Consultant - Technical Support on PAPSS in Nigeria

About the role

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), through its Regional Integration and Trade Division, is hiring a consultant to provide technical support on accelerating the adoption and implementation of the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) in Nigeria. The assignment is expected to last about three months and is carried out remotely. The consultant works under the leadership of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI), in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria, the National Bureau of Statistics and other stakeholders.

Key responsibilities

• Evaluate and update the policy action plan for promoting trade in services and integrating Nigeria's financial services sector into regional value chains under AfCFTA, focusing on PAPSS
• Carry out a desktop review of the economic landscape, trade structure and sectoral overview to identify challenges, gaps and bottlenecks to PAPSS adoption
• Hold stakeholder consultations and interviews with banks, fintechs, traders and businesses to understand the current status of PAPSS use
• Explore opportunities for exporters, importers, manufacturers, service providers and MSMEs to use PAPSS for cross-border trade
• Provide advisory services to stakeholders on specific challenges and bottlenecks
• Build national capacity for policymakers, regulators and private sector actors on AfCFTA financial services commitments related to regional payment integration
• Support national seminars, workshops and policy dialogues and make presentations as required
• Formulate policy, regulatory, institutional and capacity-building measures and a practical roadmap to full operationalization of PAPSS in Nigeria
• Contribute to ad-hoc requests and interact regularly with the national coordination committee and the UNECA project team

Required profile

• Advanced university degree (master's or higher) in economics, trade and financial services, payment systems or a related field
• At least seven years of experience in economics and trade research and policy analysis
• At least five years in high-level policy dialogue and payment systems, engaging government entities, businesses, banks and financial institutions in West Africa and/or Africa
• Experience in AfCFTA negotiations is desirable; knowledge of the Nigerian economy and trade is an advantage
• Fluency in English; English and French are the working languages of the UN Secretariat