TOR for External Collaboration Contract Africa and benchmarking with other comparable countries from other regions - good practices and lessons learned

BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION

The ILO Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work, adopted by the ILC in 2019, emphasizes the need “to shape a future of work with full, productive and freely chosen employment”. It states that ILO constituents view productivity as a catalyst for creating decent work, inclusive growth and shared prosperity. The topic of productivity as a driver for decent work and inclusive growth has traditionally arouse the interest of ILO constituents.  The discussion on Decent Work and Productivity during the 341st session of the ILO Governing Body of March 2021 showed that increasing productivity is a shared concern of ILO constituents and called for an integrated and inclusive long-term approach for productivity growth that takes into consideration global trends, technological innovations, health and political crisis as well as climate change effects on sectors and communities.

The ILO Regional offices in the Arab States (ROAS) as well as the ILO in other regions, in particular in Africa have been engaged in responding to this priority. “The National productivity

organizations: repositioning for relevance and impact” covering the Caribbean was published in in 2020 and an” Assessment of the state of national productivity ecosystems for enterprises in African Union member states” in partnership with the Pan African productivity association (PAPA)  is under preparation.

The ILO ROAS in collaboration with the Bureau for Employers Activities of the ILO have produced a report on “Productivity growth, diversification and structural change in the Arab States” released by the office in March 2022. The report included a comprehensive analysis of the productivity trends in the region; a mapping of the main bottlenecks for productivity enhancements; and an assessment on national development plans to better understand whether productivity growth has been duly considered as a fundamental means to foster socio-economic development.  The report included some findings from North African countries as well as from several reports on productivity and employment produced in the region.

The report showed that in the Middle East Arab States weak labour productivity has been a persistent challenge. In the last twenty years labour productivity growth has been constantly below the global average and has been declining since 2010. It stressed the need for Governments, employers and workers to urgently put in place the necessary preconditions to seize the potential opportunities offered by the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, a 2021 ILO ESCWA report on a “Productive and Inclusive Path: Job Creation in the Arab Region”, showed that SMEs in the formal private sector in the Arab region have the lowest Total Factor Productivity (TFP) and hire less skilled labour.

The findings of the regional research work conducted by the office are particularly interesting for some countries. For instance, Oman is the country that has lost its productivity steam the most in the GCC. It needs a turnaround in its continuously worsening productivity trends. Jordan needs to reinvigorate its productivity trends, both labour productivity, and TFP. Attracting foreign investment and incentivizing private sector investors would require policy actions to improve the business climate, particularly considering the labour market segmentation and very low labour market participation rate of women.

To address the findings of the regional report on “Productivity growth, diversification and structural change in the Arab States” released by the office on March 2022, the ILO will conduct a series of activities aiming at advancing work on increasing productivity. This will include an Assessment of the state of national productivity ecosystems for enterprises in the MENA region, identifying and highlighting lessons learned from productivity programmes by countries, EBMOs and development partners. The assessment should inform national policy discussions that involve in addition to employers’ organizations, governments and workers’ organizations the creation of national/regional productivity platforms or networks and developing strategies and programmes for productivity growth in the region.

This proposal is in line with the productivity ecosystem approach towards strong and sustained productivity gains for decent work promoted by the ILO that underlines the connections between the individual, firm and national levels and the importance of joint efforts of governments, employers’ organizations and workers’ organizations to sustain productivity and ensure, through social dialogue, that gains are distributed equitably. In this context and while international practices to enhance national, sectoral or enterprise-level productivity vary across countries, pro-productivity organizations with tripartite structures where they exist play a key role in spearheading the productivity improvement agenda at national level and thus in the productivity ecosystem approach. 

Pro-productivity organizations can be formed under different legal frameworks including through a Decree or an Act of Parliament. They can have different forms, structures, mandates, degrees of autonomy, financial and human resourcing. They may also vary in the scope and depth of services and programmes they offer and carry out. In countries, where there are no dedicated pro-productivity organizations, other organizations -including governmental bodies, business-membership organizations, civil society organizations, UN agencies, development partners - or programmes and networks can play their role either on a time-bound or regular basis. In all cases, there are achievements, good practices, lessons learned, that can be drawn and shared in order to allow these programmes, platforms, networks, organizations where they exist to evolve and carry out their mandates in an efficient way or to trigger the creation and development of such structures where they do not exist or where they need to transform, as in most countries in the MENA region.

OBJECTIVE AND SCOPE OF WORK

The main objective of the consultancy is to identify Pro-productivity organizations trying to influence policies to enhance productivity at national and sectoral level -highlighting those that have a tripartite governance structure if they exist – as well as productivity platforms, networks and programmes that are active in the Arab States countries from the Middle East and North Africa. The study aims at identifying potential organizations willing to play a pro-productivity role or to take part in pro-productivity coalitions. The study also aims at providing a compilation of good practices and lessons learned from Pro-productivity organizations that have a tripartite governance structure and are active either in the region or in countries with similar geographical characteristics and/or development stage.

The study will:

1. Look at national productivity strategies and data produced by national institutes -if they exist- or at how and if national development plans or economic visions in the Region set and measure productivity growth as a clear objective
2. Analyse institutional reforms that were implemented to increase productivity. Identify pro-productivity organizations-or those who could play that role-, platforms or networks or research centre and think tanks at sector, national, or regional level and look at their inception, type, parent ministries or EBMO, current governance structure, funding sources, main partners composition, staffing, and mandate. Detailed information about selected organizations can be presented in an Annex.
3. Identify productivity programmes that have a policy component implemented by other organizations and look at their implementing agency and its mandate, the funding source, the duration of the programme, its institutional set-up and theory of change. It will cover programmes implemented by relevant ministries, employers’ organizations, other private sector institutions or associations, development partners, regulatory bodies, universities, research institutes, local development centres, and NGOs.
4. Look into main areas of work of identified organizations, programmes, platforms or networks and provide examples of activities undertaken in each area of work in the last years. This section should include numbers of businesses or other organizations having received such services, types of businesses or other actors they provide services to, types of services offered etc.. Highlight some main achievements/results – both qualitative and quantitative.
5. Present the different elements of productivity ecosystems in the region and analyse linkages between identified strategies, policies, programmes, organizations at different regional, national, sectoral and enterprise levels.
6. Provide the following -either from the target region or countries with similar geographical characteristics and/or development stage:
   1. at least three good practices with regards to structure/business model, policy,  and/or service delivery,
   2. At least three lessons learned in relation to either governance, policy, service provision, model of operation, as well as their relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and, sustainability etc.
   3. At least three support solutions that are currently missing in the target region but could be introduced or developed to support productivity growth
7. Identify the needs and potential for sub-regional, regional or cross-regional bodies or networks supporting productivity growth.
8. Provide recommendations to strengthen existing organizations, networks, platforms and programmes or develop new ones.

The study will include specific chapters/pages for each organization/programme as well as a final section highlighting common practices and lessons learned, specific innovative approaches and a set of recommendations for specific countries.  

DELIVERABLES

• Inception report with a methodological note, work plan.
• Desk research of the productivity policies and programmes by countries and development partners across the MENA region, including ILO supported interventions.
• Preliminary outline of report with annotated table of contents. An interview plan on data collection tools, strategies for ensuring proper information is obtained, criteria for ensuring a proper identification of organizations, platforms, networks and programmes as well as their achievements, good practices, lessons learned and needs should also be produced.
• A series of interviews with pro-productivity organizations, networks or programmes and their beneficiaries and key stakeholders from governments, employers’ organisations and workers’ organizations, other civil society organizations, donors, academia, development agencies.

The consultant will be expected to carry out primarily desk and literature research. The consultant will use online research as well as gathering of relevant information via email, online questionnaires, and phone or online-calls.

• Draft report with a set of recommendations on actions needed to strengthen existing organizations, networks, platforms and programmes or develop new ones and support national productivity ecosystems.
• Final report integrating the comments provided by the ILO.
• Presentation to the ILO and tripartite constituents

CONTRACTUAL PERIOD AND PAYMENT SCHEDULE

The expected duration of the assignment is 60 full-time working days.

A detailed quoted in USD inclusive of VAT and linked to deliverables must be submitted

Payment schedule:

1. First payment of 20% of total contract lumpsum upon submission of inception report
2. Second payment of 30% upon submission of draft report
3. Third and final payment of 50% upon submission of presentation and final report to the full satisfaction of the ILO

REPORTING AND SUPERVISORY ARRANGEMENTS

The ILO focal points are Badra Alawa, Enterprises Specialist, ILO Decent Work Team for the Arab States, Jose-Manuel Medina, Enterprises Specialist, ILO Decent Work Team for North Africa and Paolo Salvai, Senior Employers’ activities specialist, ILO Decent Work Team for the Arab State. Inputs will be sought from other ILO staff in the relevant Decent Work Teams (DWTs) including ACT/EMP and ACTRAV specialists or in the ENTERPRISES Department in HQ. Regular calls or check-ins will be planned with the consultant in order to discuss methodology, progress and strategies to complete the assignment.