Benedict Akansiima

CURRICULUM VITAE OF BENEDICT AKANSIIMA August 2020 Name: Benedict Akansiima Profession: Economist Contact: - Email: - Date of Birth: 26/01/1989 Nationality: Ugandan Years of Experience: 8 years and 5 months Membership in Professional Societies: N/A Detailed Tasks Assigned: Key Qualifications Benedict is currently a Grants Coordinator with Restless Development, a youth-led Development Agency. He has over 8 years’ experience in programme and grants management and overall programme support. Benedict is in charge of compliance with financial regulations, contributing to overall financial management of grants, and managing donor relations, including reporting on the 8 programmes being implemented by the organisation. Restless Development has also partnered with UNFPA on design of an out of school youth programme in West Nile, Northern Uganda, and Karamoja sub region, targeting young women and girls in host communities and refugees. He also worked as a Grants Officer with Deloitte (Uganda) Limited where he was tasked with oversight of the programme on HIV / AIDS and support to vulnerable children. Under this programme, he was in charge of a grant portfolio of 16 NGO’s; over seeing their funds advances, ensuring timely financial reporting and supporting capacity building interventions. Benedict also previously worked as a Junior Negotiator with Total E&P in Uganda, on the East African Crude Oil Pipeline project, where he was responsible for financial projections and forecasting for the crude oil pipeline. Previously he was an Economist with the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development under the Financial Management and Accountability Programme funded by the European Union and GIZ. On that programme, he provided support to the Ministry of Local Government, in planning, budgeting and reporting processes. He also trained their staff on the new online performance-based budgeting system. He has also honed other skills like business process improvement, mapping and job design, value chain analysis, and strategy and operations consulting. Benedict has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Economics from Uganda Martyrs University and has recently completed an M.A in Economic Policy and Management from Makerere University Kampala. EDUCATION: Completion Date Institution 2021 Post Graduate Diploma in Project Planning and Management Uganda Management Institute 2020 M.A in Economic Policy and Management 1 Makerere University Kampala 2011 Bachelor of Science in Business Economics Uganda Martyrs University EMPLOYMENT RECORD: From Feb 2018 - To date: Jan 2017 – Jan 2018 Apr 2016 – Dec 2016 Apr 2012 – Apr 2016 Organisation and Designation Restless Development Grants Coordinator Total E&P Uganda Junior Negotiator Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development Economist Deloitte (Uganda) Ltd Grants Officer Languages: Language Speaking Reading English Fluent Fluent Fluent German Fluent Fluent Fluent Fluent Fluent Advanced Rukiga/Runyankore Writing Selected Relevant Experience: Organisation or institution Nature of Assignment Restless Development February 2018 – To date 1. Restless Development is a youth-led Development Agency implementing youth programmes in the areas of livelihoods, governance, and sexual and reproductive health and human rights and human security. The organisation’s interventions focus on empowering young people from marginalised backgrounds in Central, Eastern, Northern and North Eastern Uganda, to improve their lives and those of their communities. The programmes tackle economic exclusion of women and girls, gender-based violence, Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), governance and civic awareness, inclusion work with young PWDs, and teen mothers in rural areas among others. The organisation is also supporting natural resource interventions that support communities in conserving natural resources (water sources) and equitable use e.g. communal wells and shallow wells and improved agricultural practices 2 that conserve soil fertility and agro-forestation practices. Through these interventions, the programme is supporting the set up of community-based reconciliation mechanisms for conflict prevention and peacebuilding, and capacity building of local leaders to resolve intercommunal conflict through mediation, arbitration, and reconciliation. Women and Youth have also been encouraged to engage in peacebuilding activities. All these interventions are aimed at improving equitable access to basic social services. As a Grants Coordinator involved with monitoring compliance and evaluation of field programmes, Benedict provides programme management support to the 8 programmes being implemented in the areas of contract management, donor compliance and relationship management, financial management, reporting, and programme monitoring. Role: Grants Coordinator Benedict’s specific roles are to; ● Overall support to programme management. ● Organise and lead grant inception meetings to induct implementing staff on grant requirements. ● Schedule and coordinate monthly programme status meetings to monitor progress against activities, M&E targets and spend, as well as compliance to contractual terms for key restricted grants. ● Produce monthly program status reports for early identification of any challenges and risks in grant spend and implementation which may jeopardise good relations with donors ● Management of partnerships and communications with donors i.e. UN Agencies, Bi-laterals, Multi-laterals, trusts and foundations and partner NGOs ● Update Leadership Team on grant performance on a monthly basis ● Deliver high quality editing of reports to ensure an accurate picture of progress is presented and donor commitments are met ● Work together with the Programmes and M&E teams to align internal systems with donor reporting requirements ● Conduct research on prospective donors and funding opportunities ● Coordinate and support development of proposals, concept notes and other fundraising documents ● Improve and maintain specialized systems and tools for recording and tracking grant proposals, awards, and related statistical information. ● Creates and distributes standard and special reports, studies, summaries, and analyses, as required ● Liaison with partners and donors on grant management issues ● Participate in budget reforecasting for all grants on a quarterly basis ● Liaise with the Logistics team to ensure effective donor 3 ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Deloitte (Uganda) Limited assets management Lead on grants close out process and ensure grant close out files including timesheets are electronically and physically kept in line with our policies and procedures Work with the Finance team to lead on required grant no cost extensions (NCEs) Work with the Finance and OHR teams on monthly staff time allocations Filing of donor and partner contracts and communications (soft and hard copies) Ongoing maintenance of partnerships documentation for audit purposes Preparation of required documentation i.e. contracts for internal and external audits, spot checks, and donor financial assessment Work closely with the Head of Program and Partnerships to support on the implementation of recommendations from audits for the Fundraising and Partnerships Unit Ensure grant compliance in different processes: procurement, communications, reporting, budget management, etc. Maintain a system for timely submission of high-quality donor reports Coordinate and follow up with Programmes, M&E and Finance staff for input and additional information into donors’ reports Work closely with the Finance team to support the preparation of donor financial reports for small and medium-term grants Induction of new staff and ongoing training of current staff on grant management and donor reporting requirements Logistical preparations for donor visits and visits from the International Investments and Partnerships team Support Head of Programs and Partnerships to prepare for internal and external audits Ad-hoc administrative tasks as required Fund Management Agent Role: Grants Officer USAID - Civil Society Fund (CSF) – (April 2012-March 2016) Financial and Grant Management Deloitte was commissioned by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to provide financial and grant management services for a multi-donor (USAID, SIDA, and DANIDA) funded Civil Society Fund (CSF) in Uganda. The fund was setup to support CBOs and NGOs to reduce the prevalence of HIV/AIDs, and protection of orphans and vulnerable children in the country. The programme was implemented in over 40 districts in Uganda. Benedict was the Grants Officer on this project, and key responsibilities included concept note/proposal reviews, pre-award assessments of eligible projects, financial monitoring, programme support and grants disbursement to an allocated portfolio and annual implementation monitoring and evaluation of completed projects. 4 Benedict’s roles were; ● Under the supervision of the Senior Grants Manager, programme support and coordinating the grant making process from solicitation to contracting. ● Participating in the grant making processes from solicitation to contracting and ensuring that all documentation for these stages was filed in soft and hard copy according to the filing guidelines that were on the CSF server. ● Ensuring timely disbursement of grants on a quarterly basis. ● Monitoring sub grantee advance and liquidation balances closely and updating the grants tracking sheet on a weekly basis. Reviewing all advances to ensure that they met the standards of allowable, allocable and reasonable parameters. ● Reviewing financial reports from sub grantees to ensure financial compliance against grant budgets. Reviewing all accountabilities and affirming that activities carried out agreed to the budget contained in the signed contract, and any variances were acted upon in a timely manner. Ensuring that the turnaround time from receipt of accountabilities to advance of next funds did not exceed 5 working days. ● Following the review of accountabilities, summarizing the areas of weakness identified for each of the sub grantees where applicable. This summary was submitted to the Senior Grants Officer to facilitate in the planning of targeted capacity building and further action. Submission of these summaries was required by end of the month in which accountabilities were being reviewed. ● Conducting financial monitoring and spot checks of the sub grantees’ projects to provide assurance that they were operating within the financial management best practices. Written reports from these exercises were shared with the CSF/PF management and also maintained in the sub grantee files in soft and hard copies. ● Ensuring sub grantees under his portfolio submitted their quarter reports (technical and financial) by the 10th day of the following month after the quarter. Ensuring that all issues arising from the accountability reviews were addressed in a timely manner to meet the turnaround time deadline. ● Participating in joint activities with the other Civil Society Fund agents like Chemonics the (Technical Management Agent). These activities included annual work planning, joint support supervision, and other activities as they were developed. ● Responsible for tracking portfolio turnaround time. This required specifying the date of receipt of financial report and accountabilities as well as the date when the funds were sent to the sub grantee account. These were then updated on the turnaround time log. This task helped to improve the efficiency of operations within the Fund Management Agent. 5 Total E&P Uganda ● Providing capacity building assistance to sub grantees. This involved providing supportive supervision through field visits, email and telephone calls. Trainings and one-on-one sessions were conducted as well. The Grants Officer was responsible for providing financial management support to the sub grantees in their portfolio. ● Responsible for all documentation in soft and hard copy for the sub grantees in his portfolio. This required keeping all reports, emails, contracts, budgets, proposals and any other information pertaining to the sub grantees under their portfolio. Storage of these files was in hard copy using box files and in soft copy on the Civil Society Fund programme server. ● Responsible for the updating of sub grantee contacts on the contacts file which was on the server. These contacts were updated whenever there were changes in the sub grantees’ management/contact persons to enable the CSF to have updated contact persons’ list. January 2017 – January 2018 Total E&P is one of the leading Global Oil exploration companies and began operations in the Lake Albert region districts of Buliisa and Nwoya (now the Tilenga project). The oil projects will lead to an increase in jobs for the local people, hence improving their livelihoods and the development of infrastructure, like roads in the exploration areas will also foster economic development and trade. The oil resources mined will also boost government revenues through taxation and export of crude oil and refined products. Total is leading the development activities towards production in the Tilenga project area, where majority of the activities are based in the Murchison Falls National Park. Total has social, environment and biodiversity experts who ensure, on a daily basis, that activities are carried out with respect to the environment, tourism and biodiversity. The company and its partners are also currently undertaking the development of the longest electrically heated pipeline in the world, the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). As a Junior Negotiator, Benedict was part of the commercial team on the East African Crude Oil Pipeline Project (EACOP) tasked with; ● Participating in discussions with Governments and drafting of the Inter-Governmental Agreements and Host Government Agreements as well as fiscal negotiation and provision of economic simulations. ● Participating in the preparation of agreement structures and associated documents in relation to the pipeline project. ● Participating in the development and maintenance of the project model in liaison with the Company’s headquarters. Building the projects documentation system. ● Liaising with the Finance team for purposes of budgeting and cost control. ● Supporting the commercial Manager, Finance and Legal Advisors in development of project finance; and 6 ● Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development Liaising with Financiers, and project partners for the creation of the Pipeline Company and related negotiations with partners April 2016 – December 2016 The Government of Uganda was implementing the Third Financial Management and Accountability Programme (FINMAP III) funded by the European Union and GIZ, with the primary purpose to strengthen Public Financial Management (PFM) at all levels of government to ensure efficient, effective, transparent, equitable and accountable use of public resources as a basis for improved service delivery. Benedict was assigned to support the Ministry of Local Government in planning, budgeting accountability and financial reporting processes. As an Economist on the programme, Benedict was tasked with; ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Designing and formulation of Sector policies, strategies, plans and projects. Responsible for the preparation and formulation of sectoral budgets and programmes in line with national strategic objectives and national development plans. Regular analyses and interpretation of economic and sector data relevant for planning and budgeting purposes in line with the Poverty Reduction Strategy Plans (PRSPs). Carry out macro-economic analysis and forecasting. Coordinating the implementation of fiscal and monetary policies. In charge of coordinating sectoral development plans. Responsible for monitoring and evaluation of the budget and producing budget analytical and performance reports on behalf of the Ministry of Local Government; and Conducting research and analysis on sector issues to improve performance. Management Consulting Experience: Client Nature of Assignment National Agriculture Advisory Services (NAADS), Uganda Market Studies and Value Chain Analyses Role: Support Consultant NAADS December 2013 – August 2014 National Agriculture Advisory Services (NAADS) was established by the Government of Uganda under the Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP) which was established in 1997. The reforms included a Public Service Reform Program (PSRP) now in its third phase of implementation; that endeavours to attain efficient and effective management of public service machinery to facilitate national development. NAADS mission is to contribute to the transformation of the agricultural sector through the provision of agricultural inputs, agribusiness and value chain development for improved household food security and incomes. Deloitte was selected by the National Agricultural Advisory 7 Services (NAADS) to conduct Market Studies and a Value Chain Analysis of five selected enterprises: citrus, ground nuts, cassava, poultry and fish (aquaculture) in Uganda. NAADS mandate is to;     Increase access to critical and quality Agricultural Inputs for smallholder farmers including Women, Youth, Older persons and People with disability (PWDs). Support the development of Agriculture commodity value chains through provision of Agribusiness Value Addition, and Marketing linkage services. Facilitating farmer groups/cooperatives to access appropriate agricultural financial services. Strengthening institutional and collaboration frameworks to enhance operational effectiveness and efficiency. The team carried out a comprehensive analysis of each enterprise with a specific emphasis on the prevailing market opportunities at local, national, and regional levels. We analysed the existing value chains for each enterprise, highlighting the opportunities and constraints at each stage of production that is, production, processing and value addition Benedict was tasked with: ● Carrying out preliminary data collection on the selected value chains i.e. aquaculture, poultry, cassava, ground nuts and citrus; ● Assessing the supply-demand situations for the selected value chains. ● Carrying out sector analysis and mapping. ● Conducting interviews of the various stakeholders in the selected value chains and market analysis. ● Carrying out data collection on the selected value chains. ● Carrying out analysis of challenges and opportunities faced by the 5 selected value chains. ● Vetting of findings of chain analysis through stakeholder workshops; and ● Developing a final report showing reviewed and finalized market studies and value chain analyses for the five selected enterprises. CIC Insurance Company Strategy Formulation Role: Consultant CIC Insurance Company 2014 Deloitte was contracted by CIC Insurance Company Kenya to aid in Strategy Formulation in line with plans to expand their operations into Uganda, Malawi and Rwanda. Benedict was tasked with ● Carrying out research on insurance industry in Uganda, Malawi and Rwanda, ● Doing data analysis to establish the extent of insurance sector growth for a period of five years -) in Malawi, Uganda and Rwanda ● Establishing the level of knowledge on insurance by individuals in rural and urban areas; 8 ● Studying the legal and regulatory frameworks in place in line with financial services. ● Conducting competitor analysis of other insurance players already in the market. Bank of Uganda, Uganda Business Process Re-engineering and Job Design Role: Support Consultant-Process/IT Bank of Uganda- (March 2013- June 2013) Financial and Grant Management Deloitte was contracted by the Bank of Uganda to provide consultancy services to conduct a Business Process ReEngineering and Job Design. The purpose of this consultancy was to identify and align the Bank of Uganda’s business processes and jobs to the Balanced Scorecard in accordance with the mission and vision of the Bank, to foster price stability and a sound financial system. In this assignment, Deloitte carried out the following tasks.  Conducted discussions and consultations with the Board, executive Committee, Management and any other stakeholders as need arises.  Reviewed the bank’s Strategic Plan.  Reviewed the bank’s functions and business processes including macro and micro organisational structures and recommend appropriate organograms in line with the Bank’s strategic plan.  Reviewed the current job descriptions and specifications and make appropriate recommendations.  Reviewed available skills and competencies and match them with existing/ new jobs.  Identified skills and competencies that are lacking and make appropriate recommendations.  Compiled a comprehensive competency dictionary for the Bank.  Reviewed HR policies that may hinder attainment of the Bank strategic objectives and make appropriate recommendations and/ or modifications.  Reviewed the departmental operations manuals and recommend standardised formats and content.  Benchmarked the Bank’s Business processes and procedures in line with international best practices including sister Central banks in the Region. Benedict was a Consultant, part of the IT/Process work stream that conducted the above roles, focusing on the Operations function of the Central Bank, conducting in depth reviews of the processes in the different departments and units under the Operations function i.e. Payments and Settlements, Banking, Currency, Financial Stability and Supervision departments. Referees: 1. Sylvan Kaboha Deputy Head of Strategic Planning and Development Infectious Diseases Institute P.O Box 22418, Kampala -- 9 2. Najib Seguya Grants Manager Tetra Tech ARD Bugolobi Kampala, Uganda --3. Mabel Ndawula Partner Deloitte (Uganda) Limited Rwenzori House, 1 Lumumba Avenue P.O Box 10314, Kampala -- Certification: I, the undersigned, certify that to the best of my knowledge and belief, this data correctly describes me, my qualifications, and my experience. Date: 16/09/2020 Day/Month/Year Full name: Benedict Akansiima 10