Job Description

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Political Economy Analysis (PEA) Consultant

Background

Lafiya is the UK Government’s flagship health systems strengthening and reform programme in Nigeria, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and delivered by Palladium. Running from 2020 to 2028, it provides embedded technical assistance to federal, state and local institutions to accelerate sustainable reform and improve outcomes for Nigeria’s most vulnerable populations.

The programme operates at federal level, in the Federal Capital Territory, and across five priority states: Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa, Borno and Yobe. It supports 138 Local Government Areas and has three overarching objectives: to catalyse Nigeria’s political and financial commitment to health, especially for the poorest; strengthen upstream systems for basic health and nutrition services; and increase uptake of modern contraceptives among women of reproductive age.

Lafiya’s defining feature is its politically informed, embedded approach, which translates national policy into effective state-level implementation. It is aligned with government priorities, including the Health Sector Wide Approach, Annual Operational Plans, budgets and the HOPE PHC reform agenda, and works with financing mechanisms such as HOPE PHC and BHCPF 2.0 to unlock sustainable health financing at scale. The programme scope from April 2026 to September 2028 is organised around five output areas:

• Output 1: Strengthened governance to improve coverage and delivery of integrated health services
• Output 2: Strengthened health financing, including through DRM, improving efficiency, increasing financial protection, and by leveraging financing at scale
• Output 3: Support to address human resources bottlenecks including health workforce migration
• Output 4: Strengthened health information systems, including using data for decision making, and harnessing digital health
• Output 5: Improved availability and sustainability of quality health commodities, including family planning

Cross‑cutting priorities, SRHR, nutrition, health security, climate adaptation, and resilience are integrated throughout, ensuring reforms deliver inclusive and sustainable health outcomes.

The Lafiya Programme supports strengthened governance, sustainable health financing, and resilient health systems in Nigeria. Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is a growing cross-sectoral challenge that impacts health security, healthcare quality, livestock production, food safety, environmental health, and economic development, requiring coordinated One Health action.

Nigeria's National Action Plan on AMR (2024-2028) and investments from the Fleming Fund and other partners have strengthened AMR coordination, surveillance, laboratory systems, stewardship, and policy development. Sustaining and scaling these gains, however, requires stronger government ownership, enhanced institutional accountability, improved integration of AMR into planning and budgeting processes, and more effective partner coordination.

To inform future programming, Lafiya seeks a rapid Political Economy Analysis (PEA) of AMR in Nigeria. Building on existing AMR, Fleming Fund, sustainability, and stakeholder evidence, the analysis will examine the political, institutional, and financing factors that influence AMR prioritisation, resource allocation, coordination, and implementation. It will identify practical opportunities to strengthen government-led AMR financing, governance, and multisectoral action within the broader context of health security, primary healthcare, universal health coverage, food safety, and agricultural development.

Purpose and objective

The consultancy will undertake a rapid Political Economy Analysis (PEA) of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in Nigeria to generate strategic insights that inform future AMR financing, governance, and stakeholder engagement. The analysis will identify the political, institutional, and financial factors that shape AMR prioritization, resource allocation, coordination, and implementation, and provide practical recommendations to strengthen sustainable government-led action.

Key Objectives

• Analyze the governance, decision-making, and institutional landscape influencing AMR across the human, animal, agricultural, food safety, and environmental health sectors.
• Assess the extent to which AMR is integrated into policy, planning, budgeting, financing, and implementation processes at federal and selected subnational levels.
• Examine stakeholder interests, incentives, influence, capacities, and partnerships affecting AMR prioritization and action.
• Explore opportunities to position AMR within broader national development, health security, public health, and agricultural priorities.
• Identify systemic barriers, coordination challenges, accountability gaps, and opportunities to strengthen government ownership and multisectoral collaboration.
• Assess politically and financially feasible pathways for advancing AMR priorities, including potential financing mechanisms, strategic partnerships, and advocacy approaches.
• Provide actionable recommendations for government, FCDO, Lafiya, and partners to strengthen AMR governance, financing, and implementation in the short, medium, and long term.

Reports to: The AMR PEA Consultant will report directly to the Lafiya National Team Leader

Duration: The consultancy will run from October 2026 to January 2027

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

Scope of Work

The consultant will undertake a rapid, politically informed One Health Political Economy Analysis (PEA) to identify the institutional, financial, and stakeholder dynamics influencing AMR prioritization, financing, and implementation in Nigeria. Key responsibilities will include:

Inception and Analytical Framework

• Develop and agree an analytical approach, scope, methodology, stakeholder engagement strategy, and workplan for the assessment.
• Establish a robust analytical framework to examine governance, decision-making, incentives, financing, institutional capacity, and pathways for sustainable AMR action.
• Define the federal focus and identify selected subnational perspectives to provide contextual insights and comparative learning.

Evidence Review and Analysis

• Review relevant AMR, One Health, health, agriculture, food safety, environmental health, financing, planning, and governance policies, strategies, and programme documentation.
• Synthesize existing evidence and knowledge on AMR implementation, sustainability, coordination, and financing, identifying critical gaps and opportunities to inform future action.
• Build on existing analyses and assessments to ensure complementarity and avoid duplication.

Stakeholder and Institutional Assessment

• Analyze the roles, mandates, interests, influence, incentives, capacities, and relationships of key stakeholders across government, academia, professional associations, civil society, private sector, legislature, and development partners.
• Assess formal and informal governance and coordination mechanisms that shape AMR decision-making and implementation.
• Examine ownership, sustainability, and transition considerations for donor-supported AMR investments and functions.

Financing and Governance Analysis

• Assess how AMR priorities are reflected within planning, budgeting, financing, procurement, and implementation processes.
• Identify key political, institutional, and fiscal factors that influence resource allocation and prioritization of AMR interventions.
• Explore sustainable financing pathways and opportunities to strengthen domestic ownership and investment in AMR action.

Strategic Positioning and Opportunities

• Examine how AMR aligns with broader national priorities, including health security, universal health coverage, primary healthcare, maternal and child health, livestock productivity, food safety, and agricultural transformation.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen integration of AMR within existing systems, programmes, and investment platforms.
• Assess strategic narratives, partnerships, and advocacy approaches that could enhance political commitment and resource mobilization for AMR.

Recommendations and Stakeholder Engagement

• Develop practical, prioritized, and politically feasible recommendations to strengthen AMR governance, financing, coordination, and sustainability.
• Identify potential coalitions, champions, and engagement strategies to advance government-led AMR action.
• Facilitate stakeholder validation and dissemination processes to build consensus and ownership of findings and recommendations.
• Produce final outputs, including a concise implementation-oriented action and recommendations framework.

Expected Deliverables

S/NSpecific Activity Expected Outputs 1Inception and analytical framework Inception report; refined questions and scope; methodology; stakeholder map and interview plan; document request; workplan; risk and ethics protocol 2 Desk review and evidence-gap analysis Desk-review synthesis; evidence matrix; preliminary hypotheses; map of relevant policies, plans, budgets, costing, transition and handover materials 3 Stakeholder consultations and process tracing Interview records/secure notes; updated stakeholder and influence map; selected decision/process traces; emerging-findings memo 4 Political economy and financing analysis Institutional and incentive analysis; budget and financing pathway analysis; competition/complementarity analysis; preliminary entry points 5 Draft report and decision products Draft PEA report; draft executive summary; draft financing, governance and partner-engagement recommendations; presentation deck 6 Dissemination and validation workshop Workshop agenda and materials; facilitation of one dissemination/validation workshop; participant feedback; workshop report and recommendation/action matrix 7 Finalization Final PEA report; 4–6 page policy brief; final presentation deck; stakeholder/partner engagement roadmap; anonymised evidence annex and final action matrix

Required Qualifications:

• Advanced degree in political science, political economy, public policy, economics, public health, health financing, development studies, governance, or a related field.
• At least 10 years of relevant professional experience, including substantial experience conducting political economy, governance, institutional, public-finance, or health-systems analysis.
• Demonstrated experience in Nigeria’s health sector and strong understanding of federal and state governance, planning, budgeting, public financial management, and partner coordination.
• Strong knowledge of AMR and the One Health context or demonstrated ability to apply political economy analysis to complex multisectoral health-security issues.
• Proven experience with stakeholder and power mapping, qualitative interviewing, process tracing, institutional analysis, and synthesis of politically sensitive evidence.
• Experience analyzing domestic financing, donor transition, sustainability, or institutionalization of externally supported programmes.
• Excellent facilitation, analytical writing, presentation, and communication skills, with the ability to translate complex findings into practical recommendations for senior decision-makers.

Desirable:

• Prior work on AMR, the Fleming Fund, NAP implementation, health security, UHC/PHC financing, agriculture or livestock governance, and/or development-partner transition in Nigeria or comparable settings.

Employment Type: Consultancy

Compensation Type: Daily

Our company provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics.