Scope of work:
This baseline survey will cover the three project communities of (1) Garu and (2) Sapelga in
the Upper East region and (3) Felmour in the Upper West region of Ghana. It will engage
relevant institutions at the national, regional, district and community levels that the project
will work with and/or may possess relevant information on key indicators contain in the
project’s results framework. It will also involve engagement with host community and refugee
youth and women in the three communities. As a result, the consultant is expected to travel
to the selected communities as part of this assignment.
Background
The spread of violent extremism from the Sahel especially in Burkina Faso has caught up with
the coastal west African countries and puts Ghana at a significant threat. The incessant violent
extremist attacks in Burkina Faso which shares very porous borders with northern Ghana
opens border communities in northern Ghana not just to increased vulnerabilities of
infiltration and/or attacks by VEOs, but also a spillover of the effects of the surging attacks in
Burkina Faso.
With more than 50% of its territory believed to be outside of the state’s control and in the
hands of Non-State Armed Groups (NSAGs), the ongoing violent extremist attacks in Burkina
Faso is getting worse and continues to displace thousands of Burkinabes into border
communities in northern Ghana. The violent extremist menace in Burkina Faso is seeing a
significant increment over time, and the effects on people in Burkina Faso and vulnerable
communities in places like northern Ghana that receive displaced victims of the attacks are
rising. Since the double coups in Burkina Faso, the number of deaths recorded from attacks
by militant Islamist violence have nearly tripled over what was recorded 1.5 years prior to the
first coup in January 2022. As a result, an estimated 1 out of every 10 Burkinabes – over 2.1
million people are displaced forcefully1
. An estimated 3.4 million Burkinabé are suffering from
hunger, of which about 650,000 face extreme hunger2
induced by the insecurity situation. As
a coping mechanism, majority of these people are crossing into neighbouring countries
especially Ghana, where conditions are comparatively stable and peaceful.
Similarly, pastoralists are facing increased displacement as well. Attacks on water sources have
left several people and animals without a reliable source of water, thereby pushing majority
of the nomadic populations wandering across the porous borders to neighbouring countries
like Ghana in search of favourable conditions. Despite efforts by Government, official housing
facilities such as reception centres are not adequate to house the growing numbers of
insecurity induced refugees and displaced people. As a result, majority of the displaced
persons who enter Ghana through unapproved routes in northern Ghana prefer to settle
themselves with host families and communities in northern Ghana. Inherent in this informal
way of settling of refugees and displaced populations is the mounting pressure on already
inadequate social and economic infrastructure and services and consequential stoking of
tensions between Burkinabe settlers and host community members.
The porous nature of the Ghana-Burkina Faso border, coupled with the absence of effective
screening systems and security outposts, presents a challenge to border security officials in
effectively screening people who enter the country or accurately estimate the number of
Burkinabe refugees in the country. This comes with it the risk of violent extremists’ elements
having an easy entry into the country through the porous borders to radicalize and recruit
vulnerable young people especially.
Left unattended, the prevailing refugee situation, influx of irregular migrants via unapproved
routes, coupled with prevailing local social and economic conditions pose a risk of triggering
conflicts between host border communities in northern Ghana and the refugee/settler
population, which could be leveraged by VEOs to destabilize northern Ghana and the country
as a whole. In addition, the high poverty, unemployment, and growing risks of food insecurity
further pushes the population (host community and refugee) into increased vulnerability to
radicalization and recruitment by violent extremists.
It is against this backdrop that STAR-Ghana Foundation is implementing the Building
Resilience Against Violent Extremism (BRAVE) project in vulnerable communities, aimed at
building resilience of vulnerable populations and communities against radicalization and
violent extremism. To this end, SGF seeks a consultant to conduct a baseline survey to help
understand the status of key indicators of vulnerability to violent extremism across selected
border communities including Garu, Sapelga and Felmour and validate the project’s results
framework. The project has a specific target on host community and refugee youth and
women in these communities, and will be implemented around the following outcomes and
outputs:
A. Outcome 1: Vulnerable women from host and refugee communities have increased
economic resilience.
1 https://africacenter.org/spotlight/burkina-faso-crisis-continues-to-spiral/
2 https://adf-magazine.com/2023/11/u-n-warns-of-tipping-point-as-hunger-violence-worsen/
– Vocational training and seed grants provided to vulnerable women from host
communities.
– Market skills training and support to vulnerable women from host communities
that have received the vocational training/grants.
– Market skills training and support to vulnerable women from Burkinabe refugee
communities.
B. Outcome 2: Youth from host and refugee communities have increased sense of
purpose and critical thinking.
– Training for at-risk youth on critical thinking and digital literacy.
Purpose and Objectives of the baseline
The purpose of this baseline to provide a rapid understanding of the vulnerability of the
selected communities and targeted populations to radicalization and violent extremism that
will provide status on all project indicators at the outset against which targets will be set and
subsequent progress and changes will be measured. It is intended to provide a basis for
progress on indicators at the output and outcome levels to be measured and tracked over the
project period and beyond. The final baseline report will therefore be useful as a monitoring,
evaluation and learning tool on the project.
Approach and scope of work
A mixed method approach, making use of both qualitative and quantitative methods is
recommended for this assignment. It will involve secondary data sourced from desk review of
relevant literature. Primary data will be sourced from engagements with stakeholders and
members of project communities as well as relevant state and non-state institutions, using
Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and Focused Group Discussions (FGDs). Data collection is
expected to cover all three project communities using appropriate sampling procedure.
The consultant will be required to develop comprehensive methodology and propose data
collection tools for discussion with and approval by the project team.

Management and support
– The consultant will report to the Executive Director of STAR-Ghana Foundation through
the Results and Learning Manager.
– The Results & Learning Manager and the Head of Programmes will provide strategic
level support and supervision necessary for the timely execution of deliverables.
– The Project Manager will provide technical and operational support to the Consultant
to facilitate the delivery of the assignment.
Qualifications
The preferred consultant will meet the following minimum specifications:
– Hold at least a master’s degree in a relevant field with a strong background in research.
– Highly proficient in both quantitative and qualitative research.
– Have demonstrable experience and record in undertaking similar assignments. The
candidate’s knowledge and experience in conducting assessments especially within
the regions of this project including the local language will be assessed. Specifically,
the candidate’s ability to develop appropriate tools and coordinate quality data
collection and analysis will be prioritized.
– A strong understanding and experience working on similar assignments on themes
relevant to the concept of violent extremism or peacebuilding/conflict resolution
mechanisms is required.
– Skilled and experienced in development and deployment of data collection tools
including electronic data collection tools like kobotoolbox.
– Ability and availability to travel to the field for the purposes of data collection and as
would be necessary for completing the assignment.
– Have good understanding of conflict and cultural sensitivity around the theme for the
assignment.
– Excellent written and communication skills
Please note that this is only the minimum requirement, and that final selection will be based
on an assessment of the quality of all EOIs that will be received for this assignment. Therefore,
merely meeting the minimum requirements above does not necessarily guarantee selection
for the assignment.
Expression of Interest
Interested consultant(s) should share a technical proposal that includes the following:
– A short 1/2-page proposal that reflects your own understanding of the assignment.
– Indicative timelines for delivery of the main activities
– Financial proposal for the assignment
– Profile and CV of the consultant(s)
– Overview and evidence of relevant assignments in the last 5 years (Kindly attach 1or 2
recent survey reports)
– At least 3 references client organizations and key contact persons (include name; email
address and mobile number)