Location :
ETHIOPIA
Application Deadline :
27-Oct-13
Additional Category
Poverty Reduction
Type of Contract :
Individual Contract
Post Level :
National Consultant
Languages Required :
English
Starting Date :
(date when the selected candidate is expected to start)
(date when the selected candidate is expected to start)
19-Nov-2013
Duration of Initial Contract :
30 work-days
Expected Duration of Assignment :
30 work-days
Background
African economies are required to improve their competitiveness and diversify their economic base in the current context of global trade liberalization in part due to the erosion of preferences in traditional exports like bananas, sugar and clothing. Trade in commodities, though the prime generator of employment and foreign earnings can no longer sustain African’s development by itself. The region’s relatively small share in world markets is well documented and signals that African economies must invest in new and more sustainable sources of employment, exports and growth.
As part of an effort to address the challenges of Intra-African trade, and the need to come up with strategies to improve the situation, the African Union Summit of Heads of Government in January 2012 adopted an Action Plan for Boosting Intra-African Trade and a Framework for the fast tracking of a continental free trade agreement (CFTA). A number of issues and priorities were identified to enhance intra-African trade. Among others, enhancing trade in services was seen as an important and emerging opportunity. In this context, the following recommendations were made:
- Partners are summoned to assist Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in developing regional frameworks for services in trade liberalization;
- The AUC and RECs should assist Member States in strengthening domestic regulations in specific service sectors in preparation for regional and continental liberalization;
- The AUC and partners should assist RECs and Member States in mainstreaming services into regional and national export strategies, with a focus on sectors with potential to enhance intra-African trade in services;
- RECs and Member States should improve trade in statistics to aid policy analysis and formulation.
Air Transport Services in Ethiopia
The Ethiopian economy has continued to grow rapidly, achieving over 7 percent growth each year since 2009 despite the challenges faced during the financial crisis. The success in maintaining financial stability after the crisis, and in the face of major external threats, reflects the decisive and broad-based policy response by the government and the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE).
The Air Transport Services sector is an area of the global economy where Ethiopia enjoys some notable comparative advantage due to its geographical location.The air transport industry in Ethiopia is largely dominated by Ethiopian Airlines which was founded in 1945. As of June 2013 [update], the carrier serves 56 passenger destinations in Africa —17 of which are domestic, nine in Europe and the Americas, and 14 in the Middle East and Asia; the airline also operates a cargo network of 22 destinations, 13 of which are in Africa, two in Europe, and seven in the Middle East and Asia. Nonetheless, there are other private owned airlines like Abyssinian Air flight services that provide mainly charter services inside the country. The recent surge of the service sector in the Ethiopian GDP is explained by the good performance of the air transport industry particularly of its flagship Ethiopian airlines.
In 2011/12, Ethiopian airlines carried 4.64 million passengers (an increase of 2.54 from the total number of passengers carried in 2006/07)with its net profit for the year at 42 million dollars. In the same year, Ethiopian airlines carried 180.80 thousand tons of freight (an overall increase of 116, 16 thousand of tons from the freight carried in 2006/07). In 2012/2013 most of its revenue was generated from flights to the Middle East & Asian countries (37 % of revenue) & from flights to African countries other than Ethiopia ( 32% of revenue).With 8% of total expenditure, Sales & Marketing are second only to expenditure on fuel & oil which compromise almost half of the expenses of the company (48%).
The airline operates 64 planes of which 25 are leased. It is also the first African airline operating Boeing 787 Dreamliner jet. The deal to purchase Boeing 787 jets for the Boeing Company is in line with Ethiopian airlines fleet renewal project.
The challenges that Ethiopian airlines faces is high fuel costs and weakening demand for air travel from western countries. These two factors added to the growing competition between airlines for market share have had impacts on its profits.
Expertise required
The assignment will be carried out by two experts, working in close collaboration study and will be a joint effort of both parties. These will include an international services expert who will be the lead consultant will be hired from abroad, and a local Services Expert who will be hired in-country. UNDP who will be providing the funding for the case study on Air Transport Services in Ethiopia will be recruit the consultants and provide the names and contacts of the selected experts to the AUC Department of Trade and Services for approval before the research should begin.
Duties and Responsibilities
Scope of word and methodology
The scope of work for the project is understood to cover all activities necessary to accomplish the stated objectives of the project, whether or not a specific activity is cited in these terms of reference. The methodology of approaching firms will be undertaken through harmonized survey/questionnaire. The main tasks/activities are described below:
- Review relevant reports on the state of development of the services sector in Ethiopia.
- Review the development of Ethiopia’s Air Transport Services sector as well as current Air Transport activities.
- To the best extent possible, estimate the contribution of the Air Transport Services sector to the GDP, employment and trade of Ethiopia;
- Evaluate the factors that have been responsible for the success of the development of
- Air Transport Services in Ethiopia, including the role of relevant government promotion and training policies;
- Review the way in which Ethiopia is currently exporting Air Transport Services; including through the undertaking of select case studies on domestic firms;
- Evaluate the opportunities for increasing exports of entertainment and other Air Transport Services from Ethiopia both within and out of the African region;
- Comment on the challenges to further development of the Air Transport Services and of Air Transport Services exports
- Recommend ways to promote sector development and increase the export of services. Review the approaches used by Ethiopian the area of Air Transport Services to identify current best practices for the development of the entertainment sector and for the promotion of the export of Air Transport Services by other African countries;
- Make recommendations on how the competitiveness of the Air Transport Services sector can be enhanced through business and trade facilitation, legislative and institutional capacity strengthening, human resource development, etc.
The above activities that constitute the Scope of Work will be carried out through a variety of methods which will involve investigation of the economic and export performance of the Air Transport Services sector in Ethiopia based on primary and secondary data gathering as well as on interviews with key Air Transport firms, stakeholders and national policy makers.
Competencies
Core Competencies
Ethics and Values:
- Demonstrate and safeguard ethics and integrity;
Organizational Awareness:
- Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment;
- Development and Innovation: Take charge of self-development and take initiative.
Team Work:
- Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.
Communicating and Information Sharing:
- Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication;
- Ability to work in culturally diverse environments and display diplomacy and tact.
Functional competencies
- Strong proven capacity in , data collection and analysis;
- Good facilitation and communication skills;
- Ability to plan, prioritize and deliver a variety of tasks on time;
- Exercise sound judgment/analysis;
- Ability to provide constructive coaching and feedback for others;
- Ability to liaise with a myriad of stakeholders and partners, including government, civil society, international organizations and grassroots organizations.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- A combination of postgraduate and undergraduate qualifications in the arts, and international development/international trade or related field with equivalent experience in the field of international trade in services;
- PHD will be an added advantage
- At least Eight (8) years’ experience at a senior level in policy development and application and/or programming national or regional levels.
- Expertise in the area of international services trade and services policy;
- Knowledge of the global and regional Air Transport sector would be an advantage;
- Knowledge of trade policy and services trade negotiation issues at the regional and multilateral level and of African interests in services negotiations; and
- In-depth knowledge of trade policy issues in Ethiopia.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.
UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.
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