Consultancy-Midterm Evaluation of the Regional action to contribute to the improvement of mineral resources governance in the Great Lakes regionnew

Midterm Evaluation of the Regional action to contribute to the improvement of mineral resources governance in the Great Lakes region

Contract type: Consultancy agreement (services contract) · individual consultant or firm

Project / Programme: Regional action to contribute to the improvement of mineral resources governance in the Great Lakes region · EU

Place of performance: Burundi, Bujumbura · remote

Expected travel: No

Duration of assignment: Approximately 8 weeks

Level of effort: [40] estimated working days

Reports to: Project Manager, in collaboration with the M&E Coordination

Fees: As per the financial proposal · USD

Payment terms: Against the deliverables and schedule set out below

Languages English and French essential

Proposal deadline: November 6, 2026

Expected start date: As soon as possible

1. Background and rationale

IMPACT is implementing the “Regional action to contribute to the improvement of mineral resources governance in the Great Lakes region-IMPACT-ICGLR” project. The project is being implemented in the Great Lakes Region of Africa across the 12 Member States of the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR): Angola, Burundi, DR Congo, Congo Brazzaville, Central African Republic, Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, over a period of 48 months, with activities focused on the consolidation of peace and security while improving mineral governance in the Great Lakes region (GLR) of Africa.

The overall objective of the project is to contribute to the consolidation of peace, security, and mineral resource governance in the Great Lakes Region (GLR).

This objective will be pursued by enhancing the capacity of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and its Member States to:

1. Control artisanal mineral resources, including addressing their environmental and social impacts, with particular attention to women and youth (Output 1 – OP1);
2. Apply strategies and best-practice models related to artisanal gold exports (Output 2 – OP2); and
3. Adopt improved Regional Certification Mechanism (RCM) systems and procedures (Output 3 – OP3).

As the project reaches its mid-implementation stage, a midterm evaluation will be conducted to assess progress toward expected results, identify implementation strengths and gaps, examine emerging outcomes, and generate actionable evidence to inform the remaining implementation period.

The midterm evaluation is intended not only to assess project performance but also to support adaptive management, learning, and decision-making. Findings should provide practical recommendations that can be translated into adjustments to project strategies, activities, targeting, implementation approaches, and monitoring systems where appropriate.

2. Objectives of the assignment

Overall objective:

To assess the progress made toward the expected results of the IMPACT-ICGLR project at mid-implementation, identify implementation achievements and constraints, and generate actionable evidence to strengthen implementation during the remaining project period.

Specific objectives:

• Assess the extent to which the project has strengthened the capacities of ICGLR and its Member States;
• Assess improvements in approaches to the control and governance of artisanal mineral resources, including the consideration of environmental and social impacts, particularly those affecting women and youth;
• Assess the application of strategies and good practices related to artisanal gold exports;
• Assess the adoption and use of improved Regional Certification Mechanism (RCM) systems and procedures;
• Assess the project’s contribution to the intermediate institutional and governance changes plausibly linked to improved peace, security and mineral resource governance in the Great Lakes Region, without assuming that these higher-level impacts can already be demonstrated at midterm; and
• Identify what the project should continue, adapt, strengthen or address during the remaining implementation period.

3. Scope of work

The evaluation covers the period from project inception through the midterm evaluation period and examines relevant project activities, outputs, outcomes and implementation processes at IMPACT level and at the ICGLR Secretariat and Technical Unit. It is organized around the project’s results framework and its three outputs.

Phase 1 — Inception and design

• Review the project design and implementation strategy at IMPACT level and at the ICGLR Secretariat and Technical Unit, the logical framework and performance measurement framework, and baseline and routine monitoring data;
• Refine the evaluation methodology and tools, support sampling design, and prepare the evaluation matrix, data analysis plan, workplan and timeline;
• Submit the inception report and data collection tools for review and approval by the project/M&E team.

Phase 2 — Data collection and analysis

• Collect data using the agreed methods, planning and managing any field activities required in close coordination with the IMPACT-ICGLR project team while maintaining independence in collecting and interpreting stakeholder perspectives;
• Assess progress against indicators and targets, implementation performance, and beneficiary and stakeholder perspectives;
• Analyze quantitative and qualitative data, triangulate findings, and identify implementation gaps and contextual constraints;
• Document lessons learned and good practices.

Phase 3 — Reporting and learning

• Present preliminary findings to the project team (key findings, emerging conclusions, data limitations, implementation gaps and preliminary recommendations);
• Draft the midterm evaluation report, including practical recommendations for the remainder of the project and a management response and action matrix that can be incorporated into the project’s implementation and learning cycle;
• Finalize the report incorporating comments from the project team, clearly distinguishing evidence-based findings from interpretation and recommendations.

Methodology:

The evaluation uses a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative evidence. The methodology should be proportionate to the project’s size, complexity, available resources and evaluation questions, and is to be refined by the consultant and validated by the project/M&E team. It may include:

• Desk review of project documents;
• Analysis of baseline, monitoring and other available quantitative data, and review of indicator performance against targets;
• Key informant interviews (any targeted interview to be coordinated with the project through remote sessions, if applicable);
• Focus group discussions or other appropriate qualitative methods (to be coordinated with the project through remote sessions, if applicable);
• Case studies or outcome stories, where useful; and
• Triangulation of findings across data sources (IMPACT-ICGLR project, ICGLR Secretariat and Technical Unit).

The evaluation should examine changes between baseline and midterm, and disaggregate findings by relevant characteristics such as beneficiary group or other project-relevant dimensions. It should avoid attributing changes to the project solely on the basis of temporal comparisons where the available design does not support causal attribution.

Out of scope:

• Direct attribution of changes in regional peace and security to the project: the evaluation assesses the project’s contribution pathway only;
• Implementation of the recommendations and integration of findings into project planning and adaptive management, which remain with the project/M&E team.

4. Deliverables, deadlines and payment schedule

The evaluation is expected to be completed within approximately 10 weeks. The consultant is expected to produce the following deliverables.

No.

Deliverable

Expected format and content

Due date

Payment instalment

1

Evaluation Inception Report

Detailed evaluation methodology; evaluation matrix; sampling approach; data collection methods; data analysis plan; workplan and timeline; roles and responsibilities; and ethical and data-protection considerations.

[dd month yyyy]

[xx%]

2

Data Collection Tools

Based on the applicable methodological approach: key informant interview guides; focus group discussion guides; survey questionnaires; data extraction templates; and other evaluation instruments. All tools to be reviewed and approved by the project/M&E team before implementation.

[dd month yyyy]

[xx%]

3

Clean Evaluation Dataset and Documentation

Clean dataset (including quantitative, qualitative, text scraping and images); data dictionary/codebook; data-cleaning documentation; sampling documentation; analysis syntax or reproducible analytical files, where applicable.

[dd month yyyy]

[xx%]

4

Preliminary Findings

Presentation to the project team: key findings; emerging conclusions; data limitations; implementation gaps; and preliminary recommendations.

[dd month yyyy]

[xx%]

5

Draft Midterm Evaluation Report

Executive summary; project background; evaluation purpose and objectives; evaluation questions; methodology; limitations; findings (including the management response and action matrix); analysis and interpretation; conclusions; lessons learned; recommendations; and annexes.

[dd month yyyy]

[xx%]

6

Final Evaluation Report

Incorporates comments from the project team and clearly distinguishes evidence-based findings from interpretation and recommendations.

[dd month yyyy]

[xx%]

A deliverable is considered accepted once approved in writing by the contract manager. Each instalment is paid upon receipt of a compliant invoice and approval of the corresponding deliverable, within [xx] days.

5. Working arrangements and supervision

• The consultant reports to the Project Manager and works closely with the Project Coordinator, M&E Coordination and the IMPACT-ICGLR project team.
• Check-in meetings are held every two weeks for the duration of the assignment.
• IMPACT will provide: access to project documentation and monitoring data (including the results framework, performance measurement framework, and baseline and routine monitoring data), and introductions to and coordination with relevant stakeholders, including the ICGLR Secretariat and Technical Unit.
• The Project Management Team provides strategic direction, reviews deliverables and facilitates access to stakeholders and project information. The M&E Coordination provides technical oversight, reviews the methodology and tools, supports data quality and interpretation, and leads the integration of findings into learning and adaptive management.
• The consultant provides independent methodological and analytical expertise, supports data collection and analysis, and provides independent findings and recommendations. The project/M&E team retains technical ownership of the evaluation process, including the definition and validation of evaluation questions, validation of methodology, tools and recommendations, and interpretation of project-specific evidence.
• The consultant provides their own working equipment unless stated otherwise above.
• Any change to the timeline or scope of work requires prior written agreement.

6. Required profile

Applicants are asked to demonstrate clearly in their proposal how they meet the requirements of the assignment.

Where the assignment is undertaken by a firm, the proposed team should include a Team Leader / Lead Evaluator who meets the profile below. The firm may propose another team composition if it demonstrates that the structure provides the required expertise to deliver the assignment effectively.

Essential qualifications and experience:

• Advanced university degree in evaluation, development studies, social sciences, economics, public policy, international development or a related field;
• At least 7 years of relevant professional experience in monitoring, evaluation, research or performance assessment of development programs, including midterm evaluations, project reviews or outcome evaluations, and experience leading complex evaluations;
• Strong knowledge and practical experience in mixed-methods evaluation: developing evaluation methodologies, evaluation matrices, data-collection tools, sampling approaches and data-analysis plans; analyzing performance against logical frameworks, theories of change, indicators, baselines and targets; conducting key informant interviews and focus group discussions; and triangulating multiple data sources;
• Experience evaluating institutional capacity strengthening and technical assistance programs, assessing changes in institutional systems, processes, policies and practices, and translating findings into practical recommendations and action plans; strong quantitative and qualitative data-analysis skills and experience with M&E datasets and data visualization;
• Demonstrated experience working in Sub-Saharan Africa, preferably in the Great Lakes Region, including evaluations involving multiple countries and institutional stakeholders;
• Excellent written and oral English and French (professional proficiency in both is mandatory).

Assets:

• Specific experience with the ICGLR Regional Certification Mechanism (RCM), artisanal mineral governance or related regional mineral governance initiatives (strong asset);
• Experience in international development, governance, mineral resources, artisanal and small-scale mining or certification-related assignments.

Competencies:

• Analytical skills and methodological rigour, including triangulation of multiple data sources;
• Clear, concise report writing and the ability to present findings through tables, figures, dashboards or other formats, with evidence-based and actionable recommendations;
• Autonomy, facilitation and stakeholder-consultation skills, and availability to complete the assignment within the agreed timeframe and level of effort;
• Independence, integrity and cross-cultural sensitivity when engaging stakeholders.