Agency: UN Women Africa
Location: Nairobi, Kenya (home-based)
Contract Duration: 40 working days across 4 months
Application Deadline: 11 September 2025
Function: Economic Empowerment
Job Type: Individual Consultancy
Languages Required: English
UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, works globally to eliminate discrimination against women and girls and achieve gender equality. As part of its regional initiatives, the East and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) is commissioning a consultancy to develop a comprehensive study that identifies sustainable employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for women in the Blue Economy across East and Southern Africa (ESA).
Africa’s Blue Economy—comprising sectors such as fisheries, aquaculture, marine transport, coastal tourism, offshore energy, and marine biotechnology—is a major driver of sustainable development. As of 2019, the Blue Economy contributed nearly US$300 billion to Africa’s GDP and supported 49 million jobs.
Despite women playing key roles—particularly in post-harvest activities, seafood trade, tourism, and small-scale aquaculture—their contribution is often undervalued. Social norms, gendered access to resources, lack of infrastructure, and limited representation in governance structures hinder women’s full participation and leadership in high-value areas of the Blue Economy.
This study aims to fill the gap in gender-specific data and insights related to women’s participation in the Blue Economy in ESA. It will identify:
The findings will support evidence-based programming and policymaking, contributing to ongoing and future Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) initiatives in the region.
The consultant, reporting to the Regional Policy Specialist on WEE, will:
The study will employ a mixed-methods approach, combining:
For details, refer to the UN Women Competency Framework.
UN Women is an equal opportunity employer that embraces diversity and does not discriminate on any basis. All employment decisions are made on qualifications, competence, and organizational needs.
UN Women maintains a zero-tolerance policy on sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination. All shortlisted candidates will undergo reference and background checks.
If you require reasonable accommodation during the recruitment process, please indicate this in your application.
Interested applicants must submit a complete application including a CV and cover letter. Ensure that all sections of the application form are fully completed. Incomplete applications will be disqualified.
Apply by 11 September 2025, 05:59 AM EAT.
Disclaimer: Global South Opportunities (GSO) is not the hiring organization. For any inquiries, please contact the hiring organization directly. Please do not send your applications to GSO, as we are unable to process them. Due to the high volume of emails we receive daily, we may not be able to respond to all inquiries. Thank you for your understanding.
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