Description
The Terms of Reference (ToRs) concern the recruitment of an International Consulting Firm to prepare the Infrastructure Financing Trends Report in Africa (IFT) Report for 2024-2025.
|
|
|
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
|---|
|
|
13.Economics, Statistics and Data Management |
|---|
|
|
The Infrastructure Consortium for Africa (ICA) was launched at the G8 Gleneagles Summit in 2005, with its Secretariat hosted by the African Development Bank (AfDB) since 2006 . The ICA currently operates under the AfDB’s Infrastructure Partnerships Division (PICU3), under the Infrastructure and Urban Development Department (PICU), within the Vice Presidency Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialization (PIVP).
ICA’s vision is to ensure that all Africans have access to sustainable, reliable, and affordable infrastructure services through the mobilization of financial and technical resources for infrastructure development across the continent. ICA’s work program focuses on four core infrastructure sectors: Energy, Transport, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), Water Supply and Sanitation (WSS). Although ICA is not a financing agency, the consortium acts as a platform to broker more financing of infrastructure projects and programs in Africa.
The current ICA Strategic Business Plan is designed around the following pillars:
• Pillar 1: Knowledge and Information Hub to upgrade the existing knowledge products into those of practical value which can be used to support designing, monitoring and evaluating ICA interventions along the infrastructure financing value chains.
• Pillar 2: Africa Quality Infrastructure Hub, providing guidance, tools, motivations and opportunities to improve the quality of infrastructure as well as investments in quality infrastructure projects (G20 QII principles); and
• Pillar 3: Advocacy and Coordination Hub, facilitating enhanced cooperation and collaboration amongst key infrastructure-related players towards increased financing flows as well as improved quality of infrastructure.
In line with its knowledge mandate, ICA publishes the flagship Infrastructure Financing Trends in Africa (IFT) report. The IFT report provides comprehensive and increasingly granular analysis of infrastructure financing flows to Africa, building on and expanding the analytical depth of earlier ICA Annual Reports. The latest edition of the report covers the 2021-2023 period.
The objective of this assignment is to prepare the Infrastructure Financing Trends in Africa (IFT) Report 2024-2025, with a strong focus on financing quality infrastructure through sustainable and innovative financing instruments.
The report should contribute to policy dialogue on how infrastructure investment can support post-shock recovery, resilience, and long-term sustainable development in Africa. In particular, the IFT Report 2024-2025 will place analytical and policy emphasis on the following thematic areas:
• Strengthening private participation and PPP financing for Africa’s post-COVID recovery and resilience
• Strengthening public financial systems and mobilizing private capital
• Advancing climate finance and a just energy transition
• Promoting regional integration through infrastructure and economic corridors
• Accelerating digital transformation and technological modernization. |
|---|
|
|
The consulting firm will be responsible for preparing the IFT 2024-2025 Report through a combination of data collection, analysis, synthesis, and stakeholder engagement. The assignment of the consulting firm involves the articulation of emerging issues involving the development of infrastructure in Africa, and communication with the national, regional, and global institutions.
The scope of work includes, but is not limited to, the following:
Data collection and management
• Review the data of the previous version of the IFT report
• Review and, if necessary, restructure the existing ICA data collection questionnaire template to be sent to ICA members and other data providers such as G20, Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), investment funds, Regional Development Banks (RDBs), bilateral agencies, etc.
• Collect infrastructure financing and infrastructure-related financial data for Africa for 2024 (January to December) and 2025 (January to December) on commitments, disbursements and signed projects from national, regional, bilateral, multilateral, and private sector sources, including ICA members, by sector, country, sub-region, financing instrument, delivery modality, using official sources and targeted questionnaires.
Data analysis
• Identify and analyze infrastructure financing trends across sectors, countries, and regions, including modes of delivery - public, private, and public-private partnerships (PPPs) - through the assessment of commitments, contributions, disbursements, and signed projects of ICA members in Africa for 2024 and 2025, covering both soft and hard investments, based on data collected via member questionnaires and organized by sector, country, and region.
• Analyze the role of the private sector, institutional models, and key sector policy and governance issues relevant to public and private infrastructure investors in Africa, alongside a deeper assessment of financing instruments.
• Assess financing instruments, including equity, debt, guarantees, bonds, and local versus foreign currency, and examine the role of private sector investment, institutional investors, and development finance institutions.
• Analyze financing for regional and cross-border infrastructure, including PIDA and AfCFTA-related corridors.
• Estimate infrastructure financing gaps and assess country-level public self-financing efforts, while avoiding double counting as much as possible.
• Document the details of investments by ICA members on project preparation in Africa in 2024 and 2025 including contributions to stand-alone facilities.
• Assess investments and contributions in 2024 and 2025 by emerging countries such as India, China and partners from the Middle East, Turkey, Brazil, and the private sector.
• Establish trends in total aid / investments and identify the big picture involving infrastructure finance in Africa.
• Present the number of projects financed, including a breakdown by region, sector, financing instruments, etc.
Writing of the report
• The report shall assess proportion of finance/investments committed towards regional infrastructure projects in general and PIDA (Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa) projects in particular.
• The report shall include an assessment of country level self-financing/investment in infrastructure i.e., how much was spent by African countries out of their respective budgets on infrastructure development by avoiding double counting to the extent possible).
• The report should be written with the overall theme of how ICA members have been supporting Africa’s post-COVID recovery through financing private participation in infrastructure development (all channels) in Africa. In addition, the report shall contain articles of emerging thematic topics in line with the themes of the 2024-2025 described in Section A (Background and objectives). |
|---|
|
|
The consulting firm shall submit the following deliverables:
• Inception Report
• Draft IFT Report 2024-2025 in English
• Final IFT 2024-2025 Report (English – editable Word)
• Final IFT 2024-2025 Report (French – editable Word)
• Finalized Report in English (graphically designed and formatted PDF document)
• Finalized Report in French (graphically designed and formatted PDF document)
• Executive summary and policy brief (English)
• Executive summary and policy brief (French)
• Presentation file (PowerPoint) in English and French
• Structured database, cleaned and documented datasets and data files used (in excel or other formats)
• A working paper that describes the data used, the methodology, the analytical framework applied, the assumptions made, the sources of data used, and the lessons learnt during the preparation of IFT 2024-2025. These lessons will be used to inform the preparation of future IFT reports.
• List of full references, data and information providers. |
|---|
| D. Duration and Timetable for the Assignment | |
|
The contract will be for a duration of six (6) months. In particular, the report should be ready for presentation and dissemination at the Africa Investment Forum 2026 Edition.
Timelines are as follows:
• Inception Report : 15 September 2026 – 21 September 2026
• Structured database, cleaned and documented datasets, list of references and data providers: 22 September 2026 - 15 November 2026
• Draft IFT 2024-2025 Report in English: 16 November 2026 – 15 December 2026
• Final IFT 2024-2025 Report in English and French, Executive summary and policy brief in English and French (WORD versions): 16 December 2026 - 15 january 2027
• Finalized Report in English and French - PDF, Presentation file in English and French: 16 January 2027 - 28 February 2027
• Final delivery of all outputs as specified in Section C: 1 March 2027 - 15 March 2027 |
|---|
| E. Bank Contribution and Institutional Arrangement | |
|
The Bank will contribute to the successful execution of the assignment through:
• Technical guidance and supervision
• Facilitation of Stakeholder Engagement
The Consultant will report progress and submit deliverables directly to the Division Manager. Regular update meetings will be held (bi-monthly) to track progress, review outputs, and address challenges.
Remuneration will be in the form of a fixed lump sum output-based fee. Payment shall be on a Lump Sum basis against the Bank’s acceptance of the deliverables and upon submission of an appropriate invoice. |
|---|
|
|
The Consulting Firm will work from its home base. However, visits of one or two members of the Consulting Firm to the office of the ICA Secretariat in Abidjan will be arranged as necessary. In addition, the Lead Consultant of the Consulting Firm will be invited to participate in the launching of the IFT report and to other fora where the presentation of the findings of the report will be required. In both cases, the ICA Secretariat will cover the travel costs in line with the Bank’s travel policy. |
|---|
| G. Essential Specialized Skills/Knowledge/Competencies | |
|
Qualification of the Consulting Firm
• Extensive experience in infrastructure finance data collection and analysis, supported by a strong track record of producing high-quality analytical outputs
• Excellent report writing skills, delivering coherent, clear, and operationally relevant reports
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with MDBs, DFIs, and international partners
The consulting firm should have at minimum the following experts.
Qualifications of the Experts
• A Lead Consultant holding at least a Master’s degree in Business, Economics, or a related field, with a minimum of ten (10) years of experience in infrastructure policy, finance, and project development, and proven expertise in leading analytical studies, coordinating multidisciplinary teams, and producing high-quality strategic reports on infrastructure financing trends.
• A Development Economist holding at least a Master’s degree, with a minimum of five (5) years of experience in economic development in Africa within bilateral or multilateral institutions, and demonstrated expertise in macroeconomic analysis, public finance, development finance, and policy assessment related to infrastructure investment and financing.
• A Data Analyst holding a Master’s degree in Statistics, Computer Science, or a related field, with a minimum of five (5) years of professional experience in data management, econometric analysis, and visualization, and proven capacity to process, analyse, and interpret complex datasets related to infrastructure finance and investment trends.
• A graphic designer holding a degree in Graphic Design, Digital Media, Visual Communication, or a related field, with at least five (5) years of experience in digital design, strong proficiency in professional design software (Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, Canva Pro, etc.), and proven experience producing high-quality visual content for events, campaigns, and digital platforms.
All members of the consulting team should demonstrate:
• A strong understanding of inclusive and sustainable development issues in Africa.
• Proficiency in standard software tools - including Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, and web-based tools - as well as graphic software for the clear and persuasive presentation of data through tables, charts, and graphs.
• Strong critical thinking and analytical skills, with the ability to rigorously assess complex infrastructure finance issues and identify emerging challenges.
• Proven experience working with diverse institutions to collect data using carefully designed questionnaires.
• Knowledge of the African region
• Experience working in or with African institutions or contexts.
• Excellent spoken and written English; a working knowledge of French will be advantageous.
EVALUATION CRITERIA
Expressions of interest will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
• Experience in the writing and publication of infrastructure financing publications, especially for international organizations, Development Finance Institutions, Special Funds, etc. (40pts)
• Specific experience (25pts)
• Presence of relevant skills as described above (25pts)
• Working experience in Africa (10pts) |
|---|
|
|
The Consultant will work under the direct supervision of the Division Manager, Infrastructure Partnerships Division (PICU3). Day-to-day technical oversight may be delegated to a designated Sector Expert or Task Manager within the ICA Secretariat.
Interested consulting firms may obtain further information at the address:
To the attention of:
Mr. Jeffrey KOUTON
Infrastructure Partnerships Division (PICU3)
African Development Bank Group
Email: j.kouton@afdb.org |
|---|
Consultancy Input Days
|
|
