Overview

Africa’s 8,400 protected areas cover 4.3 million square kilometers, more than half the area of Australia. They are ecologically and economically vital to Africa, and to the planet. But they are grossly under-resourced in the face of competing immediate development and social priorities like food security, health and basic infrastructure. Governments are often forced to choose between long-term conservation goals and short-term economic gains. This means many protected areas exist only on paper.

The goal of the Space for Giants African Conservation Investment Initiative, launched in Uganda in 2017, is to unlock the value of natural ecosystems and the wildlife they contain through the creation of an enabling environment for responsible conservation investment from the private sector and civil society. It does this by partnering with African Governments, from the highest level to the protected area management level, to put in place and deliver, from start to finish, an open, transparent conservation investment process.

PURPOSE

As the scale of the African Conservation Investment Initiative grows, Space for Giants is now recruiting an Investment Manager to support this initiative. The focus of this individual’s work will initially focus on the current programme of work in Uganda, working with the Government there to develop new responsible tourism enterprises and private sector partnerships to secure the future protection and management of its protected areas. The scope of this role will expand to include work focused on additional countries – in the short term expected to be Gabon – and as part of a new partnership with the African Union and UNEP.

SPACE FOR GIANTS

Space for Giants is an international conservation charity that protects Africa’s elephants from immediate threats like poaching while working to secure their habitats forever in landscapes facing ever-increasing pressures. Everywhere Space for Giants works, in Angola, Botswana, Gabon, Kenya, Namibia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, it use science and best-practice to inform its approach. It develops and deliver anti-poaching initiatives, secure protected landscapes for elephants, work to lessen the problems that arise where people and elephants live alongside each other, and find new ways to reach new audiences with stories of conservation. Space for Giants is based in Kenya, and registered as a charity in the UK and a non-profit in the US. In 2015, Space for Giants, together with the Heads of State of Botswana, Gabon, Kenya and Uganda, created The Giants Club. This is a membership forum for African Presidents, philanthropists, business leaders and global influencers, combining political, financial and technical muscle to conserve at least half of Africa’s elephants and the landscapes they depend on. The African Conservation Investment Initiative is the major of output of the Giants Club in Uganda, under the leadership of President Museveni.

THE AFRICAN CONSERVATION INVESTMENT INITIATIVE

The African Conservation Investment Initiative works with African governments to build a framework to enable investment into protected areas that provides funding for conservation. The initiative works as follows:

1. Creating an enabling environment for conservation-enhancing investment by working in partnership with governments and their heads of state.
2. Identifying where to invest by assessing a country’s protected areas in terms of biodiversity, governance, institutional capacity, and social and political context, to identify the areas where investment would have the greatest positive impact on ecosystems, wildlife and local people.
3. Attracting investment which will fund conservation
   1. By focusing on conservation-enhancing enterprises.
   2. By developing criteria for investors that ensure a predictable investment process with defined conservation and social impact.
   3. By developing governmental policies which will protect conservation-enhancing investments by limiting the type and scope of other types of development with protected areas.
   4. By organising high-profile conservation investment forums, which act as a sales and marketing driver to motivate private investment into protected areas in African elephant range states.
   5. By managing a bidding and selection process for interested investors.
4. Developing models for investment.  For tourism this includes concessions and innovative investment models and partnerships that will produce revenue for conservation through fees and leases, and partnerships that offer expertise for the management of protected areas under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) agreement, co-management with nongovernmental organizations or other models.
5. Facilitating the investment process by working hand-in-hand with the relevant government and its agencies to facilitate an efficient investor process and stable investment environment, while also assisting responsible investors in their interactions with governments to enable them to deliver conservation-enhancing projects and developments.
6. Ensuring conservation and social impact is delivered by developing a monitoring and evaluation toolkit for investors to measure and showcase their impact.
7. Ensuring the process is transparent and fair
   1. By creating a code of conduct to ensure a fair and robust structure and process for each stage.
   2. By defining a transparent open-access bidding process.
   3. By securing support and participation from key global organisations.
   4. By establishing technical committees to participate in every step of the process, including screening each investor bid that is put forward and participating in the evaluation process.

PILOT PROJECT: THE UGANDA CONSERVATION AND TOURISM INVESTMENT INITIATIVE

Securing Uganda’s Conservation Estate

Uganda holds an exceptional network of Protected Areas, with diverse landscapes including savannah, tropical forest and volcanic peaks. Uganda is one of the top ten most bio-diverse countries in the world, featuring more than half of the world’s mountain gorilla population and over 1000 bird species. But, with urgent competing development needs and a limited budget, the Government of Uganda needs increased and adequate financial resources to fully support its conservation estate.

The Giants Club Conservation and Tourism Investment Initiative

Space for Giants has been working with the Government of Uganda since 2016, under the framework of the Giants Club, on an initiative to attract new responsible private sector investment that will support the long-term sustainability of its protected areas. In October 2017, Space for Giants facilitated the first Uganda Giants Club Tourism and Conservation Investment Forum (UGTCIF) held in Kampala Uganda. This first-of-a-kind event brought together commercial and philanthropic investors alongside Government to promote a series of accessible opportunities for responsible tourism investment and protected area co-management.

The event has generated substantial interest from investors and resulted in bid in conservation-enabling bids being received worth around $61 million. Consequently Space for Giants, under the Giants Club initiative, has committed to support the Government of Uganda to deliver a second phase of work. Phase II will support the Government of Uganda to deliver a high quality transparent process of tendering, selection and contracting that will realise further high quality responsible tourism and conservation investments to Uganda, including via offering co-management sites.

SCOPE OF WORK

The Investment Manager is to provide day-to-day technical support, expert analysis and coordination to support the conservation investment initiative in the countries in which it is being delivered. They will be expected to work with Government, private sector and/or third sector organisations, and will be required to develop responsible nature-based tourism products and initiatives in an African context.

PLACE OF WORK

You will be based at the Space for Giants offices in Nanuyki, Kenya, but will travel both nationally and internationally when needed.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The key functions of the Investment Manager are:

• Facilitate delivery of necessary technical and management support to contracting authorities, working directly with department heads and senior management, in countries where the African Conservation Investment Initiative is being delivered.
• Support the design and implementation of the agreed investment process for responsible tourism concessions and help ensure that the process proceeds smoothly in countries where the African Conservation Investment Initiative is being delivered.
• Coordinate and support (where required) the process of new co-management and PPP development for co-management of protected areas including support to feasibility studies, public tendering, evaluation, investor selection and contract negotiation.
• Provide input towards the development of selection criteria and standards for all types of new investments to ensure a high standard of conservation compatibility and value for money for areas where the African Conservation Investment Initiative is being delivered.
• Regularly update stakeholders on progress against agreed milestones
• Where required and in collaboration with the relevant authorities, participate in reviewing existing protected area General Management Plans (GMPs) and support a process to revise these in order to create an enabling environment for responsible tourism development.
• Pro-actively engage with project stakeholders to identify other capacity gaps relevant to the development of responsible tourism across identified networks of protected areas, and work with to respond to and address these gaps where possible.
• Update relevant government agencies/ministries on project progress through regular reporting and briefs.
• Help coordinate inputs from the wider Space for Giants team to support/mediate on any dispute or misunderstanding which may arise between investors and government.
• To uphold the core values of Space for Giants.
• The Investment Manager will assist with any other relevant tasks requested by the Executive Director of the Giants Club.

THE APPLICANT

The successful applicant will be a go-getting, individually-motivated individual with significant proven and practical experience in understanding and working in the business space where the private sector, landscapes and wildlife meet. A deep understanding of the business models, industry segmentation, concession arrangements and day-to-day realities of private sector entities operating in conservation areas will be essential, as will being able to demonstrate a confidence in interacting with high-level executives and members of government. The successful individual will need to know Africa and also have rounded international experience and understanding. Excellent office, interpersonal and writing skills, including being able to write precise and compelling briefing notes, will be required. The successful candidate will need to be fluent in English. Knowledge of French would be a bonus, but is not required.

TERMS OF CONTRACT:

The position will be ongoing starting 1 June 2019. It can be ended with a one-month notice period at any time via a written letter of termination from the CEO of Space for Giants. No cause for the termination need be given by the side instigating the termination as long as the one-month notice period is adhered to.

The consultant may work in variable weather conditions, in remote locations, on difficult and hazardous terrain, and under physically demanding circumstances. These conditions may:

• Require occasional physical exertion and/or muscular strain.
• Present occasional possibility of injury.
• Require long hours in isolated settings.

This position may also:

• Require frequent travel domestically and/or internationally.
• Require evening and weekend hours. 

REPORTING

The Investment Manager reports to the Executive Director of the Giants Club.

SALARY

• USD 45,000-55,000 per annum (or equivalent in KShs with rate set at time of employment), dependent on experience and seniority of the final appointee.

To apply for this position, please provide your CV and a covering note explaining why you are suitable for this position and interested in it to Catherine Coulson at catherine.coulson@spaceforgiants.org by midnight on 1 April 2019.