COUNTRIES: Sierra Leone and Liberia

Sector: Transport

Mode of Financing:  Grant and Loan

Project ID: P-Z1-DB0-143/209

Grant No: 2100155041470 and 2100155041471

Loan Nos: 5900150003351 and 2100150042947

Issued Date: 14 September 2026

The Mano River Union Secretariat has received financing from the African Development Bank (AfDB) towards the cost of the Mano River Union Road Development and Transport Facilitation Project Phase III. The Mano River Union Secretariat intends to apply part of the approved amount of this financing eligible for payments under the contract for recruitment of a consulting firm to undertake “Needs Assessment Study on Trade Facilitation Including Streamlining of Border and Corridor Procedures and Processes and Development of Transit Zones’’ The MRU Program specifically aims at strengthening sub-regional integration and trade in Sierra Leone and Liberia.  The program also aims at the strengthening of sub-regional integration and trade. Specifically, the program will (i) improve the level of service of the Kailahun – Buedu 25Km on the Kailahun – Koindu corridor.

 

The services to be provided under the Assignment include the following:

  • Review of national, MRU, ECOWAS and AfCFTA trade-related policies and legal instruments, and identify inconsistencies or implementation gaps affecting trade in goods, customs cooperation, rules of origin, transit, standards, SPS/TBT compliance, and NTB reporting;
  • Map public and private stakeholders involved in cross-border trade, including customs, immigration, standards bodies, police, transport unions, chambers of commerce, market associations, women trader groups, freight forwarders, SMEs and local authorities, and assess their roles, capacity gaps and coordination constraints;
  • Assess customs, tax, transit and border management procedures, including tariff classification, valuation, documentary requirements, certificates of origin, border fees, inspection practices, risk management, post-clearance controls, and the use or potential use of electronic systems such as ASYCUDA and single-window platforms;
  • Identify Aid for Trade, AfCFTA implementation support, customs modernization, digitalization and private sector development opportunities that could complement the MRU/RDTFP Phase III trade facilitation component, including possible support from AfDB, WTO, World Bank, UNCTAD, ITC and other development partners;
  • Assess the participation of SMEs, cooperatives, farmers’ organizations, logistics operators, women-led enterprises and informal traders in priority value chains, and identify practical measures to support formalization, aggregation, access to finance, quality compliance, market information and participation in AfCFTA-enabled regional supply chains;
  • Assess awareness and practical knowledge among traders and border officials on trade documentation, rules of origin, certificates of origin, customs obligations, standards and certification, insurance and freight terms, NTB reporting, and rights and obligations under ECOWAS, MRU and AfCFTA frameworks, and propose targeted training modules;
  • Assess the specific constraints faced by women cross-border traders, including access to information, finance, storage, market facilities, safety, harassment, documentation, digital tools and representation in trade facilitation institutions, and design a gender-responsive capacity-building and facilitation plan;
  • In collaboration with border communities and relevant agencies, identify the main goods, services and value chains traded through formal and informal channels, including their origin, destination markets, seasonality, volumes where available, transport routes, and potential eligibility for AfCFTA preferences; stakeholders
  • Estimate, to the extent data permits, the fiscal, commercial and development costs of informal trade, illegal fees, delays, duplicated inspections and unrecorded transactions, while distinguishing revenue loss from legitimate simplified trade facilitation needs;
  • Identify the main categories of cross-border trade, including agricultural produce, processed food, livestock, manufactured goods, consumer products, services, transit traffic and informal small consignments, and assess the regulatory and logistical constraints affecting each category;
  • Assess levels of participation by individual traders, SMEs, cooperatives, companies, farmers’ organizations, transport operators and public agencies, and identify pathways for moving from informal and low-value trade toward formal, value-added and AfCFTA-compliant trade;
  • Identify trade facilitation, security, governance, climate, social and operational risks along the corridor, including harassment, corruption, smuggling, border closures, weak data systems, institutional fragmentation and climate-related disruptions, and propose mitigation measures;
  • Prepare a corridor-level trade facilitation and AfCFTA implementation roadmap, including quick wins, medium-term reforms, responsible institutions, estimated costs, financing options, sequencing, risk mitigation measures, and monitoring indicators.

 

The assignment will be undertaken for five Months, from the date of signature of contract.

The Mano River Union Secretariat is therefore inviting firms with a legal mandate to operate in both Sierra Leone and Liberia, and with required expertise in trade facilitation and Customs. The Mano River Union Secretariat requires that interested Consulting Firms shall provide information on their qualifications and experience (cover letter, supporting documents referencing similar services and showing demonstrated experience in similar assignments, etc.), availability of appropriate skills, description of similar assignments with AfDB or other donors to undertake this Assignment.

 

Consulting Firms interested in the implementation of this aspect of Regional Component of the project should possess the following profile:

  1. Having a well-established security firm of National and International recognition
  2. Having qualified and experienced professionals and experts in the security and customs field.
  3. The Firm should have an appreciable number of years of general experience in trade facilitation and customs and specific experience.
  4. Regional experience, similar assignments successfully conducted in the Sub Region.

 

Eligibility criteria, establishment of the short-list and the selection procedure shall be in accordance with the African Development Bank’s “Procurement Policy and Methodology for Bank Group funded Operations (BPM), dated October 2015”, which is available on the Bank’s website at http://www.afdb.org. MRU is under no obligation to shortlist any consultant who expresses interest.

Interested Consulting Firms may obtain further information at the following email address: kensah@mru.int during the Office’s working hours between 09:00 to 16:00 hours GMT.

Expressions of interest must be delivered by email procurement@mru.int not later than October 15th, 2026 at 2:30pm Sierra Leone time and mention “EXPRESSION OF INTEREST TO DESIGN AND NEEDS ASSESSMENT STUDY ON TRADE FACILITATION INCLUDING STREAMLINING OF BORDER AND CORRIDOR PROCEDURES AND PROCESSES OF THE PROGRAMME & DEVELOPMENT OF TRANSIT ZONES”

 

Attention:

Mano River Union Secretariat

32 S Spur Loop, Wilberforce, Freetown

Rep. of Sierra Leone

Tel: +23276964965

E-mail : procurement@mru.int