Consultant

Description

• The USAID Supporting the Enabling Environment for Development (SPEED) program supports the Government of Mozambique (GRM) to develop and implement policies that improve the country’s business enabling environment, thereby enhancing the role of the private sector in agriculture, trade facilitation, health, energy, and biodiversity conservation. The program also strengthens economic governance and public financial management, and enhances the role of civil society in supporting Mozambique’s ability to plan, manage, and finance its own development. Climate change, rising oil prices and a concern for future energy supplies, have led to an increased interest in the use of biomass for energy purposes. There is a series of information on biofuels in the country produced in the years 2008-2009 in response to the food crisis of the same time period - this led to the approval of a Biofuels Policy and Strategy (BPS) (Resolution No. 22/2009) by the Government of Mozambique. BPS aims to (i) stimulate the sustainable production of biofuels, (ii) reduce the country's dependence on imported fossil fuels as well as the weight of the import bill on the national economy, (iii) diversify the energy matrix, (iv) stimulate rural income through cultivated areas as well as increased productivity, (v) contribute to local development and job creation (particularly in the rural areas), promote sustainable development and preservation of the environment yield, (vi) promote the cultivation of raw materials for production of biofuel, (vii) adopt and implement the legislation that determines the % of biofuel mixture to be incorporated in gasoline and diesel
• However, the implementation of government’s policy objectives remains challenging as biofuel developments mainly take place in areas near good infrastructure, processing and storage facilities, where there is (skilled) labor available, and access to services and goods. Moreover, there is a need to timely harmonize current trends in biofuel developments with the government’s policy objectives as the majority of existing and planned projects are not focusing on remote rural areas, and – in absence of domestic markets – principally target external markets negative, from this proposed biofuels policy in the August 2022 Economic Acceleration Stimulus Package (PAE) (https://pae.gov.mz/) and to understand to which extent it is different from the existing Biofuels Policy and Strategy
• A consultant is needed to carry out a qualitative and quantitative research model, using a simple random sampling and covering the three regions of the country

Duties

• Technical Tasks:
• Work with SPEED Agriculture Portfolio Manager, COP and DCOP to determine the research approach methodology and agree on deliverable framework
• Review current biofuel legislation and proposed PAE measure
• Identify potential products for the ag raw material in the production of biofuels and the impacts on food security
• Understand how the fuel industry can contribute and boost the production and processing of crops for biofuels
• Estimate the mixing ratio between biofuels and fossil fuels to understand the quantity of agricultural inputs required to fulfill the policy
• Evaluate the sustainability and social impact of the production and processing industry of agricultural crops
• Analyze the feasibility of the measure (mandatory blending of biofuels)
• Describe the areas identified and mapped for the purpose of producing agricultural crops for processing Biofuels

Deliverables

• A data-backed report that weighs the costs and benefits of the proposed biofuel measure in the PAE package
• A concise report and presentation with the findings and recommendations
• Presentation to SPEED, USAID, stakeholders and in a Business Breakfast

Requisites

• Excellent communications skills – particularly in writing and relationship building
• Strong research and data analytics background
• Ability to meet deadlines, take initiative and accomplish work with minimal supervision
• Strong critical thinking capabilities with an ability to rapidly assess situational needs, develop problem solving strategies, and implement sustainable solutions
• Fluency in Portuguese preferred

Notes

• Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted
• Interested candidates must submit their CV in English