Consultant to Prepare a Model Policy Document that Supports Improving the CSO Regulatory Environment

This is a remote position.

Background:

The Operational Environment for Civil Society Organizations in Nigeria is inundated with several regulatory requirements. These regulatory requirements are usually the product of statutes and have the attendant effect of subjecting the operations of these CSOs to the whims and caprices of the bureaucracy of Government MDAs. This multiplicity of these regulations and the sheer volume of these requirements affect the CSO operational environment as most CSOs cannot keep up with the demands of compliance. The long-term effect is the shrinking of the Civic Space as fewer Nigerians will be willing to band together and exercise their fundamental right of freedom to associate.

To further contextualize the issue of multiple regulations leading to a shrinking civic space, the Federal system of governance that Nigeria currently operates presents a challenge for CSOs that seek to operate at both the National and sub-national level. This is because the statutory regulatory environment is different at the National/Federal level than at the sub-national/State level. The import of this difference in regulatory requirements is that those who are registered at the National level are often impeded operationally when they seek to operate at the State level because they are told that they have to seek a fresh registration at State level.

Meanwhile, organizations that are registered at the State level are often compelled to go through the process of registering with several Government MDAs in the State which supervise the thematic area within which they desire to operate. Global Rights has tracked the extent and impact of the issue of multiple registrations across several states and has found that it is widespread. In most States, CSOs irrespective of their size are registered with more than One Government MDA. The extra financial and time burden of this process has had a detrimental effect on the Civic Space at the sub-national level where the effects of CSOs in holding both the Government accountable and supporting its efforts is most needed.

Global Rights in furtherance of its mandate to protect the Nigerian Civic Space has with support from the EU Delegation to Nigeria and the ECOWAS (EU Commission) facilitated the establishment of the “Community of Practice on Civic Space Strengthening” under its initiative to improve the CSOs Regulatory Environment in Nigeria. The specific objective of this Initiative is to build platforms for structured multi-stakeholder engagements for an improved and effective civil society regulatory environment in Nigeria.

With this in perspective, Global Rights wishes to commission a consultant to produce a model policy that recommends limiting the registration requirements for CSOs operating at the sub-national level. The draft Policy will be an instrument policymakers can adopt and adapt to ensure that CSOs who wish to operate at the State level are relieved of the extra financial and operational compliance burden of multiple set of regulatory requirements. The model policy will also seek to remedy the issues that impact the ability of CSOs with Federal registration being able to freely operate at the State level without undergoing a fresh registration.

Objectives:

1. To expose the impact of multiple regulatory requirements on the operational environment for CSOs at the National and sub-national level in Nigeria.
   
2. To guide Governmental actors on the best way to improve the operational environment for CSOs in their states.
   
3. To domicile the registration of sub-national CSOs within a single government entity to put a stop to the menace of multiple registrations across various MDAs in the same state.
   
4. To facilitate the ability of CSOs who operate at the National level to transition and make an impact at the sub-national level.
   

Scope of Work :

The consultancy will involve the following tasks:

• Preparing a detailed model policy document.
  
• The model policy should contain information that is easy to digest and can easily be adaptable and adoptable when used as a tool of advocacy.
  
• A critical analysis of the role that multiple regulatory requirements play in stifling the operational environment of CSOs at the sub-national level.
  

Deliverables :

The consultancy will deliver the following outputs:

• A detailed publish-standard model policy document that can be adopted and adapted by policymakers to improve the CSO operational framework in their States by curbing the menace of multiple regulatory requirements.
  
• PowerPoint Presentation slides that summarize the key recommendations and guidelines in the model policy.
  
• Facilitation of 1 training to the Steering Committee of the Community of Practice on Civic Space Strengthening and 1 media appearance discussing the key recommendations set out in the model policy document.
  

Timeline : The consultancy will be conducted over a period of 3 weeks.

Intellectual Property Rights :

All intellectual property rights arising from the consultancy will be the property of Global Rights . The consultant will not disclose or use any confidential information obtained during the consultancy for any other purpose without the written consent of Global Rights .

Confidentiality and Ethical Considerations :

The consultant will ensure that all data collected during the consultancy is treated with the utmost confidentiality and in accordance with ethical principles. In particular, the consultant will obtain informed consent from all participants before collecting any data and will ensure that data is stored securely and only accessible to authorized personnel. The team will also comply with relevant legal and ethical standards and report any ethical concerns or violations to Global Rights immediately.

Reporting :

The Consultant will report to the team at Global Rights particularly the Executive Director, Program Manager and Program Officer on Civic Space Strengthening.

Requirements

Expected Qualifications:

• An Understanding of the key concepts such as regulatory requirements for CSOs, regulatory compliance, non-profit operational environment and non-profit governance
  
• Excellent Research Skills
  
• Experience in presenting findings and recommendations to stakeholders.
  
• Strong writing skills and experience in writing reports and other technical documents.
  

Proposal Submission:

Interested qualified consultants are invited to submit a proposal that includes the following:

• An understanding of the requirements
  
• Methodology and work plan for performing the assignment.
  
• Project delivery plans.
  
• Budget.
  
• Relevant services undertaken in the past with a detailed reference list indicating the scope of similar assignments.