81321697-Appui-conseil pour renforcer les communes frontalières, le développement local et la gouvernance communale en Mauritanie

Mauritania's border regions with Mali - Hodh El Gharbi, Assaba, and Guidimakha - are among the country's most dynamic yet most challenged territories. High poverty rates, limited infra-structure, and increasing climate pressures affect livelihoods and social cohesion. While the decentralization framework entrusts municipalities with the delivery of basic services, there is a need to further strengthen their technical, financial, and institutional capacities to fully meet citizens' expectations.

The project ProCommune - Strengthening Border Municipalities is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), in partnership with the Mauritanian Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF). It forms part of the umbrella programme Peace and Social Cohesion in Mauritania and contributes to the national decentralization strategy and the 2030 Agenda - specifically SDG 1.5 (resilience to poverty and shocks) and SDG 16.7 (inclusive and effective institutions). The project runs from December 2024 to November 2027.

Overall objective: Selected Mauritanian municipalities provide improved, needs-based public services to their populations. The project supports 17 communes along the Malian border, home to about 1.2 million people, including women, youth, pastoralists, and refugees.

Key outputs:

1. Strengthened technical and organizational capacities of governmental and non-governmental actors at local and regional levels.

2. Enhanced coordination and cooperation among stakeholders at communal, regional, and national levels for inclusive governance.

To achieve these results, ProCommune promotes participatory planning and budgeting, transparent municipal management, and inclusive local decision-making. It provides tailored training, coaching, and advisory services for communes, decentralized services, and civil-society organizations. The approach systematically integrates gender equality, environmental sustainability, and conflict sensitivity, in line with the integrated territorial approach (ATI).

Given the region's exposure to climate shocks, insecurity, and migration, the project also fosters local resilience through community-based planning, risk assessment, and early-warning mechanisms. Cross-border cooperation and social cohesion are encouraged to prevent tensions and strengthen peace in the Sahel.

By reinforcing local governance and the relationship between citizens and the state, ProCommune supports more effective, inclusive, and accountable service delivery in Mauritania's border areas.

The present tender aims to contract a qualified consulting firm or consortium to provide technical assistance and capacity development services that contribute to project output 1.
The contractor will work closely with local authorities, decentralized technical services, and civil-society organizations across the three target regions (Assaba, Guidimagha, Hodh Gharbi).

1. Objectives of the Assignment
- Strengthen the capacities of communes to plan, finance, and manage local development and basic services.
- Support participatory, transparent, and gender-sensitive local governance mechanisms.
- Contribute to evidence-based learning, communication, and capitalization of project results.

2. Main Areas of Intervention
1. Institutional and organizational development
o Support to communal structures for planning, budgeting, and reporting.
o Coaching of municipal teams on administrative and financial management.
2. Capacity development and training
o Design and implementation of training programmes for elected officials, communal staff, and local associations.
o Development of practical tools and guidelines for participatory planning and local service delivery.
3. Support to local development initiatives
o Assistance in identifying, formulating, and monitoring microprojects financed by the local development fund.
o Integration of gender equality, climate adaptation, and conflict-sensitive approaches into project selection and implementation.

4. Knowledge management and communication
o Collection and analysis of data for monitoring and evaluation.
o Documentation of best practices, preparation of case studies, and dissemination of results.
5. Coordination and synergy building
o Collaboration with MEF, DGDDL, DGAT, and other partners (EU, UNICEF, ENABEL, World Bank).

3. Expected Deliverables
- A detailed inception report with methodology, work plan, and results framework.
- Training modules, manuals, and facilitation tools adapted to local contexts.
- Regular technical and financial reports, including data on indicators and lessons learned.
- A capitalization report summarizing good practices and recommendations for scaling up.

4. Implementation Approach
The consultant will apply a participatory, adaptive, and results-oriented methodology aligned with GIZ standards. Capacity transfer, ownership by local actors, and coordination with other donors are key principles. Activities must integrate the cross-cutting themes of gender equality, climate resilience, and conflict sensitivity.

All communication takes place in English via communication tool in the project area of the procurement portal.