Terms of Reference Regional consultant for market intelligence activities Anglophone East Africa (M/W)

Job description

General.

As part of its Multiannual Indicative Programme (MIP) 2021–2027, the European Union (EU) and its Member States are supporting investments in health sectors to promote local manufacturing and access to essential health technologies.

On May 21, 2021, the President of the European Commission announced the Team Europe Initiative on Manufacturing and Access to Vaccines, Medicines and Health Technologies in Africa (MAV+).

This initiative aims to strengthen African pharmaceutical systems and manufacturing capacity to ensure access to essential vaccines, medicines, and health technologies that are safe, effective, high-quality, and affordable for all.

Backed by a €1 billion commitment from the EU (plus additional support from European development finance institutions and Member States), the MAV+ initiative takes a comprehensive approach across key areas: developing the pharmaceutical market, improving public-private coordination, strengthening regulatory systems, fostering technology transfer and R&D, building human resource capacity, and enhancing supply chains and industrial development.

Partnership with the African Union (AU) and its institutions – notably Africa CDC and the Platform for Harmonized African Health Manufacturing (PHAHM) – is a cornerstone of MAV+, ensuring alignment with continental strategies.

Africa’s pharmaceutical market landscape.

Africa’s pharmaceutical market presents both significant growth potential and systemic challenges.

The continent’s pharma market is valued at approximately USD 65 billion, yet Africa (with ~17% of the world’s population) accounts for only about 3% of global medicine production.

Consequently, an estimated 70–80% of African pharmaceutical needs are met through imports, primarily from the EU, India, and China.

This heavy import dependency leaves African countries vulnerable to global supply chain disruptions and price volatility.

The market is also highly fragmented, with disparate national procurement systems and a lack of economies of scale leading to inconsistent pricing and affordability gaps across countries.

Many countries have inadequate infrastructure, weak regulatory oversight, and limited financial resources, resulting in frequent stockouts and uneven access to essential medicines.

Donor-funded programs by global health initiatives have improved access in the short term but often via vertical, fragmented approaches that do not build sustainable, integrated supply chains.

Intra-African pharmaceutical trade remains limited – over 50% of Africa’s few pharmaceutical exports go to other African countries – reflecting the need for better regional integration.

However, new opportunities such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) offer a path forward through trade harmonization, pooled procurement, tariff reductions, and financing tools to support local production.

In this context, Africa CDC is spearheading the establishment of the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism (APPM), a flagship initiative under the Platform for Harmonized African Health Manufacturing (PHAHM).

Still in its setup phase, the APPM aims to consolidate demand across Member States for medical products, reduce fragmentation, increase price transparency, and improve negotiating power with suppliers.

By leveraging pooled procurement at continental or regional level, the APPM is expected to enhance access to affordable, quality-assured health products and create a more predictable market for local manufacturers.

This initiative aligns closely with the goals of MAV+ and contributes to building a coherent, locally driven African pharmaceutical ecosystem that reduces import dependence and strengthens health system resilience.

Rationale for the action.

Given the fragmentation and vulnerabilities in Africa’s medicine market, there is a clear need for coordinated market intelligence and data-driven planning to inform interventions.

Strengthening local production and regional supply requires robust data on demand, supply, and trade flows to guide policy and investments.

Under the MAV+ initiative, the Team Europe Support Structure (TESS) – in collaboration with Africa CDC – is spearheading a coordinated intelligence framework to address these needs.

A key component of this strategy is the development of a Demand/Supply/Trade (DST) Toolkit, which will be used to systematically collect and analyze country-level data.

The DST Toolkit provides a standardized methodology, endorsed at the continental level, to ensure coherence and comparability across countries.

By capturing indicators on health product demand, local production vs.

imports, procurement mechanisms, and supply chain characteristics, the toolkit generates evidence to identify gaps and opportunities.

This data will inform strategic decision-making by Africa CDC, national authorities, and partners, and support policy development aligned with African Union objectives—such as promoting local manufacturing, increasing procurement efficiency, and improving intra-African trade.

Crucially, the DST Toolkit will also serve as a foundational resource in support of the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism (APPM), which is currently being established under Africa CDC’s Platform for Harmonized African Health Manufacturing (PHAHM).

The APPM aims to aggregate demand across Member States, enhance visibility on procurement needs, and leverage collective purchasing power to secure affordable, quality-assured medical products.

Reliable and standardized market intelligence is essential for the effective functioning of the APPM, which will rely on accurate data to design procurement strategies, inform supplier negotiations, and build a transparent, evidence-based system.

In sum, this action is rooted in the rationale that better market intelligence will enable better decision-making and more effective coordination of efforts—both at national and regional levels—to strengthen Africa’s pharmaceutical market and support key mechanisms such as the APPM.

Assignment.

Within this context, the assignment is to deploy the DST Toolkit in Cluster 4: Anglophone East Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia) as part of 18 pilot African countries under the TESS MAV+ initiative.

This Terms of Reference outlines the engagement of a Regional Consultant for Market Intelligence in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia who will collect and analyze pharmaceutical market data and provide actionable insights for both national and continental use

Through this assignment, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia will benefit from a detailed assessment of its pharmaceutical sector and will contribute to the wider Team Europe effort to reduce market fragmentation and import dependency in Africa.

The mission is expected to produce a comprehensive analytical report on Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia’s pharmaceutical market and facilitate knowledge-sharing with stakeholders, thereby informing national strategy and aligning it with regional initiatives under MAV+.

Specific objectives and expected results of the assignment are detailed below.

Organizational context:

The position is part of the Team Europe Support Structure (TESS) supporting the MAV+ initiative.

The consultant will work under the guidance of TESS and in collaboration with Africa CDC’s PHAHM.

• Supervisor (N+1): Expert in Market Shaping, Demand & Trade Facilitation – TESS MAV+ (Team Europe Initiative on MAV+).
• Direct hierarchical responsibility: N/A (consultant is an independent expert; no subordinates).
• Intervention framework: The consultant’s work falls under the “Development of the pharmaceutical market” pillar of the MAV+ initiative, specifically focusing on deploying the DST Toolkit in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia to enhance market intelligence and inform strategic interventions.

Main tasks and responsibilities:

• Conduct a thorough desk review and develop a methodology for collecting pharmaceutical market data in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia, in line with the DST Toolkit framework.
• Engage key national stakeholders (Ministry of Health, regulatory authority, procurement agencies, local industry, international partners) to gather quantitative and qualitative data on medicine demand, supply, and trade.
• Populate and utilize the DST Toolkit (Excel-based data tool) to capture indicators such as disease burden, medicine consumption, local production vs.
  
  import ratios, procurement prices, and supply chain characteristics.
• Analyze the collected data to identify trends, gaps, and opportunities in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia’s pharmaceutical sector – for example, pinpointing major import dependencies, inefficiencies in procurement, or opportunities for local manufacturing scale-up.
• Prepare an analytical report detailing the findings and recommendations.
  
  This includes drafting the report, incorporating feedback from TESS/Africa CDC, and finalizing it to a publishable standard.
• Organize and facilitate a national validation workshop with relevant stakeholders to present findings, validate data, and gather feedback.
  
  Ensure effective communication of results through presentations and discussion.
• Collaborate closely with the continental project team (TESS and Africa CDC), participating in regular update meetings and aligning the country findings with the broader multi-country analysis.
• Provide feedback and lessons learned on the DST Toolkit and process, contributing to the refinement of the toolkit for future use.
• Ensure all data and insights collected are documented and handed over to the project in a structured manner (data files, contact lists, meeting notes, etc.) at the end of the assignment.

Expected results:

• A validated Methodology Note that outlines how Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia’s data was collected and analyzed, approved by the project supervisors.
• A comprehensive Analytical Report on Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia’s pharmaceutical market, including clear findings and actionable recommendations for improving market efficiency, increasing local production, and strengthening supply chain resilience.
• Successful stakeholder engagement and capacity building, evidenced by an interactive validation workshop, and positive feedback from national counterparts on the usefulness of the findings.
• Contribution to a continental dataset: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia’s data is successfully integrated into the Africa-wide DST database.
• Improved awareness and consensus among Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia’s policymakers and partners regarding the pharmaceutical market challenges and next steps (e.g. agreement on pursuing certain policy recommendations or further analyses).

Environmental and working conditions:

• The consultant will primarily work remotely, with at least one in-country visit (or continuous presence) during the data collection and workshop period.
  
  The work may involve short travel within Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia to meet stakeholders or visit facilities (e.g. warehouses, manufacturers).
• No major security or safety issues are anticipated in the duty station, but the consultant should adhere to any travel advisories and health guidelines in effect.
• The consultant is expected to manage their work environment, ensuring they have the necessary connectivity and tools to engage in virtual meetings and data analysis.
  
  TESS and Africa CDC will facilitate access to information and stakeholders but the consultant must be proactive in problem-solving any logistical constraints (such as scheduling meetings or obtaining data).

Profile requirements:

• Qualifications: Advanced degree in public health, pharmacy, health economics, epidemiology, supply chain management or related field.
  
  (Master’s required; PhD or equivalent advanced training preferred.)
• Experience: Minimum 5 years of experience in the health/pharmaceutical sector.
  
  Proven experience in market analysis or health data analysis is required.
  
  Experience in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia or similar contexts in Africa, working with government or international health projects, is highly desirable.
• Skills and competencies:
  • Strong analytical and quantitative skills; proficient in Excel and capable of interpreting health statistics.
  • In-depth understanding of pharmaceutical supply chains and healthcare delivery in developing country settings.
    
    Knowledge of how medicines are procured, distributed, and regulated in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia
  • Familiarity with health policy and trade issues, such as local manufacturing initiatives, import regulations, and regional trade agreements (e.g. AfCFTA).
  • Excellent report writing and communication skills; able to produce clear, concise, and well-structured documents in English.
  • Workshop facilitation and stakeholder engagement skills; comfortable presenting to groups and leading discussions to gather input.
• Additional assets:
  • Prior involvement in projects related to local pharmaceutical production, market assessments, or supply chain optimization.
  • Knowledge of initiatives by Africa CDC, AU, or international donors (EU, Global Fund, etc.) in the pharmaceutical sector.
  • Ability to use statistical or data visualization software for enhanced analysis (e.g. SPSS, R, Power BI) is a plus.
  • Bilingual proficiency (English and French) is an asset if working in a bilingual environment; cultural adaptability and understanding of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia’s working culture.
• Languages:
  • Fluency in English is required (for project reporting and communication).
    
    Working knowledge of other regional languages is an advantage for broader communication within the African context. 

Please find attached the ToRs, which provide all the relevant information needed to apply.

Required Skill Profession

Business Operations Specialists