For the Appointment of a Gender and Inclusion Expert
GEF-Funded Child Project: “Circular Solutions to Plastic Pollution in Nigeria”
| Project Title | Circular Solutions to Plastic Pollution in Nigeria |
| GEF Project ID | 11193 |
| Post Title | Gender and Inclusion Expert |
| Implementing Agency | United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) |
| Executing Agency | National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) |
| Funding Source | Global Environment Facility (GEF) |
| Project Duration | 5 years |
| Duty Station | Abuja (with field travel to project locations) |
| Nature of Engagement | |
| Indicative Total Work Period | 5 years |
| Date of Issue of RFP | 11 March 2026 |
| Closing Date for Submission | 24 March 2026 |
Background
The consumption of single-use plastic water sachets in Nigeria has become a major source of plastic pollution, with over 2.5 billion litres consumed annually. Today, there are over 32,000 sachet water producers nationwide. Once consumed, water sachets are often indiscriminately discarded, contributing significantly to plastic pollution in the country. This leads to clogged sewage systems, marine and freshwater leakage, harm to biodiversity, and increased risks of widespread diseases. These impacts pose severe hazards to the environment, biodiversity, and public health.
While government efforts to expand and improve pipe-borne water systems are ongoing, alternatives to plastic sachets are urgently needed given Nigerians’ high reliance on packaged water.
Against this backdrop, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) has provided critical funding support for this project to reduce plastic sachet consumption while safeguarding access to safe drinking water. The GEF-funded project will advance sustainable solutions through the following key components:
- Strengthening federal and sub-national policies and institutional capacities for ensuring accessible and safe drinking water.
- Fostering public-private partnerships (PPPs) to expand access to clean drinking water through circular economy solutions, eco-design, and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes.
- Piloting reuse models and community-owned initiatives to demonstrate the combined economic and environmental benefits of alternatives to sachet plastics.
- Enhancing public awareness and stakeholder engagement to drive behavioral change and promote sustainable water consumption practices.
- Ensuring effective communication and coordination throughout project implementation, particularly alignment with the Global Project under GEF.
This GEF investment contributes directly to the delivery of the UNEP Programme of Work on reducing land-based sources of pollution and achieving transformative impacts. The project is expected to generate measurable Global Environmental Benefits (GEBs), including:
- 350,078 metric tons of avoided residual plastic waste pollution (CI 9.8);
- 54.69 gTEQ POPs to air reduced (CI 10);
- 1,868,657 metric tons of CO₂ emission reduced (CI 6.7).
Through GEF’s support, Nigeria is taking a decisive step toward addressing plastic pollution, protecting biodiversity, and safeguarding public health, while promoting sustainable access to safe drinking water.
Gender equality and social inclusion are cross-cutting priorities of this project. In this regard, NESREA seeks to engage a qualified Gender and Inclusion Expert to mainstream gender considerations across all project components, ensuring equitable participation and meaningful benefits for women and vulnerable groups—particularly within the Food and Beverage (F&B) sector and selected cities and clusters.
Organizational Context
The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has the responsibility for the protection and development of the environment, biodiversity conservation, and the sustainable development of Nigeria’s natural resources. The Agency also promotes environmental technology, including coordination and liaison with relevant stakeholders within and outside Nigeria on matters relating to the enforcement of environmental standards, regulations, rules, laws, policies, and guidelines.
The NESREA Act empowers the Agency to:
- Enforce all environmental laws, guidelines, policies, standards, and regulations in Nigeria; and
- Ensure compliance with provisions of international agreements, protocols, conventions, and treaties on the environment to which Nigeria is a signatory.
In this project, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) provides the funding, with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) serving as the Implementing Agency, while NESREA acts as the Executing Agency responsible for delivering project activities on the ground in Nigeria.
Objectives of the Assignment
The Gender and Inclusion Expert will lead gender mainstreaming across all project activities, ensuring that the project is designed and implemented in a gender-responsive and socially inclusive manner. He/she will update and operationalize the Gender Analysis and Gender Action Plan, and ensure that project implementation delivers measurable gender-responsive outcomes at national and local levels.
The Expert will report to the National Project Manager and provide technical support to NESREA and project partners.
Scope of Work and Key Responsibilities
Under the supervision of the Project Coordinator / Senior Technical Advisor, the Gender and Inclusion Expert will:
- provide technical guidance on integrating gender perspectives into policy development, private sector engagement, pilot projects, advocacy campaigns, and knowledge management
- Identify relevant government agencies, NGOs, community-based organizations, and women’s associations whose mandates align with gender and project objectives;
- Through stakeholder consultations, identify women-specific issues within the water and plastics value chain and recommend empowerment strategies;
- Update the Gender Analysis and Gender Action Plan, tailoring it to national and local contexts, including the Food and Beverage sector and selected cities/clusters;
- Review project indicators and targets to ensure effective integration of gender considerations into implementation, monitoring, and reporting;
- Develop and provide tools for monitoring, documenting, and reporting qualitative and quantitative gender-specific benefits;
- Provide strategic guidance to the Project Coordinator and PMU on integrating gender perspectives into all project components, annual workplans, and budgets
- Ensure that project governance structures (PSC, IGC, Multi-Stakeholder Roundtable) meet and maintain the minimum 40% women’s participation target
- Deliver targeted capacity-building initiatives to promote gender mainstreaming and upscaling;
- Ensure gender integration across all knowledge products and behaviour change interventions;
- Support stakeholder engagement activities to advance inclusive participation;
- Provide periodic technical reports on gender mainstreaming progress and outcomes.
Required Qualifications and Skills
- Master’s degree in Gender Studies, Social Sciences, Environmental Studies, Political Science, Geography, Anthropology, or related disciplines.
- Minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional experience in gender assessment and mainstreaming within environmental or public-sector projects;
- Demonstrated knowledge of environmental issues, climate change impacts, water vulnerability, and resilience-building opportunities;
- Strong understanding of gender concepts, frameworks, and tools, including gender analysis, gender mainstreaming, and gender-responsive M&E
- Experience working with government institutions, women’s organizations, community-based groups, informal sector actors, and development partners.
- Culturally sensitive with strong interpersonal and networking skills;
- Excellent presentation, facilitation, and communication abilities;
- Capacity to build trust and foster inclusive participation.
- Demonstrated professional competence, efficiency, and integrity;
- Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to translate complex gender issues into accessible language;
- Proven experience in designing and delivering gender-responsive capacity building programs and training workshops
- Ability to work collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams;
- Proven capacity to plan and implement activities focused on delivering results;
- Strong sense of ownership and accountability;
- Proactive approach to improving programmes and solving problems;
- Ability to anticipate project needs and respond effectively within agreed frameworks.
Reporting and Supervision
The Gender and Inclusion Expert will:
- Report to the Project Coordinator / Senior Technical Advisor
- Work closely with NESREA and UNEP;
- Collaborate with the Global Project Communications Team.
Application Procedure
Interested candidates are invited to submit the following:
- A cover letter demonstrating relevant experience.
- A detailed CV highlighting qualifications and project management experience.
- Scanned copies of credentials and evidence of experience (e.g., engagement/appointment letters, reference letters, or similar documentation).
- A technical proposal (2–3 pages) outlining understanding of the assignment and approach to achieving project objectives.
Applications should clearly state “Gender and Inclusion Expert – Circular Solutions to Plastic Pollution in Nigeria” in the subject line and be submitted to:
The Director General/CEO
NESREA Headquarters, Abuja
Email: dg@nesrea.gov.ng; procurement@nesrea.gov.ng ; krisbeka@gmail.com; elichucks@gmail.com
Closing Date for Submission:24th March 2026
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interview.
Signed
Director General/CEO
NESREA
