cape Verde that can feed regional coordination and inspire project actions for the benefit of other countries.

The expert implements these three missions and reports regularly on the results to the coordination team.

The expert will begin the mission by meeting with the SBE-WASOP team: this meeting will aim to frame the mission (priorities, deadlines, exchange modalities, etc.).

Regularly, the expert will perform the following tasks:

o   Identification and regular updating of a list of key contacts, partners, specialists, partnerships, etc.;

o   Identification of priority topics relevant for the SBE-WASOP intervention: needs, synergies, good practices;

o   Identification and regular updating of forums, events related to the theme;

o   Regular interviews with project beneficiaries: support of the project team during meetings, or even individually if necessary;

o   Participation in events on the theme.

This thematic monitoring will feed the framing activities of the SBE-WASOP intervention strategy in Cape Verde, namely:

2.       Supporting diagnostic studies [8 H/d]

At the inception phase, the project will deploy diagnostic studies related to (i) the blue economy in West Africa and (ii) its financing. A set of deliverables will be produced by these two complementary operational studies and will form the basis for the development of concept notes that will propose intervention modalities for the 3 levers of action of the SBE-WASOP project:

-          the establishment of the Blue Facility for Technical Assistance,

-          the sizing of the call for projects to support innovative pilot actions related to EB,

-          the design of the “Practitioners’ network”.

The expert will support the development of these studies, specifically for Cape Verde:

o   Discussions/ working sessions with the teams in charge of studies to facilitate the identification of past or ongoing interventions related to the blue economy or sustainable management of oceans in Cape Verde

o   Contribution to the framing of the mission conducted in Cape Verde: relevant appointment proposals, contacts, etc.

o   Participation in certain key meetings (DUE, ministries, etc.)

o   Proofreading and technical validation of intermediate deliverables

o   Proofreading and technical validation of the 3 concept notes: (i) “Blue Facility” (ii) Pilot Project (iii) Partitionner network

From the 3 conceptual notes produced by the study, the expert will produce a version of the framework documents for action adapted to the specific characteristics of Cape Verde.

3.       Supporting the SBE-WASOP intervention at the Blue Economy Forum organized by the EUD in Cape Verde [6 days]

In collaboration with the Cape Verdean authorities, the European Union Delegation plans to organise a forum on the blue economy in June 2025. In this context, the expert will:

o   Identify the needs and issues related to this forum in relation to DUE and national authorities;

o   Identify possible partnerships with European companies, local partners and technical and financial partners present in Cape Verde that can benefit from support from the SBE-WASOP project;

o   Support SBE-WASOP’s participation in the forum;

o   Support the mobilization, if appropriate, of complementary expertise.

4.       Support for the preparation of the project launch workshop in Cape Verde [9 H/d]

The project plans to hold a kickoff workshop in October 2025. This workshop will be held in Cape Verde over several days and will be facilitated by the project’s reference experts. It will bring together all stakeholders (DUE, representatives of the ministries involved in the 13 countries, civil society, private sector) to validate the proposed strategy for the deployment of project activities.

Technical workshops will be held in parallel to the Steering Committee, notably on the Blue Facility, the call for projects and the Practitioners’ network. There is also a study visit planned around a remarkable Cape Verdean blue economy initiative: the purpose of this visit is to show the potential of the sustainable and inclusive blue economy to all stakeholders and to introduce the possibility of exchanges of experiences between WASOP beneficiaries.

The expert will:

o   Propose a list of relevant Cape Verdean actors for participation in technical workshops, including:

-        Institutions eligible for SBE-WASOP support in technical assistance through the Blue Facility;

-        Projects that may benefit from the call for projects;

-        Stakeholders that may join the Practitioners’ network.

o   Propose a study visit programme: identify one or more initiatives, contact with the project;

o   Support the engagement of relevant Cape Verdean stakeholders for technical workshops and visits;

o   Identify opportunities for exchanges between Cape Verdean stakeholders and other actors (sub-regional counterparts, private actors, WASOP team) in parallel with the workshop, in a networking perspective;

o   Make a presentation of the national implementation for Cape Verde of the SBE-WASOP strategy.