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Ref.
2025/EIFBWS/14486

Job offer type
Experts

Type of contract
Service contract

Activity sectors
Sustainable development ; Business facilitation and regional integration ; Public resource mobilisation, management and accountability ; Other

Deadline date
2026/01/15 00:57

Duration of the assignment
Short term

Contract
Freelancer

Duration
12 mois (mobilisation prévisionnelle 20 - 30% de 2026-2027)

Mission description

General Objective:

The overall objective of this mission is to structurally strengthen access to sustainable blue finance in the West African region.

Specific Objectives

1. At the ‘macro’ level: develop frameworks and instruments with regional financial institutions and international partners.

2. At the micro level: support project structuring, develop and pilot a common methodological framework. The expert will provide cross-cutting and ongoing support to strengthen the quality, consistency and credibility of the pipeline of bankable blue projects in the 13 countries covered by WASOP.

Main activities

Regional activities

· Develop, with regional investment banks, their sustainable blue economy financing strategy/framework integrating the private/public sector and associated tools, including safeguard measures.

· Develop a sustainable blue economy taxonomy for West Africa and conduct training sessions.

· Create a regional pipeline of bankable blue projects that meet international mechanism standards (FVC, GEF, etc.).

· Design and structure financial instruments dedicated to ocean sustainability (blue credit lines, regional guarantee mechanisms, blue carbon, blended finance) for the private and public sectors.

· Support BOAD's leadership in the FiCS Ocean Coalition and the IDFC (International Development Finance Club) network as a catalyst for blue finance in Africa.

Multi-country activities

· Develop a simple and harmonised reference framework for the analysis, structuring and monitoring of blue projects, applicable in all 13 countries.

· Ensure quality control of diagnostics, support plans and deliverables produced by national/thematic pipeline experts, and propose methodological adjustments if necessary.

· Contribute to defining and updating the blue project pipeline development strategy by identifying bottlenecks and support priorities.

· Identify capacity-building needs and support the development of tools, guides and training formats for national/thematic experts and, where appropriate, for national teams.

· Support the definition and, if necessary, revision of national/thematic pipeline expert profiles, as well as the structuring of their work plan.

· Provide ad hoc support to DUE and national authorities when reviewing projects or preparing technical missions.

Cross-cutting activities

· Monitor existing approaches to blue finance (including, where relevant, BlueInvest Africa) and identify opportunities for complementarity where relevant to WASOP.

· Develop advocacy on the challenges, opportunities and financing needs of the sustainable blue economy in West Africa at regional and international events (such as COP, CBD, UNOC, etc.), and in particular strengthen advocacy on the ocean-climate nexus.

· Contribute to the technical framing and advocacy of events to strengthen blue finance, such as the FiCS Ocean Coalition's West African Forum.

· Promote technical synergies between the various tools of WASOP's Pillar 2 (Blue Facility, Practitioner's Network and Call for Projects) to ensure consistency in the project leaders' journey.

· Functional coordination of the pool of national/thematic finance experts.

Expected outputs

Below is a non-exhaustive list of outputs. The outputs will be specified in dedicated purchase orders.

Type of outputs at regional level

· Diagnosis of the BOAD/BIDC portfolio to identify projects with co-benefits for the ocean and climate.

· Sustainable blue economy financing strategy documents co-developed with BOAD and BIDC, including a regional investment framework for the sustainable blue economy (Blue Investment Framework), action plans and associated tools, including safeguard measures

· Definition of a sustainable blue economy taxonomy adapted to West Africa and aligned with EU, FiCS and ECOWAS standards.

· Portfolio of bankable blue projects

· Training modules on the various frameworks and tools developed

· Strategic contributions to the framing and implementation of regional/multi-country project concept notes (e.g. GCF, GEF)

Type of products at the multi-country level

· A common methodological framework for project analysis and structuring, including user-friendly tools, formats and criteria for national experts.

· Regular quality reviews of diagnostics, support plans and deliverables produced by national/thematic pipeline experts, with recommendations for adjustments.

· Ad hoc technical notes on macro (instruments, financial frameworks) and micro (project structuring) aspects of blue finance.

· A consolidated analysis of the regional pipeline, including support priorities, bottlenecks and capacity-building needs.

· A structured contribution to coordination between the Blue Facility, the AAP and the Practitioner Network to ensure consistency in the support process for project promoters.

· Targeted support for DUE, public authorities and EF/WASOP teams during project reviews or preparatory missions.

· Note analysing challenges/opportunities for West Africa in terms of innovative instruments/meetings for blue finance, in line with current blue finance developments at pan-African and international level

· Advocacy document on sustainable blue finance/ocean-climate nexus

· Technical framework note for events (e.g. FICS ocean coalition summit forum in AFO)

· Regular updates to support tools and procedures, based on feedback from the field and changing country needs.

Organisation

The Blue Facility is a small team of leading international experts (between 1 and 3 experts depending on profiles and availability) who can work remotely and are available for assignments in West Africa (or other countries in the case of participation in international events).

The international finance expert(s) carry out live productions, in collaboration with a regional expert whom they supervise technically. More generally, they may be called upon to provide technical supervision of experts and consulting firms for the deployment of activities. In addition, the international expert will be responsible for the technical supervision of national experts for the constitution of the pipeline, as well as a regional expert.

The international expert reports generally to the Blue Facility Manager and the regional support expert for the deployment of regional activities.

Estimated mobilisation: approximately 20-30% over the period 2026-2027.

Project or context description

A.  WASOP

The WASOP program, funded by the European Union to the tune of €59 million, aims to support integrated and sustainable management of marine and coastal resources in West Africa, while promoting inclusive and competitive economic growth. It is in line with major international priorities, notably the African Union's Agenda 2063 and the European Union's Ocean Pact, which recognize the blue economy as a strategic lever for sustainable development.

Structured around three complementary pillars, based on an integrated "Seascape" approach, WASOP aims to:

  1. Strengthen ocean governance, particularly for sustainable fisheries;
  2. Promote a sustainable and inclusive blue economy;
  3. Strengthen the preservation of marine and coastal ecosystems, in conjunction with local populations.

The program is being implemented in 13 coastal countries in West Africa: Benin, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo, in partnership with ECOWAS and in collaboration with regional organizations. Its implementation is based on a strategic partnership between several actors:

  • Expertise France, responsible for overall coordination via the Blue Hub and implementation of pillar 2;
  • FAO, ICCAT, EFCA, and subregional fisheries commissions (CSRP and CPCO) for pillar 1;
  • IUCN for pillar 3 related to ecosystem conservation.

WASOP is part of the Global Gateway's objective to support public-private partnerships for sustainable natural resource management and nature-based solutions. At the heart of the "Global Gateway 360°" approach—based on the priorities of connectivity, sustainability, and infrastructure development—WASOP mobilizes all sectors related to oceans, seas, and coastlines. This encompasses both offshore and onshore activities to ensure coherent and comprehensive action.

The WASOP program was launched in 2025 for a period of five years. At the launch workshop held in Mindelo, Cape Verde, from November 4 to 6, 2025, two memoranda of understanding were signed with the region's two public investment and development banks, BOAD and BIDC, to strengthen financing for the sustainable blue economy. This major milestone was reinforced by the launch of the West African group of the Finance en Commun (FiCS) ocean coalition, led by BOAD, including BIDC as strategic members as well as national banks and with the support of WASOP. The operational deployment of these partnerships will be carried out in particular through the WASOP Blue Facility.

B.  The Blue Facility

The Blue Facility of the Sustainable Blue Economy pillar of WASOP (West Africa Sustainable Ocean Program) aims to support the development of a sustainable and inclusive blue economy in West Africa. The Blue Facility provides technical assistance to regional organizations and, in a complementary manner, to WASOP beneficiary countries to help (i) establish a regional institutional, regulatory, and financial framework conducive to the growth of the sustainable blue economy and (ii) support sustainable blue economy operations in the region.

The Blue Facility provides technical assistance in a responsive and flexible manner to meet the needs of WASOP countries, taking into account their progress in developing a sustainable and inclusive blue economy and the challenges they face, particularly in terms of governance and financing.

 

This support can cover a variety of areas, such as the development of regulatory frameworks, public policy planning, financing tools, investment project preparation, and the integration of environmental and social standards into national strategies.

 

Improving access to financing for the sustainable blue economy in West Africa is a major objective of the Blue Facility. The Facility aims to act as an interface between project developers and investors, supporting the structuring of bankable projects, assisting stakeholders in mobilizing financial resources, and mobilizing innovative instruments, including blended finance, in conjunction with West African national and regional banks (BOAD, BIDC). In particular, it will be able to help bring projects closer to international donors, Global Gateway partners, international funds (such as the Green Climate Fund and the Global Environment Facility), and multilateral development banks.

 

In this context, the development of a harmonized regional financial framework and a credible pipeline of bankable blue projects are two major challenges that will be addressed by the Blue Facility.

 

To meet these needs, the Blue Facility is putting together a small team of leading international experts in sustainable blue finance.

Required profile

1. Key skills

The international expert(s) must have the following skills:

· Master's degree or equivalent in a relevant discipline (finance, economics, public policy, environment or sustainable development).

· Very good understanding of blue finance instruments, project financial structuring and investment preparation approaches.

· Ability to design, deploy and pilot methodological tools and reference frameworks applicable in various national and regional contexts.

· Ability to contribute to the development and structuring of blue project pipelines, in line with the requirements of international donors and mechanisms.

· Ability to facilitate technical exchanges with a variety of stakeholders (administrations, donors, regional financial institutions, private sector, civil society) in order to co-develop operational solutions.

· Proven ability to supervise and coordinate technical service providers, in particular national and thematic experts mobilised in the countries.

· Excellent analytical, synthesis and writing skills to produce technical notes, methodological guidelines and strategic recommendations.

· Excellent command of French and English, both spoken and written; proficiency in Portuguese is an asset.

· Experience in mobilising financial partners.

2. Professional experience

· Minimum 10 years of professional experience in international cooperation in the fields of blue finance, development finance, sustainable economy or project structuring.

· Proven experience in:

o developing financing strategies, particularly in the field of sustainable blue economy;

o designing and structuring dedicated financing instruments (blended finance, guarantees, credit lines, etc.);

o structuring and supporting pipelines of bankable projects, including financial analysis, economic models and investment preparation.

· Proven experience in regional or multi-country roles, ideally in West Africa, with a good understanding of institutional and operational issues.

· Proven experience in coordinating and supervising experts or consulting firms, including quality control and consolidation of deliverables.

· Knowledge of European Union Global Gateway instruments, such as EFSD+, etc. is an asset.

Additional information

To apply, please send the following documents before the specified date.

· A curriculum vitae demonstrating the relevance of your profile to the position;

· A technical proposal of no more than four pages, including

o An understanding of the challenges of blue finance in West Africa;

o International instruments/approaches that may be useful/suitable for West Africa

o Your approach and anticipated success factors for addressing the activities presented (including your areas of expertise if you wish to position yourself on some of the activities/themes)

· A financial proposal: presenting your daily rate;

· Three relevant professional references, including email addresses and telephone numbers

· Any relevant documents or technical reports produced;

· Subject of the application: ‘WASOP international blue finance expert’

· Applications received will be reviewed as soon as they are received, and Expertise France may contact candidates before the deadline.

Selection criteria for applications

The selection process for candidates will be based on the following criteria :

  • Candidate’s training/skills/experience
  • Candidate’s skills linked with the expert mission
  • Candidate’s experiences linked with the expert mission
  • Candidate's knowledges related to local context (country or region intervention)
  • Candidate’s understanding of cooperation project stakes

Deadline for application : 2026/01/15 00:57

File(s) attached : TDRs EXPERT INTERNATIONAL FINANCE BLEUE.pdf - TDRs EXPERT INTERNATIONAL FINANCE BLEUE en-US (1).pdf

Expertise France is the public agency for designing and implementing international technical cooperation projects. The agency operates around four key priorities :

  • democratic, economic, and financial governance ;
  • peace, stability, and security ;
  • climate, agriculture, and sustainable development ;
  • health and human development ;

In these areas, Expertise France conducts capacity-building initiatives and manages project implementation, leveraging technical expertise and acting as a project coordinator. This involves combining public sector expertise with private sector skills to drive impactful results. 

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