Support to the valorisation of territorial potentials for inclusive local development in northern Togo

The project "Integrated Territorial Development and Good Governance in Togo" is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). It supports the Government of Togo in advancing decentralisation and territorial development in the regions of Kara and Savanes. Despite progress in decentralisation, regional and local authorities face persistent challenges in exercising transferred competences, delivering quality public services, mobilising local revenues and promoting inclusive local economic development. These constraints are compounded by poverty, climate change, demographic pressure and a fragile security context in northern Togo. The overall objective is to enable regional and local actors to harness the social and economic potential of their territories to improve living conditions in an equitable and sustainable manner. The project applies an integrated territorial development approach with capacity development at individual, organisational and institutional levels. It cooperates with national ministries (Ministry of Local Development, Ministry of Decentralisation, Ministry of Finance), regional councils and municipalities, the National Training Agency for Local Authorities (Agence nationale de formation des collectivités territoriales, ANFCT), the National Association of Municipalities (Faîtière des Communes du Togo, FCT), civil society organisations and private sector actors. To sustain decentralisation and territorialisation efforts, the project also aims at strengthening socio-economic resilience, in particular of communities in the Northen border regions, and provide economic perspectives, in particular for young people. Activities are structured around three complementary outputs: (1) Strengthening the capacities of regional and local authorities to implement transferred competences. (2) Improving collaboration between public institutions, local authorities, civil society and the private sector for inclusive and conflict-sensitive territorial development. (3) Strengthening transparent, participatory and accountable local public financial management. Innovative elements include municipal benchmarking, peer-to-peer learning, digital solutions for local governance, performance-based management and evidence-based decision-making. Gender equality, social inclusion (LNOB), climate resilience, conflict sensitivity and digitalisation are mainstreamed across all interventions to ensure sustainable and scalable results. The assignment targets 38 municipalities in Kara and Savanes through FCT and ANFCT, with a view to progressive replication towards all 117 municipalities. Benchmarking and peer learning will be designed, piloted and institutionalised to steer capacity development and foster continuous improvement. In addition, specialised technical assistance will complement these mechanisms across the three outputs, including support for implementing transferred competences, facilitating inclusive territorial collaboration and strengthening local public financial management (e. g. participatory budgeting, revenue mobilisation, transparency and anti-corruption), while ensuring digital solutions adhere to recognised standards and are interoperable with national ecosystems. The objective of the assignment is to provide comprehensive technical assistance supporting the implementation of the project "Integrated Territorial Development and Good Governance in Togo" through institutional development, digital transformation, municipal benchmarking, peer-to-peer learning and specialised technical expertise contributing to integrated territorial development and good local governance in northern Togo. GIZ seeks to contract a consultancy firm for an implementation period of 24 months. The contractor will provide technical services through two Key Experts and a pool of short-term experts with international, regional and national experience allowing demand-driven mobilisation of specialised expertise throughout project implementation. The overall contract is expected to require approximately 1.500 expert days, delivered through individual experts and expert pools. The assignment is organised around four complementary work packages: Work Package 1: Development and institutionalisation of municipal benchmarking The contractor will support the development and implementation of a harmonised benchmarking system for municipalities, including performance frameworks, indicators, data collection methodologies, digital data management solutions and institutional anchoring in close collaboration within the National Association of Municipalities of Togo (FCT). The performance assessment on key competences of municipalities through the benchmarking system will provide the basis for mutual learning by identifying individual strengths and weaknesses across municipalities. Work Package 2: Development and institutionalisation of peer-to-peer learning The contractor will support the National Training Agency for Local Authorities (ANFCT) in establishing sustainable peer-to-peer learning mechanisms based on the benchmarking results, including learning methodologies, training concepts, organisational arrangements and knowledge management. Work Package 3: Operational implementation The contractor will support the implementation of benchmarking and peer-to-peer learning in the target municipalities through data collection and analysis, facilitation of learning events, capacity development, capitalisation of experiences and gradual institutionalisation of the developed mechanisms. Work Package 4: Provision of specialised short-term expertise The contractor will provide a pool of international, regional and national experts covering organisational development, digital solutions, benchmarking, peer-to-peer learning, monitoring and evaluation, territorial development, decentralisation, local economic development, public financial management and other specialised expertise required during project implementation. The contractor will be responsible for providing strategic and technical advisory services, conducting analyses and studies, developing methodologies and digital tools, facilitating multi-stakeholder processes, organising workshops, trainings and study visits, supporting institutional development and delivering monitoring and evaluation activities where required. The contractor will work closely with GIZ, the Ministry of Local Development (MDDL), regional authorities, municipalities, the National Association of Municipalities (FCT), the National Training Agency for Local Authorities (ANFCT) and other public and private stakeholders. Close coordination with other development partners active in northern Togo is expected where relevant. Throughout the implementation period, the contractor shall ensure high-quality technical delivery, regular reporting, knowledge management and quality assurance. Innovative, scalable and context-adapted approaches are expected in order to strengthen institutional ownership, facilitate replication and contribute to the long-term sustainability of the mechanisms developed under the project.