MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE                         

SIERRA LEONE GOVERNMENT

        MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE                         

10 Old Railway Line, Tengbeh Town, Freetown.

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (EOI)

CONSULTANCY SERVICES TO CONDUCT: BASELINE STUDY FOR ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION; ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (ESIA); REVIEW EXISTING ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES, LAWS, REGULATIONS AND ESTABLISHMENT OF INTERSECTORAL WORKING GROUPS WITH ACTION PLANS IN KOINADUGU AND FALABA DISTRICTS.

Procurement Number: MOECC/UNDP-GEF/SLM/RFP/2026/01

TERMS OF REFERENCE

PROJECT TITLE:

Enhancing Sustainable Land Management and biodiversity conservation through innovative financing for an integrated Climate resilience in Koinadugu and Falaba District”

Issue Date: 10^th September, 2026

Closing Date: 29^th September. 2026

Duty Station: Freetown: (with field missions to Koinadugu and Falaba Districts)

Duration: 30 working days

Reporting: The Project Coordinator/MOECC/UNDP-GEF

Type of Contract:  Hiring of Individual National Consultant/Firm     

General Objective of the consultancy

Background

The Government of Sierra Leone, through the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MoECC), with funding from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Global Environmental Facility (GEF) will be implementing a 5-year project titled “Enhancing Sustainable Land Management and biodiversity conservation through innovative financing for an integrated Climate resilience in Koinadugu and Falaba District”.

Land degradation has been recognized as a serious and persistent problem in Sierra Leone, affecting agricultural productivity, livelihoods, and biodiversity.

General Objective

To establish a comprehensive, geo-referenced baseline for ecosystem restoration in Koinadugu and Falaba districts to support planning, monitoring, and reporting of restoration interventions.

Specific Objectives

• Assess current land degradation status
• Map restoration potential areas
• Establish baseline indicators for monitoring restoration progress
• Identify drivers and trends of degradation
• Support development of restoration planning tools

JOB TITLE: LOT 1: CONDUCT BASELINE STUDY FOR ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION  

Scope of Work

Collaborate with:

• EPA-SL, CSSL, NPAA, TCS
  • District authorities
  • GIS unit (to be established under the project)

Required Qualifications

The consultant/firm should have:

• Advanced degree in Environmental Science, GIS, Natural Resource Management, or related field.
• At least 7–10 years of experience in similar intervention

Proven experience with:

• UNDP, World Bank, or GEF-funded projects
• Environmental safeguards frameworks
• GIS and remote sensing
• Land degradation and restoration

 Strong knowledge of:

• Sierra Leone environmental regulations
• Climate change and land restoration issues
• A solid understanding of the Sierra Leone (Koinadugu and Falaba Districts) context
• Demonstrated experience of leading teams, strong critical analysis and report writing skills required.

Expertise in:

• GIS and environmental analysis.
• Baseline studies and environmental assessments
• Strong analytical and reporting skills.

Key Competencies

• GIS and spatial analysis
• Data management and interpretation
• Stakeholder engagement
• Knowledge of Sierra Leone environmental context
• Promote gender equality and inclusion.

JOB TITLE: LOT 2: CONDUCT ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (ESIA)

Duration: 60 working days

Scope of Work.

5.  Duration of the Assignment

The consultancy shall be completed within 60 working days from the date of contract signature.

6. Required Qualifications

6.1 Firm Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in ESIA and ESMP preparation.
• Minimum 7 years of relevant professional experience.
• Proven experience with UNDP, GEF, World Bank, AfDB, or similar donor-funded projects.

6.2 Required Expertise

• Environmental Assessment Specialist (Team Lead).
• Social Development Specialist.
• Biodiversity Specialist.
• Gender Specialist.
• GIS and Spatial Analysis Specialist.

7.3 Technical Competencies

• Knowledge of Sierra Leone environmental legislation.
• Knowledge of UNDP Social and Environmental Standards.
• Experience in stakeholder engagement.
• Strong analytical and report-writing skills.
• GIS and spatial planning expertise.

7. Reporting and Supervision

The Consultant shall report to:

1. Project Coordinator, Project Management Unit (PMU).
2. Director of Environmental Emergencies, MoECC.
3. UNDP Country Office.

The PMU shall provide overall coordination and quality assurance throughout the assignment.

JOB TITLTE: LOT 3: CONDUCT REVIEW EXISTING ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES, LAWS, REGULATIONS AND ESTABLISHMENT OF INTERSECTORAL WORKING GROUPS WITH ACTION PLANS IN KOINADUGU AND FALABA DISTRICTS

4. Scope of Work

Policy and Legal Review

Consultant will:

• Conduct a comprehensive review of the Environmental, forestry, agriculture, mining, land, and gender laws
• Assess the extent to which existing policies, laws, regulations, and institutional frameworks align with national restoration priorities and Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets; evaluate their gender responsiveness and inclusivity; and identify barriers and opportunities for private sector engagement, investment, and financing in restoration and sustainable land management initiatives.

Consultant will:

• Apply the GEF Ecosystem Restoration Program diagnostic tool to:
  • Identify barriers and enabling conditions
  • Map institutional roles and overlaps
• Facilitate stakeholder consultations at District, Regional and National levels

Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment (SESA)

• Assess the broader environmental, social, institutional, and governance implications of proposed restoration and land management policies, plans, and programs.
  • Identify strategic opportunities, risks, cumulative impacts, and trade-offs associated with landscape restoration interventions.
  • Evaluate policy coherence and alignment with national development priorities, climate commitments, biodiversity targets, and Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) objectives.
  • Facilitate multi-stakeholder consultations to validate findings and recommendations.
  • Produce a SESA Report with recommendations for integrating environmental and social considerations into planning and decision-making processes.

Establishment of Working Groups

Consultant will:

• Design and facilitate formation of gender-responsive intersectoral working groups including:
  • Ministries (Environment, Agriculture, Lands, Finance, Gender, Mines, Tourism), NGOs, private sector, and academia. This would ensure that the groups promote cross-sectoral collaboration and address policy coherence and enforcement

Development of Action Plans

Consultant will:

• Support working groups to:
  • Identify priority policy reforms
  • Develop actionable roadmaps including:
    • Policy/bye-laws revisions
    • Institutional coordination mechanisms
    • Innovative Financing strategies
    • Gender integration measures

Institutional Strengthening

Consultant will:

• Propose mechanisms to:
  • Strengthen coordination of Rio Conventions (MEAs)
  • Improve monitoring and reporting systems
  • Enhance stakeholder participation

Expected Deliverables

• Inception Report with methodology and detailed work plan
• Diagnostic Assessment Report (barriers and opportunities)
• Policy and Legal Review Report
• Established a gender responsive Intersectoral Working Groups (with TORs that will include revising policies, laws and regulations as well as identifying opportunities)
• Draft a National Action Plan to streamline gender responsive restoration and Sustainable Land Management (SLM) across policies and regulations as well as support policies that promotes gender progressive planning and budgeting.
• Establish one working group that focus on financing restoration
• Support the development of a draft regulatory framework for investments in ecosystems and ecosystems services (e.g. supporting benefit-sharing agreement with local communities and regulating carbon trading and other payment for ecosystem services)
• Validation Workshop Report
• Final Consultancy Report

Required Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Environmental Policy, Law, Natural Resource Management or related field
• At least 8–10 years of experience in:
  • Policy analysis and institutional reform
  • Environmental governance
• Strong knowledge in:
  • MEAs (UNCCD, UNFCCC, CBD)
  • Sierra Leone policy landscape

A full application containing the following requirements, must be hand delivered or submitted by email to the SLM Project Procurement Officer at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Sierra Leone, 10 Old Railway Line, Tengbeh Town Freetown by close of business Monday 28th September, 2026

Email:    jeff.ijn2025@gmail.com and copy madusufarrah@gmail.com

References:

Candidate must include a minimum of three referees familiar with the quality and reliability of the firm/ consultant’s work. Contact phone number and email address should be provided with a brief description of services provided, and the time frame.

SLM Project Procurement Officer

Ministry of Environment and Climate Change

10 Old Railway Line,

Tengbeh town

Freetown.