**Posted on behalf of International City/County Management Association (ICMA)**
Location of Assignment: Tanzania
Proposed Level of Effort: 4 weeks Anticipated Start Date: 15 August, 2017
Problem Statement
Tanzanian Local Government Authorities (LGAs) often lack resources or regulatory systems to effectively provide for adequate land use planning and zoning, including enforcement, and customers report significant problems . Existing land use policies, by-laws and regulations require review and reform.Objectives of the Assignment
The main objectives of this assignment are to assist LGAs evaluate their land use planning and related policies , bylaws , regulations, and resources, to draft a service improvement plan , propose funding mechanisms to improve the delivery of services related to land use planning, and recommend reforms and follow-on volunteer assignments in these areas .Background
The Tanzania Enabling Growth through Investment and Enterprise Program (ENGINE) is a four-year USAID-funded Feed the Future Tanzania activity awarded through the Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance (VEGA) contractual mechanism that aims to streamline and enhance many of the regulatory, informational and financial channels that encourage domestic and foreign investment in the southern mainland agricultural regions of Mbeya, Morogoro, and Iringa, and in Zanzibar.
ENGINE works at the district LGA level, using a broad-based approach to engage with district councils, private sector associations, business development service providers, financial institutions and small and medium enterprises. The program’s activities are divided into three main components:
- Implement policies for growth. Build the capacity of the private sector to effectively dialogue with the government to set the policy agenda and improve the capacity of the public sector to implement policies.
- Equip businesses for growth. Strengthen SME capacity and foster the growth and capacity of a sustainable market for business development services (BDS) in Tanzania.
- Access to finance for growth. Broaden access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in all sectors, especially women and youth entrepreneurs and those working within agricultural value chains (excluding primary producers), to facilitate increased business viability, growth, and investment.
Background:
The Local Government Reform Program (Tanzania mainland) and Decentralization by Devolution (in Zanzibar) are key national Government development initiatives, and acknowledge that well-functioning Local Government Authorities (LGAs), with a clear mandate to facilitate broad-based growth and to improve service delivery to all communities, must be supported. However, these processes are incomplete, and LGAs often lack the resources or technical tools to implement them to have a positive impact on the business sector.Local Government Authorities are responsible for land use planning activities, which may include master planning, infrastructure planning, transportation planning, municipal service planning, zoning determinations, zoning and land use enforcement, and building, site, or subdivision plan reviews. They frequently charge fees or taxes to provide these services, and sometimes use commercial vendors as sub-contractors to provide technical assistance or to assist with service delivery. As in many countries, the issue of land use planning is one of extreme interest to community members, and therefore local governments, as deficient performance in this area can have adverse effects on quality of life, access to services, sanitation, and environmental quality of life issues such as odor, noise, traffic congestion, appearance, and more. These factors, in turn, can have adverse impacts on the business environment (viability, profit, etc.) and the investment climate.
Tasks
The Expert Volunteer will complete the following tasks:
- Attend an orientation meeting with ENGINE Program staff;
- Accompanied by relevant ENGINE staff, attend an introductory meeting with the Local Government Authority’s leadership and technical staff to discuss the Expert Volunteer assignment and to review its objectives;
- Facilitate a consultation workshop with a land use planning working group (comprised of relevant public and private sector individuals) to elicit their input/feedback on the prioritization of tasks to achieve rapid results in evaluating relevant policies, bylaws and regulations, and to propose improvements to support the creation of a strengthened business-enabling environment;
- Assist the land use planning working group with the following:
- Review land use planning services, policies , procedures, practices , systems, and fee structures, and propose reforms to the same .
- Engage private sector stakeholders and land use planning staff in a public/ private dialogue (PPD) to explore options to improve private sector engagement with and participation in LGA land use planning activities.
- Prepare a Land Use Planning Service Improvement Plan to strengthen the business enabling environment through improved land use planning and increase the capacity of public sector land use planners;
- Deliver a written review of and commentary on the Municipal Master Plan and zoning regulation documents, with emphasis on current best practices in land use and comprehensive planning, planning for growth, zoning regulation and enforcement, boundary dispute resolution, ground rent or leasing mechanisms that promote bank lending for authorized uses, and long-range infrastructure planning focused on business, commercial, industrial, and mixed-use zones. These reviews should focus on improving the business enabling environment, especially for MSMEs, as well as youth and woman-owned businesses.
- Analyze LGA land use planning revenues versus related LGA expenditures, and make specific bylaw, regulatory and fee level recommendations related to budget changes and funding sources to implement the above-mentioned Service Improvement Plan. Sources of funds and funding requirements should be identified for such needs as compensation for zoning changes, land acquisition for public purposes, and other land use matters;
- Use the PRPT tool to prioritize the reform of land use planning policies.;
- Provide capacity building training, mentoring, and technical guidance to municipal land use/planning staff, as needed.
- Write a Final Report summarizing findings, conclusions and recommendations related to the assignment and including the impact on women and youth, as well as a discussion of the LGA’s land use planning related organizational development challenges and proposed solutions;
- Provide exit debriefings to LGA and private sector leadership (including the local technical working group) , ENGINE, USAID and other relevant anchor institutions/key stakeholders (e.g., PO-RALG, TCCIA, Business Council(s)) that provide an overview of the assignment and the LGA’s organizational development challenges and proposed solutions including future staffing and additional support.
Deliverables
The Expert Volunteer will submit the following deliverables:
- Minutes/notes of the meetings/ training /workshops described in Tasks B, C, and D above and other project meetings.
- Documents developed with the technical working group (Task D above ):
- Written description of LGA land use planning services, procedures, systems and fee structures;
- Minutes and participant lists for PPDs regarding land use planning;
- Land Use Planning Service Improvement Plan;
- Land Use Planning Budget Evaluation and Recommendations (revenue and expenses);
- List of land use planning policies needing reform (output of the PRPT process).
The Expert V olunteer will submit a Final Trip Report to the ENGINE Program that includes the following sections:
A. Introduction;
B. Methodology;
C. Findings, Conclusions, and Recommendations related to the Local Government Authority’s needs in land use planning and policy;
- Discussion of assignment objectives, with particular reference to women and youth, and how they were met or why they were not met.
Additionally, the Expert Volunteer will provide exit debriefings (Task F above).
Expert Volunteer Qualifications
The ideal Policy Reform Prioritization Specialist Expert Volunteer will have the following skills and qualifications:- University degree in land use planning, public administration, public policy, or other relevant field;
- 5+ years of experience working within local government, and, preferably with a role in drafting, reviewing/reforming, and implementing policies;
- Experience with public policies related to land use planning, comprehensive planning, or zoning regulation;
- A proven track record of organizational development;
- Experience in stakeholder engagement, consultation, and facilitation;
- Training skills, including participatory training in group settings. Training and consultation experience utilizing a translator or interpreter is an added plus;
- Self-motivated, proactive, detail-oriented, mature, professional team player, who is a strong people person and communicator, with good inter-personal skills;
- Ability to address issues, challenges, questions, and concerns in a professional, respectful, logical, and timely manner;
- Works well in a multi-cultural setting;
- Well-developed writing skills in English and the ability to express one’s self clearly and concisely;
- Good computer skills in MS Office.
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