Under the supervision of the Project Manager, the Expert will provide targeted technical support to the project during an initial four-month period to prepare, structure and operationalize priority interventions under Outcome 1.

The assignment will focus on three complementary areas:

1. Public-Private Dialogue and reform delivery
2. Investment promotion and facilitation
3. Access to finance and the financial enabling environment

The Expert will work closely with the Program Manager, the Heads of components, other relevant project partner staff, Government counterparts, private-sector organizations, financial institutions, development partners and other technical experts.

The assignment is intended to support the technical development and operationalization of priority Outcome 1 workstreams, combining strategic advice with hands-on implementation support. This will include consolidating and applying existing evidence, supporting stakeholder engagement, contributing to the establishment and operationalization of the national PPD framework and targeted technical PPDs, supporting the operationalization of the investment promotion and investor conversion mechanisms emerging from the Liberia-EU Business Forum, advancing the NIC support plan, support the project’s access-to-finance strategy development and implementation, and providing technical representation, capacity-building and support to partners and stakeholders as required.

Key responsibilities:

Objective 1 – Support the establishment and operationalization of the national PPD framework and targeted technical PPDs

• Support the Government and relevant stakeholders in the establishment and operationalization of the national PPD and reform delivery framework.
• Provide technical support to the design and initial implementation of targeted, operational PPDs / Technical Task Forces around priority reform issues.
• Support the identification, prioritization and technical analysis of private-sector constraints and their translation into practical reform actions.
• Contribute to the preparation of PPD frameworks, workplans, reform sprints, stakeholder mapping, agendas and technical documentation.
• Support coordination between Government institutions, business organizations, private-sector representatives and development partners involved in the PPD process.
• Help establish practical mechanisms for reform delivery tracking, follow-up and accountability.

Objective 2 – Support the operationalization of investment promotion and facilitation

·       Support the operationalization and strengthening of the post-Liberia-EU Business Forum investment promotion and investor conversion mechanism, including the Investment Conversion Task Force, clarifying its operating arrangements, roles, processes and linkages with relevant Government institutions and private-sector partners.

·       Provide strategic and technical support to the development and implementation of the National Investment Commission support plan, including the identification and prioritization of institutional, procedural and coordination improvements needed to strengthen investment facilitation.

·       Support the development and refinement of investor-facing tools, referral mechanisms, follow-up and aftercare processes, working closely with the Investment Officer responsible for their implementation on the ground.

·       Support the follow-up of priority investors during the initial implementation period, including direct engagement with companies, analysis of recurring bottlenecks, facilitation of institutional solutions and documentation of lessons and intelligence emerging from investor engagement.

·       Support the identification and structuring of high-potential investment opportunities, including opportunities linked to the project’s priority value chains, and advise on approaches to investor targeting and promotion.

·       Support structured engagement with Government institutions, investors, financial institutions, business organisations and development partners around priority investment opportunities and investment climate constraints.

·       Contribute to the development and refinement of the project’s investment promotion approach, including recommendations on investor targeting, value propositions, market intelligence and partnerships.

·       Represent the project in relevant technical meetings, investment promotion events and stakeholder forums, as requested, and provide technical briefings and follow-up inputs to project leadership.

Objective 3 – Develop and advance the project’s Access to Finance workstream

·       Lead the strategic development of the project’s Access to Finance approach, building on the A2F scoping study and stakeholder consultations.

·       Translate study findings into a prioritized strategy and practical implementation roadmap, distinguishing between ecosystem-level and value-chain-specific interventions.

·       Identify priority regulatory, institutional and market reforms required to improve MSME access to finance.

·       Support engagement with the Central Bank of Liberia, financial institutions, Government institutions, private-sector organizations and relevant development partners.

·       Identify opportunities to link project interventions with relevant national, regional and international financing mechanisms.

·       Support the capacity strengthening of relevant partners and institutions where identified as a priority within the A2F strategy.

·       Prepare technical concepts, implementation arrangements and ToRs for subsequent A2F interventions.

Objective 4 – Provide technical representation, coordination and capacity support

• Represent the project, as requested, in technical meetings, policy discussions, workshops, investment and trade events, PPD mechanisms and other relevant forums.
• Provide technical briefings and inputs to project leadership and relevant project staff.
• Support the identification, recruitment and mobilization of staff and additional technical experts required for the implementation of the component, including contributing to profiles, Terms of Reference, selection processes and onboarding, as appropriate.
• Support knowledge transfer and capacity strengthening of Government institutions, private-sector organizations and other partners engaged in the three workstreams.
• Maintain close coordination with the project leadership and relevant technical staff, experts and implementing partners to ensure coherence across interventions.
• Prepare a handover package for the next phase of implementation, consolidating key achievements, ongoing activities, outstanding actions, stakeholder and institutional arrangements, lessons learned, priorities and recommended sequencing for the continuation of the three workstreams.

Deliverables and indicative level of effort