Job description

Consultancy duration: 6 months, Home-based with travel to 4-6 priority countries

Job description

Midwives are the most critical cadre for ending preventable maternal mortality globally, capable of preventing over 80% of maternal deaths and two-thirds of newborn mortality. The West and Central Africa (WCA) region accounts for approximately 70% of global maternal deaths, making the insufficiency of the midwifery workforce a key determinant of high maternal and neonatal mortality rates. Challenges include significant midwife shortages, inconsistent education standards leading to a lack of mastery of basic obstetrical competencies, low salaries, and limited continuous professional development.

To address these systemic barriers, UNFPA West and Central Africa Regional Office (WCARO) introduced a clinical mentorship program as an alternative strategy to traditional, high-cost continuous training and supervision. The ultimate goal is to reduce maternal and neonatal morbidities and mortalities by improving the quality of care offered by competent providers. This initiative is a direct contribution to UNFPA's transformative goal to end preventable maternal deaths, aligning with the Start with Her (2025–2030) strategy and The Midwifery Accelerator.

This evaluation is necessitated by the critical gap in evidence. Despite the successful development of a harmonized regional guide and the Master Mentor group, there is a lack of cohesive, up-to-date information on the program’s implementation fidelity and its actual impact on health outcomes. A robust evaluation is urgently needed to identify variations in clinical practice, assess adherence to the regional guide, and build a clear pathway for the institutionalization and sustainable financial anchoring of the program, moving it beyond time-bound project funding to a permanent, nationally-owned strategy for quality maternal and newborn care.

The overarching purpose is to assess the effectiveness, impact, and fidelity of the clinical mentorship initiative across the 15 WCA countries that have participated in the Master Mentor training sessions: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, and Togo.

The general objective is to evaluate the effectiveness, impact, and sustainability of regional midwifery mentorship programs in strengthening maternal and newborn care capacity and supporting the institutionalization and scaling up of mentorship systems across West and Central Africa and provide evidence-based recommendations.

Specific Objectives

The specific objectives of the consultancy are to:

  • Evaluate the fidelity of the mentorship program implementation, assessing adherence to the harmonized regional guide, including the application of pedagogical principles taught.
  • Evaluate how the mentorship program improves clinical competencies, confidence, and professional development of midwives.
  • Assess the impact of the initiative on strengthening the knowledge, clinical competencies  and pedagogical skills of mentors and their mentees.
  • Comprehensively understand the perceived value and challenges of the initiative, including its institutional integration at central, regional, and operational levels.
  • Analyze the conditions necessary to ensure the continued leadership and empowerment of the training institutions in training and updating the skills of Master Mentors.
  • Assess the influence of the clinical mentorship initiative on key health outcome indicators (e.g., quality of care and adherence to protocols).
  • Identify and analyze existing country-level mentorship programs or similar approaches in participating countries, evaluating their potential for synergy, alignment, and complementarity with the regional clinical mentorship framework.
  • Document successes, lessons learned, and best practices across participating countries to develop strategic recommendations for the scaling up, harmonization, and institutional and financial anchoring of the program.

Deliverables:

  • Inception Report: Map the current evidence (including a gap analysis of existing implementation data) and provide an overview of the scope of work, detailed evaluation methodology (including sampling and tools), expected findings, and timeline.
  • Draft Report: In partnership with UNFPA country offices, conduct multi-country mixed-methods data collection (surveys, KIIs, FGDs) with Master-Mentors, Mentors, Mentees, and stakeholders; analyze evidence and data for region and country-specific assessment of the mentorship implementation fidelity, impact on clinical competencies, and institutionalization.
  • Presentation and Discussion of the Findings: Present the findings and preliminary recommendations to the regional office technical team and stakeholders from different country offices.
  • Final Report: Finalize the evaluation report, incorporating feedback from stakeholders.

The consultant will report to the UNFPA WCARO Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Team. They will participate in fortnightly meetings to assess progress and provide weekly email updates to monitor adherence to the production schedule.

Expected Travel: Travel is expected for data collection to 4-6 priority countries (TBD). All travel must be on the most economical fare and pre-approved in writing by UNFPA. Travel costs, including economy flights, accommodation, ground transportation, and daily subsistence allowance, must be included in the financial proposal.

Required Expertise and Qualifications:

Education:

  • Minimum of Master’s Degree in midwifery, Social Science, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Public Health, or other related field.

Knowledge and Experience:

  • Recognised international researcher and practitioner with at least 5 years of professional experience in maternal health, mentoring, and development of mentorship programmes.
  • Strong technical knowledge in midwifery education, including capacity building in low-to-medium income countries.
  • Knowledge of Competency-based education methodologies.
  • Knowledge of UNFPA programming processes, proposal/project development and monitoring and evaluation, and programme management skills will be an asset.
  • Willingness and capability to undertake duty travel.
  • Good interpersonal and communication skills.
  • Ability to work independently and take initiatives.

Languages:

  • Excellent communication skills (verbal and written) in French and English.
  • Experience and knowledge of working in French Speaking countries will be an added advantage.

How to Apply:

Please send your CV and a short letter of motivation with “Regional Midwifery Mentorship Evaluation IC” on the subject line and email the documents to shikwambi@UNFPA.org by 04 June 2026. Applicants should submit: A detailed curriculum vitae, a cover letter explaining their suitability for the assignment, examples of similar reports, and a technical proposal accompanied by a financial proposal indicating the daily rate in United States dollars and the estimated total cost for the assignment. The documents may be submitted in a readable format in English or  French. 

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