PROFESSIONAL GOALS

• Setting up capacity building and training programmes both in policy analysis and programme evaluation
• Developing professional networks in policy analysis and evaluation
• Developing an analysis of the role of evaluation on planning and governance
• Developing evidence-based policy dialogue for redirecting resources towards sustainable programmes (environment and access to energy services)

COMPETENCY SUMMARY

Main skills
  1. Team building and programme management
  2. Providing advisory services to regional organizations (ECOWAS and EAC) and to their Member States for writing policy documents
  3. Supervising/Writing/Editing case studies, papers, concept notes and technical notes on evaluation and on energy access for poverty reduction issues
  4. Providing technical support on mainstreaming energy access within macro-policy frameworks, policy analysis and programmes formulation (with a focus on programmes for an enlarged access to energy services)
  5. Funds raising and negotiating partnerships (with bi- and multilateral donors and research centres)
  6. Designing knowledge sharing platforms (such as the ECOWAS multisectoral experts network or the Senegalese Evaluation Network) and developing communication material
  7. Organizing technical workshops and high level conferences
1. Team building and management skills
Under the policy component of the Regional Energy for Poverty Reduction Programme (UNDP/REPP), a team of nine senior experts is set up and managed to provide support to ECOWAS and EAC in the following areas: writing of policy documents, costs and benefits analysis of energy access strategies, needs assessment for access to energy services, development of training modules, formulation of national energy access programmes and of investment programmes.

2. Providing advisory services to regional organizations (ECOWAS and EAC) and to their Member States for writing policy documents
a. ECOWAS and EAC Regional Strategies for Energy Access are formulated and approved by Head of States
  • Chapters 1 to 4 of ECOWAS Regional Policy on the socio-economic and energy context in West Africa, the linkages between energy and poverty, the regional major issues and the strategic vision for the region in terms of access to energy services are written (2005)
  • Contribution to the formulation of the EAC strategy of access to energy services (2006)
b. Energy considerations are being integrated into the Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRS) under formulation in Senegal, Niger, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo and Benin. A generic process is conceptualized and shared with ECOWAS Member States
  • In partnership with the National Multisectoral Groups in the ECOWAS Member States, a political space for introducing energy access for poverty reduction is created,
  • At regional level, based on the key elements of the Regional Policy for Energy Access in West Africa (ECOWAS), a computational tool is developed for estimating benefits of a strategy of energy access on social and productive sectors,
  • Based on this examination, discussions are conducted on how appropriately integrating energy considerations into PRS. By facilitating a multi-sectoral process - as a part of PRSP revision dialogue - a common perspective on the level of energy access needed to achieve the MDGs is established,
  • A generic process, taken from thess pilot experiences, is included in the methodology for developing national strategies and shared with ECOWAS Member States.
3. Supervising, writing and editing case studies, papers, concept notes and technical notes on evaluation and energy-related issues
a. Various strategic notes and articles on how elaborating investment plans in the area of energy access for the poor and on linkages between evaluation and democratic governance.
b. Supervising an impact assessment in Mali (2003) and a costing of investment needs for an enlarged access to energy services in Senegal (2005), in collaboration with Columbia University and the Millennium Project.

4. Elaborating training packages on mainstreaming energy access within macro-policy frameworks, on policy analysis and on programmes formulation
A generic training module is developed in partnership with a regional training centre targeting the development of national strategies in energy access in ECOWAS Members States
  • A cluster of international and regional experts (in the areas of planning, budget analysis, capacity building, financing, etc.) is set up for devising main components of a training module,
  • A training package is developed together with 2IE (international training centre based in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso - www.2ie-edu.org), adapted and tested in three countries (Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Togo)
  • A generic version is devised and translated to be tested in Anglophone countries in the ECOWAS and EAC regions.
5. Funds raising and negotiating partnerships (with bi- and multilateral donors and research centres)
Contribution to the development of partnerships and to the mobilization of funds in order to support policy analysis activities of the Regional Energy for Poverty Programme
a. Funds requests have been formulated on the following issues:
  • Support for the formulation of national MDG-based strategies and investment programmes to expand access to modern energy services in Africa (funds raised: US$ 430,000; donor: UNDP Thematic Trust Fund – December 2005)
  • Support for codifying regional experiences of delivering energy services in rural and peri-urban areas (funds raised: US$ 200,000; donor: UNDP Thematic Trust Fund – December 2005)
  • Support to ECOWAS for the implementation of a regional policy “Access to energy services for rural and peri-urban populations to achieve the MDGs” (funds raised: US$ 1,3 million; donor: Austrian Cooperation – November 2005; EU intra-ACP: Euros 1.8 million – January 2008)
b. Contributions to partnership development with 2IE (international training centre based in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso) ; GTZ (East Africa), SEI, ADEME (French agency for environment and energy efficiency), IDRC, SIDA, Austrian cooperation, French ministry of cooperation, EU

6. Designing knowledge sharing platforms (such as the ECOWAS regional multisectoral experts network and the Senegalese Evaluation Network) and developing communication material
A network is set up with ECOWAS Member States for sharing information and knowledge on energy access
  • Key national stakeholders have been sensitized to the issue of access to energy services (based on the implementation of a 3-day training module),
  • A knowledge platform is set up integrating key information on energy situation and on access specifically (see http://atlas.ptfm.net/)
  • Lessons-learned are developed under various formats (describing methodologies, specific programmes, actors involved in the implementation of access to energy services programmes)
  • A regional team of national focal points is trained to update the website and to identify useful experiences to be codified.
  • Facilitating a network dedicated to evaluation issues in Senegal (www.seneval.sn). This network has been set up in 2005 and is an informal group of members (currently : around 120 people) coming from training centres, administration, civil society, international organization, etc.
7. Organizing technical workshops and conferences
  • An international conference on MDGs for preparing French-speaking countries’ representatives to the UN Summit MDG+5 (co-funded by Agence intergouvernementale de la Francophonie and UNDP) is organized in New York – September 2005,
  • Several regional workshops have been organized with ECOWAS, EAC, UNDP/BDP, UNICEF and other partners (SEI, GTZ, MEPRED, etc.) for launching policy documents or for discussing implementation issues related to access to energy services.

SUMMARY OF PROFESSIONNAL EXPERIENCE

[Since January 2003] UNDP – Regional Energy for Poverty Reduction Programme (located in Dakar, Senegal) www.ptfm.net
M&E Officer and Policy Advisor (since 2006)
  • Developing tools to support ECOWAS Member States in formulating programmes of access to energy services,
  • Capacity building in M&E (training, technical workshops, field missions) in various West-African countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Guinea (Conakry), Niger and Ghana,
  • Setting up M&E systems (especially systems related to projects in access to energy services,
  • Defining methodologies which allow to make the link between energy access at local level and macro policies (PRSPs and MDGs),
  • Supporting UNDP country offices on strengthening their abilities to conduct assessments.
[2002] Aquadev – NGO (based in Dakar, Senegal)
Advisor
  • Developing a programme focused on decentralized co-operation funded by European Union (Budgetary line - LB7-6004 – support to NGOs/Decentralized Co-operation - Budget : 980,000 €)
  • Partnerships have been established in the Region of Tambacounda (South of Senegal) for setting up a programme for supporting communities to develop activities with partners from decentralized bodies in Europe.
[2000-2001] General commission for Refugees and Stateless Persons (Brussels, Belgium)
Deputy Advisor
  • Examining asylum seekers requests (from Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran) based on the Convention of Geneva,
  • Writing policy documents on security situation in various countries as Algeria, Lebanon, Palestine, etc.
[1994-1999] Belgium, Egypt, Palestine/Israel
Freelance journalist
  • Writing articles for various daily papers and periodical publications

EDUCATION

[2008-…] Public Policy and Management (Master of Science – Distance learning - on-going)
University of London – The Centre for Financial and Management Studies

[1996-1999] Oriental philology - research grants
Faculty of Philosophy and Literature (Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium)
General Commission for International Relations (Belgium)
  • Focus on Semitic languages : Arabic, Hebrew, and others : Persian, Yiddish
  • Working paper : Three men in the Sun, by Ghassan Kanafani (an analysis of the fate of Palestinian refugees in the Near East)
  • Tunisia – Institut Bourguiba des Langues vivantes (1997-1998)
  • Israel – Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1998)
  • Egypt – Department of Arabic studies (1998-1999)
[1995-1996] Economics of LDCs (Master Degree – interrupted)
Faculty of economics (Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium)
  • Focus: Economics of Less Developed Countries – socio-economic analysis of Middle East and South Asia (India esp.)
[1991-1995] BA in Journalism
Facyulty of philosophy and Literature (Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium)
  • Focus on Political and cultural journalism
  • Thesis: Manufacturing Myths : Mass Media and the myth of Hobo (magna cum laude)

MISCELLANEOUS

Working languages
French & English

Recent professional trainings
  • Strategic Thinking, Negotiation and Consensus Building, MIT-Harvard Public Disputes Program and the Consensus Building Institute, June 26-28 2007 at the UN System Staff College (Turin, Italy),
  • Advanced Session of the Energy for Sustainable Development (E4SD) on-line course, 22 October - 18 November 2007 (Lund University, Sweden) [2 European Credit Transfer System credits]
Experiences abroad
Maghreb (Tunisia, Mauritania) – Near East (Egypt, Israel/Palestine, Jordan) - West Africa (Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Guinea Conakry, Guinea-Bissau, Cabo-Verde, Sierra Leone,Togo) - East Africa (Kenya and Tanzania) and North America (United States of America)

Nationality
Belgian

Gender
Male

Born on March 12 1971, married, two children – one daughter born on October the 27th 2003 (Lou), one son born on October the 20th 2005 (Laszlo)
Subscribe to: Comments (Atom)