Terms of Reference
Consultancy to Facilitate the Annual Policy Literacy Session for Rubavu/Rusizi district’s FSP members
1. Background
The Nutrition in City Ecosystems (NICE) Project aims to improve nutrition and reduce poverty among vulnerable urban populations in low- and middle-income countries. NICE works in Bangladesh, Kenya, Rwanda, and Senegal and is implemented by a Swiss public-private consortium consisting of Swiss TPH, Sight and Life, Sustainable Agriculture Foundation (SAF), ETH Zürich (Sustainable Agroecosystems Group), and the Enterprise for Society (E4S) Centre at University of Lausanne. NICE is sponsored by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). In Rwanda, Sight and Life and Swiss TPH are co-implementing NICE in Rubavu and Rusizi District.
As one of its key activities, NICE supports multi-stakeholder engagement in food systems governance through the Food System Platform (FSP) in Rubavu/Rusizi District. Since their establishment in partnership with the Joint Action for Development Forum (JADF) in 2022, the FSPs have become a key coordination space for government institutions, civil society, cooperatives, and private sector actors in the districts to deliberate on food system challenges and opportunities, ensuring inclusivity and sustainability in decision-making. However, the broader food system governance environment is not always fully clear to all stakeholders despite an early policy literacy workshop in the newly established FSPs in June 2022.
To further strengthen governance capacities, particularly the ability of members to engage with, track, and influence food system-related policy processes, the FSP, with support from the NICE project, will convene an annual policy literacy session. This session will enable members to collectively understand, review, analyze, and track policies implemented at the city level, while fostering accountability and improving alignment of local actions with national strategies.
2. Purpose of the Consultancy
The consultant will provide technical expertise in policy literacy, including a mapping of the most relevant food system policies at national level, their tracking procedure and their implementation in Rubavu/ Rusizi district. Furthermore, the consultant will design and facilitate the session, provide technical inputs, and guide FSP members in reviewing national policies implemented at city-level, identifying gaps and opportunities, and developing actionable recommendations.
3. Specific Objectives
Map Rwanda’s food system policy environment (focusing on policies focused on nutrition, agriculture, local consumption, school feeding etc.) and their implementation (status) in Rubavu and Rusizi district.
Develop a policy literacy key-note lecture reviewing the food system policy environment in Rwanda and practically discussing monitoring and tracking of Rwanda’s food system policies and priorities.
Facilitate the annual policy literacy Session of Rubavu’s and Rusizi’s FSP using participatory and interactive methods.
Support FSP members to prioritize and track city-level food system policy implementation.
Support FSP members in drafting a policy monitoring brief with recommendations and follow-up actions.
4. Scope of Work / Key Tasks
- Review existing policies and regulatory frameworks relevant to food systems in Rwanda implemented or missing implementation at the city level, and their tracking at national and district level, resulting in a comprehensive, audience-adapted power point presentation.
- Prepare a facilitation plan, presentations, and handouts for a policy literacy workshop with Ribadu’s/Rusizi’s FSP.
- Deliver the policy literacy workshop, ensuring active participation of FSP members, including facilitation of Facilitate group work and plenary discussions to analyze policy gaps and opportunities.
- Support consolidation of session outputs by drafting a concise Policy Monitoring Brief.
- Provide a short technical report summarizing the process, key discussions, and recommendations.
5. Deliverables
- Systematic and mapping of Rwanda’s most important existing and new policies relevant to food systems, their tracking and their implementation at city level in Rubavu / Rusizi in an audience-adapted power-point-presentation (5 days)
- Facilitation plan and training materials for a 1-day policy literacy workshop with Rubavu’s/Rusizi’s FSP. (1 day)
- 1-day policy literacy workshop with Rubavu’s/Rusizi’s FSP (4days in total including travel days)
- Draft a Policy Monitoring Brief (max. 5 pages). (2 days)
- Final consultancy report (max. 5 pages). (1 day)
6. Duration and Level of Effort
- Preparation: 6 days (review documents, prepare materials)
- Facilitation of the session & Travel to both cities: 4 days (Rubavu district)
- Reporting: 3days (drafting and finalizing outputs)
- Total: 13 working days (spread across a month of implementation)
7. Reporting
The consultant will report to the Public Health Project Manager and work closely with the FSP members (Rotative secretariat in Rusizi district)
8. Required Qualifications and Experience
- Advanced degree in Public Policy, Governance, Development Studies, Law or related field.
- Proven experience (minimum 5 years) in policy analysis, governance, and capacity building.
- Demonstrated expertise in facilitation and participatory training methods.
- Strong knowledge of Rwanda’s policy environment, particularly in food systems, nutrition, and urban governance.
- Excellent analytical, writing, and communication skills in English and Kinyarwanda (French is an added advantage).
9. Application Process
Interested consultants/consulting firms should submit to clementine.tumukunde@swisstph.ch and
copy jocelyne.Ingabire@swisstph.ch with the following documents:
- A technical proposal (2–3 pages) outlining their approach to the assignment.
- A financial proposal with daily rate and total cost.
- CV highlighting relevant experience.
- At least two references of similar assignments
The application deadline is 5:00 PM (CoB) on November 21, 2025. Late submissions will be automatically disqualified.