AFRICAN UNION UNION AFRICAINE UNIÃO AFRICANA TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR A COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTANT- SHORT TERM OAU- AU 50 TH ANNIVERSARY YEARLONG PROGRAMME I. Background: This year marks the celebration of the 50 th anniversary of the OAU- AU and events are already underway to mark this important milestone in Africa s history. Several events have already been undertaken including the launch of the yearlong celebrations on 25 May 2013, during the recently concluded 21 st Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa. Several other events and activities are planned as part of a yearlong programme to commemorate this momentous occasion. The overall objective of the programme is to reflect on the past fifty years, where we are today and where Africa wants to be in fifty years. The celebrations also offer an opportunity to shift existing narratives on the continent and give a fresher meaning to Pan Africanism and African Renaissance. The AU Commission has developed a concept note on the implementation of the yearlong programme of the 50 th anniversary of the OAU- AU. The concept note is guided by the project document that was approved by the 14th Extraordinary Session of the Executive Council held on 9 April 2013, in Addis Ababa. Commencing in June 2013, the OAU- AU 50 th anniversary yearlong programme runs over a period of eleven months and provides opportunities for multi- level and multi- stakeholder participation. The Commission has also put in place a special dedicated unit known as the Situation Room' to support the relevant implementing departments in the planning, coordination and communications around the yearlong 50th anniversary events and activities. In order to ensure visibility and the active participation of all African citizens in the commemoration of this momentous occasion, the AU Commission has developed a communications strategy for the 50 th anniversary celebrations, to guide all communications, media, events and outreach efforts. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, P.O. Box: 3243 Tel.: (251-11) 5513 822 Fax: (251-11) 5519 321 Email: africa50@africa- union.org
II Objectives of the 50 th anniversary Communications Strategy: Ø Acknowledging the contributions of the founders of the OAU while linking past, present and future; Ø Taking stock of our assets and capabilities vis à vis the opportunities and challenges; Ø Enthusing and energizing the African population and use their constructive energy to set and implement an agenda for unity, peace and development in the 21st century; and Ø Preparing new generations to assume leadership and responsibility. The Commission has also launched a subsite on the main AU website dedicated to the celebrations, which serves as a knowledge hub and an interactive platform for sharing information and resources with the online African and diaspora community. III. Job Description In this regard, the AU Commission wishes to engage the services of a Communications Consultant for a period of two (2) months to develop guidelines, templates, as well as generic communications and outreach materials for the execution of the communications strategy for the yearlong programme. Under the general guidance and supervision of the Head of the OAU- AU 50 th anniversary Situation Room, the incumbent will be responsible for the following duties: Communications and outreach strategy Ø Implement the day to day running of the OAU- AU 50 th anniversary communications and outreach strategy to enhance public awareness and generate support for activities around the celebrations; Ø Guided by the communications strategy and on the basis of the implementation plan for the yearlong activities, liaise with the Directorate of Information and Communication and the lead departments to develop event specific communication plans; Ø Aside from giving visibility to planned events and activities, the event specific communication plans must aim to generate interest and stimulate conversations among key stakeholders before, during and after the event; Ø Develop standard operating procedures and guidelines for media coordination media events, placements, press conferences and media appearances for individual events that are part of the yearlong programme; 2
Ø Enhance the navigation and features of the existing OAU- AU 50 th anniversary website and put in place standard operating procedures for updating content; Ø Liaise with the AU communications network to keep a smooth flow of information (in relation to the 50th anniversary s yearlong programme) within the AU and between the AU and the public and ensure that all parts of the whole are working in unison with a clear line of sight of one another. Social Media outreach Ø Utilize the commission s existing social media channels to reach out to Africa s online community particularly young people to regularly inform them about ongoing events and activities to commemorate the 50 th anniversary and engage them in various dialogues on thematic interventions with the aim of making them an active and integral part of the celebrations; Ø Promote Pan Africanism and African Renaissance discourse through social media spaces such as blogs and build an active brand ambassador network in order to scale- up and ensure wider impact of the 50 th anniversary campaign; Ø Set key indicators and benchmarks to measure the impact of social media outreach efforts around the 50 th anniversary; Ø Monitor trends in social media channels, and provide regular and timely feedback on insights gained to the organizing committee and the Commission, in order to evolve their strategies accordingly. Communication products Ø Implement the branding strategy and manage the public image of the 50th anniversary; Ø Develop templates for a monthly print and e- Newsletter dedicated to the celebrations and oversee the production of audiovisual content for the website and for relevant broadcast media in support of the 50 th anniversary activities; Ø Identify, produce and market other relevant print and multimedia communication materials to meet objectives of the OAU- AU 50 th anniversary communications strategy; Ø Recommend and develop content and material in relation to all the facets of the OAU- AU 50 th anniversary communications strategy including drafting opinion pieces, position statements, press releases, editorials and preparing press packs for journalists; 3
Media Monitoring: Ø Utilize existing software (Live Mon and African Brief) to monitor media coverage on a daily basis; Ø Develop and maintain a database of all media coverage and mentions of the 50 th anniversary of the OAU- AU. The database will include a record of press cuttings and web hyperlinks, related to the 50 th anniversary celebrations; Ø Establish mechanisms for liaising with relevant focal persons to track status of locally hosted events as well as media coverage from AU field missions, specialized offices, RECs, members states, diaspora, civil society organisations and international partners ; Ø Prepare a weekly report to the organizing committee analysing the quality and depth of coverage, frequency as well as all media engagements (press briefings, visits etc.) related to the 50 th anniversary celebrations; Ø Based on the media analysis, make recommendations to the organizing committee on the need for rebuttals or responses and identify opportunities and potential stories to pitch to the media in order to maximize opportunities for coverage around the 50 th anniversary of the OAU- AU. IV Skills and Competence Ø The incumbent would need to have strong writing skills, be diplomatic and be a quick thinker with the ability to answer questions put forward by the media honestly, yet in keeping with the organization s policies; Ø In- depth knowledge and awareness of the AU s policies, strategies hand have creative ideas on how to project a positive public image of the organization; Ø Graduate- level degree or equivalent with 5 years of experience working in a communications environment preferably for reputable international organisations or newsrooms; Ø Proven experience in brand identity management including design experience; Ø Excellent attention to detail; Ø Strong project management or organizational skills and a proven track record in event coordination; 4
Ø In- depth knowledge and understanding of social media platforms and their respective audiences (Facebook, Digg, Youtube, Twitter, Flickr etc.) and how they can be deployed in different scenarios; Ø Knowledge of blogging ecosystem relevant to the AU s field; Ø Internal communications experience, a team player, with the confidence to take the lead and guide other departments when necessary; Ø Proficiency in English or French is essential and fluency in at least one other working language of the AU is a bonus. V. Duration of the Assignment Eight (8) weeks VI. Key Deliverables Phase 1 (Week 1-2): Ø Detailed work plan Ø Event specific communication plans Ø Standard Operating Procedures for media coordination Phase 2 (Week 3-5): Ø Web & social media guidelines Ø Newsletter templates Ø Print and multimedia communication materials Phase 3 (Week 6-8): Ø Phase- out report and recommendations Ongoing: Ø Press releases, photo and video coverage of specific events Ø Update website Ø Utilize social media for outreach Ø Mass media and social media monitoring Ø Media monitoring analysis reports Ø Weekly activity reports VII. Remuneration This is a fixed budget assignment. The total budget is USD 14,000 and it is inclusive of remuneration and all the Consultant s costs and shall be paid in 3 installments upon satisfactory completion of each phase of the set work plan as follows: Ø 20% upon completion of phase 1 Ø 40% upon completion of phase 2 Ø 40% upon completion of phase 3 5
VIII. Submission of Applications Deadline for submission of CVs: 19 th August 2013 Submission of CVs: CVs can be hand delivered or emailed to the address below: Attn: Ag Head, Procurement, Travel and Stores Division African Union Commission 3 rd Floor Building C P.O. Box 3243 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Email: tender@africa- union.org Please indicate the Title of the assignment clearly in the subject matter for CVs that are being submitted by email. 6