Senior Industrial Corridor Development Consultant

The Senior Industrial Corridor Development Consultant will provide senior technical leadership for the initial development of the Mano River Union Strategic Economic and Industrial Corridor (MRU–SEIC) and its linkage to the broader West Africa SEIC approach and WAIIS investment architecture. The consultant will consolidate evidence, undertake corridor diagnostics, prepare frameworks, develop investment portfolios, design governance mechanisms, support ministerial forums, and establish implementation pathways.

Responsibilities

• Review relevant policies, studies, programmes, data and investment pipelines related to the MRU corridor.
• Confirm the MRU corridor geography and map institutions, sponsors, partners and stakeholders.
• Establish methodology, evidence plan, consultations, missions, quality assurance and risk arrangements.
• Coordinate inputs from UNIDO, MRU, Member States, ECOWAS, PI-CREF/WAIIS and partners.
• Prepare an accelerated plan for the Ministerial Forum and WAIIS, including project-submission and screening arrangements.
• Prepare the draft West Africa SEIC principles/framework and position MRU–SEIC as an initial demonstration corridor.
• Prepare the Forum agenda, technical papers, presentations, briefs, draft decision language, Freetown Declaration and MRU–SEIC Compact outline.
• Screen candidate regional projects and select priority projects for accelerated preparation.
• Map DFIs, investors and industrial partners; support project clinics, investor engagement and matchmaking.
• Develop the Data Room, Deal Room and Board Room interface and provide technical support during the Forum and WAIIS.
• Record decisions and prepare the implementation and accountability pathway.
• Apply the UNIDO Corridor Readiness Assessment Tool (CRAT) adapted to MRU conditions.
• Assess political mandate, industrial base, infrastructure, logistics, energy, water, digital systems, markets, trade facilitation, investment environment, institutions, skills, ESG, fragility, inclusion, pipeline and investment readiness.
• Analyse trade and production flows, gateways, border crossings, cities, mining and agricultural basins, fisheries, hinterlands and regional complementarities.
• Quantify market demand, logistics costs, trade, productivity, employment, value addition, exports and import substitution where data permit.
• Identify constraints, missing links, quick wins and transformational opportunities.
• Prioritize regional value chains covering agro-industry, minerals and materials, fisheries and blue economy, forestry/bioeconomy, and manufacturing and industrial services.
• Develop options for regional value-chain platforms.
• Apply a network model linking gateways, productive nodes, industrial clusters and hinterlands.
• Identify and assess Cross-Border Industrial Growth Triangles, strategic nodes, parks and SEZs.
• Prepare the industrial and spatial-development framework and identify priority policy and regulatory reforms.
• Design governance arrangements linking political oversight, programme delivery, national platforms and investment mobilization.
• Expand and validate a longlist of opportunity screening and develop priority project profiles.
• Structure the portfolio around connectivity; productive capacity; utilities/digital; trade, policy and investment facilitation; and people, enterprises and sustainability.
• Apply transparent impact, readiness, sponsor, market, ESG and financing criteria and classify projects by preparation needs.
• Undertake preliminary economic and financial assessments and identify pre-feasibility, feasibility, safeguards, engineering and transaction-advisory requirements.
• Design a stage-gated route from opportunity identification to preparation, financing, implementation and scale-up.
• Design the proposed MRU Industrial Project Preparation and Investment Facility and develop financing, partnership and resource-mobilization strategies.
• Integrate productive energy, digital transformation, quality infrastructure, strategic minerals, agro-industry, enterprise development and investment promotion into the MRU–SEIC programme.
• Mainstream climate resilience, resource efficiency, circular economy, responsible minerals, safeguards, gender, youth, SMEs, local suppliers, skills and community benefits.
• Develop the results framework, data architecture and monitoring arrangements.
• Design the proposed MRU Industrial Corridor Observatory and knowledge platform.
• Prepare the 18–24-month preparatory programme, including technical components, specialist inputs, governance, indicative budget, financing and implementation arrangements.
• Deliver validation, capacity development and handover activities.
• Consolidate activities, consultations, outputs, decisions, investment engagements, challenges, lessons and outstanding actions.
• Complete the technical and administrative handover to UNIDO and designated counterparts.
• Perform other related tasks as assigned by the Chief of the Regional Bureau for Africa.

Requirements

• Advanced university degree (master’s or equivalent) in economics, industrial development, economic geography, regional or urban planning, public policy, international development, infrastructure planning, finance, engineering, business administration or other relevant discipline is required.
• Specialization in economic corridor development, regional industrial planning, spatial planning project preparation or investment programme development is required.
• At least ten (10) years of progressive professional experience in industrial development, regional economic integration, economic-corridor development, spatial development, infrastructure-led growth, value-chain development, investment planning or closely related fields, including substantive responsibility at the senior and international level, is required.
• Leadership or substantive technical responsibility in at least one major economic corridor or regional industrial development programme is desirable.
• Experience in project preparation, investment facilitation, and multi-stakeholder coordination is desirable.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to synthesize complex data and policy frameworks are required.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills are required.
• Ability to work independently and in a multi-cultural environment is required.

Skills

• Economic Corridor Development
• Regional Industrial Planning
• Spatial Planning
• Industrial Development
• Economic Regional Integration
• Spatial Development
• Infrastructure-led Growth
• Value-Chain Development
• Investment Planning
• Project Preparation
• Investment Facilitation
• Stakeholder Coordination
• Data Synthesis
• Policy Frameworks
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Technical Leadership
• Governance Mechanism Design
• Investment Portfolio Development
• Investment Programme Management

Languages

English