Infrastructure Financing Expert
Project: TAP EG USAID/DRC Analysis of Rail Investment Options
Location: Remote. Some travel to Democratic Republic of the Congo may be required
Period of Performance: About 30 days between November 2024 to March 2025
Employment Type: Consultant (short term technical assistance)
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a key player in global cobalt and copper production, faces significant infrastructure challenges impacting mineral output and broader development. To enhance transportation infrastructure, the DRC, USAID, and other stakeholders are advancing the Lobito Corridor project—a major rail investment initiative aimed at connecting the DRC to Angola and Zambia through an integrated rail network.
The Infrastructure Financing Expert will provide critical analysis and recommendations to support investment in the SNCC-owned rail line within DRC borders, which connects the DRC-Angola and DRC-Zambia borders, facilitating trade and enabling economic development.
Position Overview:
The Infrastructure Financing Expert will perform detailed financial, economic, stakeholder, and risk analyses on the proposed rail refurbishment project, with the objective of delivering actionable, evidence-based recommendations to the DRC government. This role requires expertise in infrastructure financing, including assessing public-private partnerships (PPP), concessions, and alternative procurement mechanisms.
Key Responsibilities:
Risk and Sensitivity Analysis
• Develop a risk model to assess potential uncertainties in project outcomes, performing sensitivity analyses to identify critical variables and appropriate mitigation strategies.
Procurement Mechanism Analysis
• Compare procurement options, including direct public acquisition and PPP models, evaluating the feasibility of each in relation to DRC’s budgetary and capacity constraints.
• Conduct value-for-money assessments to determine optimal procurement structures for project cost, schedule, and quality, using scenarios such as build-operate-transfer (BOT) and concession-based models.
Recommendation Development
• Based on analyses, formulate and recommend the most suitable procurement structure, detailing terms such as contract duration, expected financial returns, concession and user fees, and profit-sharing models.
• Draft a comprehensive report and deliver a presentation to the Government of the DRC, summarizing findings, analyses, and actionable recommendations.
Deliverables:
• Procurement mechanism assessment models.
• Final report with actionable recommendations on procurement methods for rail infrastructure investment.
• Presentation to the Government of the DRC.
Qualifications:
• Advanced degree in Finance, Economics, Engineering, or a related field with a focus on infrastructure or transport financing.
• Extensive experience in infrastructure finance, ideally in rail or transport sectors within developing economies.
• Expertise in financial modeling, cost-benefit analysis, and risk analysis.
• Proven track record in structuring and assessing public-private partnerships (PPP), concessions, and other procurement frameworks.
• Strong communication and presentation skills to convey complex findings to government stakeholders.
Timeline and Budget: This role is anticipated to require engagement from November 2024 to March 2025.
