Delivering the Full Value Potential of the AGI Senior Advisors Group: Rationale for Proposed Modifications to the Cooperative Agreement and Work Plan for 2016

The programme aimed to help develop and build support for a politically feasible route to reform and create the mechanisms to monitor and drive implementation. Following discussions between AGI and the USAID Power Africa team, it was agreed to modify the Cooperative Agreement #AID-623-A-14-00001 between USAID and the Tony Blair Africa Governance Initiative. The proposed amendments sought to adjust the initial plans and model of support to fit the expanded footprint of Power Africa and to factor in lessons learnt since the start of the programme. The revised model of support allows for a more flexible and responsive approach, enabling AGI to cover a broader set of countries and deploy Senior Advisors in a more opportunistic way. Senior Advisors can be deployed in all countries benefiting from support from Power Africa and its partners, when there is a clear rationale for Senior Advisor engagement to help the Government advance specific reforms, development plans, or projects. The revised model of support is designed to provide high-level advice and troubleshooting on issues most critical to the achievement of Power Africa's targets. Senior Advisors will aim to provide support at critical moments and offer catalytic interventions that 'move the needle'. They will provide advice to political leadership as they work through thorny policy issues and support the Government by acting as a mediating party to help escape a deadlock on a specific issue, transaction, or project. The implementation of the revised SAG programme will be achieved through two complementary approaches. AGI will pursue the work initiated in Nigeria and Sierra Leone, where strong Government demand, clear transformative roadmaps, and solid existing relationships allow for a comprehensive package of in-country Resident Advisor support, coupled with sustained and frequent engagement by a set of Senior Advisors. AGI will also deploy Senior Advisors in a more flexible and responsive way through a broader set of countries, when there is a need or opportunity to support the political leadership to think through reform or policy matters or to help unlock a bottleneck that can only be addressed at the highest levels of Government. The selection of countries and issues benefiting from support from the SAG programme is achieved in a number of ways, though always in close collaboration with Power Africa teams. There are a number of criteria which should always be considered, including the level of Government demand, the clarity of transformative roadmaps, and the existence of solid relationships between AGI and the Government. The programme will also consider the need for Senior Advisor engagement to help the Government advance specific reforms, development plans, or projects. The revised cooperative agreement will allow for the deployment of Senior Advisors in up to eight countries over the duration of the programme. The flexibility offered by AGI will need to come with a cap on the total number of countries where Senior Advisors get deployed, in order to allow for the right level of depth and follow-up of Senior Advisors' support in each country. The work plan for 2016 will focus on consolidating AGI SAG support in previously agreed focus countries, exploring opportunities to deploy support in an expanded set of countries, and providing support in at least two additional countries. The programme will also focus on strengthening collaboration and playing a coordinating role with other groups offering high-level advice, such as the Africa Energy Leaders Group (ALEG).