Questions have been raised over a plan to hire a consultant to provide short-term consultancy services for the Bottom Up Economic Transformation Agenda.
Government insiders revealed to the Star that the advertisement was not sanctioned by the powers that be.
This even after the state advertised the position in MyGov, the government’s weekly official newspaper that’s distributed free of charge by the Star every Tuesday.
The ad in the November 12 edition titled ‘The Executive Office of the President, State House, Consulting Services – Individual Selection’ invited interested persons to submit their applications on or before November 26, 2024, at 11 am.
“The Executive Office of the President—State House invites eligible individual consultants to express their interest in providing these services. The duration of the assignment will be on as and when required basis,” the advertisement read in part.
However, the insiders in government intimated to the Star that the release of the ad was done without the requisite approvals.
The sources said the position is not in the procurement line and no budget has been allocated either, and as such, the release of the advert violated accounting and financial procedures.
According to the advert, successful applicants will be part of a pool of experts that the government will rely on for advice on various policy areas.
It said interested parties must be holders of a minimum qualification of an MA/MSc in Economics, Law or related field.
The consultancy services are required across six areas, including on micro and macroeconomics in areas such as public finance, trade and international economics, labour markets, education and health economics.
Others are agricultural economics (value chains, finances), natural resources economics (energy, environment and climate change), industrial economics (industrial policy, competition policy, enterprise development and technology), as well as law and policy in areas like climate action, investment climate, ease of doing business and property rights.
“The expression of interest is open only to individual consultants who will be considered for inclusion in the database of pre-qualified consultants. The applicant shall submit only one application in their own name in the area of specialization,” the advert reads.
