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Request for Expression of Interest: Writing the CTCA Story

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Project Title: The story for the Centre for Tobacco Control in Africa Ltd then, along and
now

Expression of Interest Number: CTCA/EOI/ 2022-001

Background on CTCA

The Centre for Tobacco Control in Africa (CTCA) was established in July 2011 following a recommendation of the stakeholder meeting that was held in Accra, Ghana in June 2008. The Centre was established by World Health Organisations (WHO) through a competitive process in response to a call by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF). MakerereUniversity, housed the center at the School of Public Health.

The Centre has had three phases of funding. Phase 1 covered 2011-2014 was executed under the oversight of the Work health organization; Phase 2 was implemented from mid 2014 through early 2019 under the African Capacity Building Foundation; Phase III started mid 2019 to September 2022. All phases were funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This funding formed the core of CTCA. There were multiple other funding streams from IDRC, Research Council UK, WHO, Government of Uganda, USAID and NIH not aligned to the funding phases presented above but specific to announcements for funding as they became
available.

The core business of CTCA is Capacity Development for Tobacco Control (TC) and research forms a strong arm to generate continuous evidence for time focused and tailored interventions.

The Center has correspondingly undergone evolution to a self-operating legal entity to serve the African continent on the tobacco control front and on the path to a Go-to-Centre of excellence and reference. During its period of existence, the Center has had paradigm shifts in program focus from policy-focused support interventions to strategy, and now sustainability.

Vision of CTCA

CTCA has a defined institutional direction reflected in its profile and program hierarchy as hereunder. The vision of CTCA is to achieve a “Tobacco-free Africa”. The mission is to enhance African governments’ capacity to formulate and implement Tobacco Control programs through partnerships and cooperation. The goal of the Centre is to reduce the production and consumption of tobacco by supporting governments in implementing evidence-based tobacco control strategies in Africa.

Currently the Centre is guided by a 7-year $15.9 million strategic plan spanning 2019 to 2025 with 5 strategic objectives namely to; SO1: To strengthen the capacity of countries in Africa to formulate and implement FCTC compliant programs; SO2: To promote evidence-based tobacco control policy formulation and program implementation; SO3: To mobilize human, material, and financial resources for sustainable tobacco control in Africa; SO4: To promote partnerships for tobacco control at national, regional and international levels; SO5: To enhance CTCA’s ability to support capacity development in tobacco control.

The strategic objectives are anchored in five pillars of CTCA Strategic Plan 2019/2025 based on the overarching strategic issues that call for attention in the planning and implementation periods. They form the very issues upon which success is measured. They are: Pillar 1: Capacity Development; Pillar 2: Expanding evidence; Pillar 3: Resource Mobilisation; Pillar 4: Partnerships; Pillar 5: Institutional development

Rationale for CTCA journey, “then-along-and-Now”

The objective of assignment is to tell the CTCA story from inception, along and now. Understanding the trajectory and journey will inform future discussions in shaping the Africa continental TC response. The story should chronical the events as they occurred in the CTCA journey then, during and now to propose the future path.

CTCA seeks to contract a competent, qualified, and experienced consultant(s) to undertake this important assignment over a 30-person days period.

Scope and Method of the assignment

The consultant is required to undertake a search strategy for extensive documents review and conduct key stakeholder consultations. The scope of the assignment will include;

a) Review of phase 1, 2 and 3 documents including the appraisal documents, grant agreements, performance reports, program review reports, missions reports, program strategy and policy documents, and institutional manuals (WHO, ACBF, Makerere, CTCA)
b) A trend analysis of governance manuals, success stories, lessons, challenges, minutes, and concept notes.
c) Review and examine the organizational governance and technical structure over time and how this has impacted CTCA performance
d) Examine the pre-CTCA context and justification for its birth, the status during the business phase and project the future outlook.
e) Tell key success stories and the stakeholder’s overtime
f) Analyze the philosophy and theory of change of CTCA to inform the future direction.
g) Relevant graphics and pictures through the review period for story
h) Document the impact trend of CTCA interventions in Tobacco Control then, along, and now

Key deliverables

i) Inception report, completed within one week of commencement of assignment. The inception report shall include:

  • A detailed description of the methodology and timeline for developing CTCA story
  • The documents to review
  • The list of persons to interview.
  • A description of the meetings/workshop(s) and any other activities envisaged if any.

j) Consultative process report
k) Draft story book
l) Final validated story book

Institutional arrangement

The Consultant will report directly to the Chief Operations Officer. The Chief Operations Officer will provide all the necessary background documents and support the consultant(s) in organising meetings and activities all stakeholders.

Expected attributes of the consultant(s)

a) Experience in report writing
b) Demonstrated experience in program reviews, evaluations, and compiling program profiles
c) Should have published at leas five articles in peer reviewed journals
d) Strong analytical skills
e) Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to negotiate and work with teams
f) Excellent communication skills and fluency in English and or French or bilingual

Timing

The activity should be executed within 30 person days spread between 15th September to 30th October 2022

How to apply

All applications should be addressed to the Chief Executive Officer, CTCA. Apply electronically including a cover letter, CV, copies of academic and professional documents with at least 2 reference letters. Address your application EOI@ctc-africa.org

Application Deadline:

Wednesday 7th September 2022 at 5:00pm EST

Mark Wamai

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Special Exam Results -Diploma in Performing Arts 2025/26

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The results for the 2025/2026 special entry examination for the Diploma in Performing Arts held on Saturday 17th May, 2025. Candidates who scored a final mark of 50% and above passed the Examination and have been recommended to the university’s Admissions Committee for consideration.

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Mature Age Scheme Exam Results for 2025/2026

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The Office of Academic Registrar, Makerere University has released full results for the Mature Age Entry Scheme Examinations for the Academic Year 2025/2026 held on Saturday 14th December, 2024.

The Candidates who scored a final mark of 50% and above passed the examination and have been recommended by the Pre-Entry & Mature Age Committee to the University’s Admissions Board for Consideration.

The Aptitude Exam  Results for 2025/2026 Academic Year released in February 2025 can be found here.

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Call for Application: 2025 SNRM session 4 Summer School

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Participants in focused group discussions. Leiden-Delft-Erasmus East Africa Research Network (LEARN) in collaboration with the Urban Action Lab at Makerere University a workshop to deliberate strategies for mitigating the impacts of climate change in urban centres in the East African Region, Theme: “Resilient Urban Futures: Adapting Livelihoods to Climate Change”, 4th-5th September 2024, School of Public Health Auditorium, Kampala Uganda.

Context:
Natural resources in Africa are being depleted at an alarming rate due to several factors, including unsustainable human activities, climate change, and population growth. A primary condition of sustainable development is to ensure that the pressures do not exceed the environmental limits, and that demand for the resources does not exceed levels that can be sustainably provided by nature. Therefore, there is a pressing need for transformative, systems-thinking approaches and tools that can tackle the diverse challenges facing these systems. In Africa, this need is compounded by a lack of data and monitoring, which significantly hinders sustainable decision-making.

Investing in young scientists who are committed to take lead in sustainable management of Africa’s natural resources is very important. Capacity building of young scientists will enhance their knowledge and skill on sustainable natural resources and their involvement for implementation of the sustainable development goals (SDG’s) in Africa. To this effect, SNRM summer schools have been implemented in three sessions in 2019, 2020, and 2022 with support from Volkswagen Foundation; to build a critical mass of skilled and competent young natural resource scientists in Africa through training, capacity building and mentorship. Session 4 (2025) will target competent young scientists (MSc and PhD students) in Africa and Germany to further develop their knowledge and skills in systems thinking, advanced data collection and analysis, and application of emerging digital technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), internet of things (IoT), and embracing transdisciplinary approaches. In addition, we include an ideation workshop where students can work on real problems to come up with solutions for sustainable transformations in natural resource use.

Organizers: Leibniz Universität – Hannover (Germany), University of Antananarivo, University of Abomey Calavi (Benin), Makerere University (Uganda), University of Ghana (Ghana), University of Parakou (Benin), The Technical University of Kenya, with financial support from the Volkswagen Foundation (Germany).

Venue and dates: Nairobi, Kenya, 16-28 November 2025

Target: MSc and PhD students, early in the program of less than 35 years of age from any university/research institution in either sub-Saharan Africa or Germany with an interest in natural resources management.

Participants and Scholarships: The course is fully funded and open to 20 MSc and PhD students from Africa, and 5 from Germany. Funding will cover the costs of air ticket, accommodation, meals, visa, and transportation. However, participants will cover the cost of their travel health insurance.

Topics

SNRM Summer School Session 4: Transformative pathways in biodiversity management and conservation.
This summer school is designed to deliver four modules over a two-week period. The modules are designed to enable the students to acquire new ways of designing data collection protocols and analysis for transformative sustainable natural resources management.

Module 4.1: Data collection I
Skills in data collection for a transformative and sustainable management of natural resources (water, wildlife, forest, land, livestock, crops) monitoring and data collection techniques; remote monitoring tools, earth observation system data, e.g. satellite data sources, LIDAR, and UAV aerial images. Collect and analyse In-situ data on biotic and abiotic parameters, map and analyse data using R or Google Earth Engine, field data collection and retrieving data from online databases.

Module 4.2 Data management and processing
Introduction to tools and methods of managing large and diverse data sets of natural resources such as time series, spatial, directional, and multivariate data. Practicals will include data storage, organization and conversion into various formats using databases such as PostgreSQL and statistical programming software such as R and Python; scripts.

Module 4.3 Ecological monitoring, modelling and management
This module aims to teach participants how to anticipate and validate trends that can be observed in various ecosystems. Lectures include ecological monitoring and its design; population monitoring studies; metrics in population monitoring; methods for monitoring and assessing marine ecosystems; human ecology to socio-ecological systems; climate change impact of ecosystems; suitability assessments; overview of the principles underlying wildlife monitoring and prediction systems for climate change adaptation. Practicals will include field data collection (individual and group); ecological data analysis using R or PAST; modelling and experiencing the behaviour of complex systems using Vensim.

Module 4.4 Natural habitat restoration ideation lab
This module is designed to spur students’ innovation and creativity, and to help students comprehensively identify interdependencies across the 17 SDG goals. Participants will be trained on ideation processes for solutions and intervention for transformative natural resource management. They will work collaboratively in small groups on case studies and develop pathways of transformative sustainable natural resource management. Examples of projects include forest (mangrove) ecosystem and habitat restoration, improved technologies for agricultural production, nature-based solutions for improving water quality, and reversing land degradation.

Language: The course will be delivered in English. Participants are expected to be fluent in writing and speaking the English language.

How to apply

Applicants are kindly requested to fill in the application form available from https://snrmafrica.com/ and submit the following documents in English through the system.

  • a curriculum vitae (maximum 2 pages)
  • a letter of motivation (maximum 1 page)
  • a confirmation of university enrolment
  • a reference letter from the academic supervisor
  • project summary of MSc/ PhD project (1 page including objectives, methodology
    and key findings or expected outcomes).

Important dates
Application deadline: 30th June 2025.
Announcement of accepted applicants: 15th August 2025.
Confirmation of attendance by selected participants: 12th Sept 2025.
Summer school held: 16 – 28 Nov 2025.

Further information is available from

The secretariat info@snrmafrica.com
Dr Lydia Olaka lydiaolaka@tukenya.ac.ke
Prof. Dr. Hartmut Stuetzel stuetzel@gem.uni-hannover.de

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