Consultancy Services to Strengthen Development of the West Africa Regional Poultry Value Chain

Background

The African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) is a specialized Technical Office of the Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture of the African Union Commission. It’s mandate is to support and coordinate the sustainable development and utilization of animal resources (livestock, fisheries and wildlife) to enhance nutrition and food security and contribute to the wellbeing and prosperity of the people in the Member States of the African Union (AU). AU-IBAR accomplishes its mandate through supporting and empowering the AU Member States, the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and other stakeholders in the sector. AU-IBAR’s vision is of an Africa in which animal resources contribute significantly to the reduction of poverty and hunger.

A European Union funded AU-IBAR Project, Pan-Africa Support to the AU-IBAR for the Sustainable Development of Livestock for Livelihoods in Africa (Live2Africa) Project, aims to strengthen the systemic capacity of continental, regional and national livestock sector stakeholders for the economically, environmentally and socially sustainable transformation of the livestock sector. The Live2Africa Project is developed along seven Results aligned to the Livestock Development Strategy for Africa (LiDeSA): Result 1: Investments in livestock value chains (LVCs) are increased; Result 2: Animal Health Delivery Services are improved; Result 3: Animal Production, Productivity and Ecosystem Management are enhanced; Result 4: Resilience of Livestock Production Systems are strengthened; Result 5: Technology adoption in the Livestock Value Chains is increased; Result 6: Access to inputs, services, markets and value addition are increased; Result 7: AU-IBAR capacities are strengthened.

The Live2Africa Project pioneers a comprehensive and integrated continental initiative that addresses all the subcomponents of livestock development utilizing a value chain approach, focusing on selected priority regional livestock value chains. In February 2019 in Nairobi Kenya, a Stakeholder Prioritization Exercise identified six regional livestock value chains, including the West Africa Regional Poultry Value Chain (RPVC). This strategic decision is in line with the ECOWAS 2025 Strategy, developed after the review of the implementation of the ECOWAS Agricultural Policy (ECOWAP). The Regional Poultry Value Chain (RPVC) is a core element of the agricultural economy of the West African community. FAOSTAT (2018) estimated the poultry stock in this space at more than 520 million heads, representing 27% of continental stocks. The region produced more than 680,000 tons of poultry meat in 2017, or 50.22% of the consumption volume estimated at around 1.354 million tons on the same date. Demand therefore outstrips domestic supply, leading to an import of more than 674,000 tons of chicken in 2017. However, since the avian flu crisis and the guidelines given both by the continental commitments (Malabo) on agriculture transformation for shared prosperity and by ECOWAP +25, many governments within the community have taken measures to: (i) limit imports of poultry meat; and (ii) massively invest in this sub-sector. However, poultry consumption per capita was estimated at 1.77 kg in 2017, far from world standards (14 kg in 2017). There are therefore significant lines of action to be implemented to improve avian productivity and production in order to better position this subsector products in the diets of regional populations.

The West African sub-sector still faces many problems and challenges, the most important of which are relate to:

• The limited professionalization of stakeholders in the poultry value chains, for which there is little information on their level of structuring and organization. The West African poultry sub-sector is made up of two value chains: (i) that of traditional livestock rearing, which is by far the most important; and (ii) the modern poultry industry which is increasingly gaining momentum in many countries, notably coastal states (Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Senegal). Fully-fledged national value chains are emerging in many countries around the so-called modern sectors, but for which the level of structuring, the scope, and the contribution to the agro-food economy of each country and region are not well documented. The challenge for the region is to get a complete mapping of regional poultry value chains, to guide public and private sector actions.
• The poor intra-regional trade in poultry products. According to Comtrade, intra-community trade in poultry products represents around 1.45% of West African regional production volume. It comprises of three product components: (i) the marketing of live products, in particular day-old chicks and poultry from traditional farming; (ii) transactions involving offals which essentially relate to the re-export of products imported from the international market; and (iii) the marketing of poultry eggs. The extent of transactions, the marketing channels, actors involved, factors, and other barriers to regional poultry trade are poorly documented. The challenge for the region is to promote intra-community trade in poultry products to strengthen regional integration and the resilience of populations.
• The low level of organization and of structuring of actors in the value chains of poultry sectors. In some countries, consultation frameworks and other inter-professional organizations have emerged in recent years, and set themselves the goal of contributing to creating a conducive environment for the development of the poultry value chains in the region. The degree of inclusion of the various components of the poultry supply chain, the value chain links, the categories of actors (women and youth) is not well documented. Similarly, existing organizations of regional scope are still compartmentalized based on affinities which do not allow effective actions to improve public policies both at national and regional level. The structuring of professionals (ensemble of actors from all links) into functional consultation frameworks is an important issue to be addressed to remove the bottlenecks in the West African poultry value chains.
• The lack of an institutional instrument to boost development policies and strategies for the poultry sub-sector. The issues in the poultry value chains are dealt with, either under steering bodies of the agricultural sector in the broad sense or under those of the livestock sector. This does not make it possible to address all the dimensions and specificities of the constraints that arise in these value chains. The challenge for the region is to set up a body to support the management of all current or planned initiatives, shared by all stakeholders.

In line with these constraints and challenges, a Stocktaking Exercise held in Cairo, Egypt, in August 2019 identified the priority catalytic interventions that will be implemented in partnership between AU-IBAR through the Live2Africa Project and ECOWAS to contribute to boosting the transformation of the West Africa Regional Poultry Value Chain. The overall goal of the 2020 Action Plan is to strengthen knowledge on the ongoing structural dynamics and transformations in poultry value chains in order to define appropriate public policy measures to boost their development.

Specifically, there is a need to:

1. Map out the poultry value chains of the fifteen ECOWAS countries,
2. Assess the functioning of the regional poultry market and the implications of policy measures flowing from it ;
3. Support the structuring of stakeholders into an inter-professional organization or a consultation platform inclusive of the fifteen member states and of women and youth;
4. Institutionalize a regional Task Force to lead initiatives affecting the poultry value chains
5. Hold the inaugural version of the Ibadan Poultry Conference and Exhibition

These activities will be implemented from a regional poultry value chain approach, employing an active research and participatory planning method (MARP) approach which emphasizes engagement of local populations to understand local conditions, and synthesis at regional level to guide development of integrated regional approaches.

Overall Aim of the Consultancies

Informed by the felt needs in the West Africa regional poultry value chain, and the specific catalytic activities identified by stakeholders that will contribute to strengthening of the West Africa regional poultry value chain, the AU-IBAR Live2Africa Project in partnership with ECOWAS calls for applicants to present proposals to undertake the following Consultancies listed below:

Lot 1: Regional Study and Analysis of the State of Organization, Production, Processing and Commodity Development, and Intra-Regional Trade in West Africa’s Poultry Value Chain. Call for a Regional Consultant and National Consultants from the Member States in the Region. Individual Regional Consultant $7,500 and National Consultants $6000.

Lot 2: Mapping of West Africa Poultry Value Chain Sector Stakeholders and Creation of a Private Sector Accessible Data Base, Directory and Community of Practice. Individual Consultant $15,000.

Lot 3: Consultant to Assess, Expand and Strengthen the Interprofessional Poultry Network in West Africa. Individual Consultant $15,000.

Each Consultancy will be guided by Specific Objectives and Tasks and deliver on Expected Outputs as outlined below. Applicants are allowed to apply for multiple Lots, but separate applications must be made for each Lot applied for. AU-IBAR and ECOWAS reserve the right not to select any proposal if none are deemed suitable.

Specific Objectives, Structure, Tasks and Expected Outputs for each Consultancy Lot

Lot 1: Regional Study and Analysis of the State of Organization, Production, Processing and Commodity Development, and Intra-Regional Trade in West Africa’s Poultry Value Chain

Lot 1: Specific Objectives

Poultry value chain analysis is critical in providing a comprehensive understanding of the poultry sector structure and organisation, identify gaps and opportunities that are key in prescribing innovative remedies aimed at transforming the poultry sector growth in ECOWAS region. AU-IBAR seeks to engage consultants (one regional and one for each of the 15 ECOWAS member states), to undertake analysis of the state of organization, input and service provision, production, processing and commodity development, marketing and intra-regional trade, and state and evolution/trends of consumer patterns and demands in the ECOWAS Poultry value chain. The value chain studies for each country and the region seek to answer the following questions:

• (i) What is the structure and character of the poultry industry in each country, the trends over the last 15 – 20 years and emerging issues; and what are the linkages, functionalities and inter-dependencies do the country value chains have with the regional poultry value chain in the ECOWAS region?
• (ii) What are the key elements that define and determine how the national and regional poultry sector is structured and linked up? What are the comparative advantages/disadvantages of the region, what complementarities/colluding factors do the Member States have, what constraints, challenges, opportunities, strengths, weaknesses, gaps and threats does the region have, what are the trends over the last 15 – 20 years, and the emerging issues?
• (iii) What are the key trends in trade (imports and exports) of poultry products in each country and intra-region over the last 15 – 20 years? To include past and current trade policies and regulations, factors affecting trade both in country and region; level of poultry products dumping and impact of Avian Flu on trade
• (iv) What high impact and or catalytic actions and interventions would be necessary at country and at regional levels to upgrade and boost the functionality of the regional poultry value chain, for benefit of both the countries and regional economic bloc?

Lot 1: Structure of Consultancy

• A region wide collaborative effort, with National Consultants from each ECOWAS member state, coordinated by a Regional Consultant for a harmonized approach towards characterizing the nature of the national and regional poultry value chains
• Coordinated clarification and agreement on the interpretation of the Terms of reference, scope of work and timelines, methodology including approach and tools for collecting secondary and primary data and information (including baseline data), data analytical framework, consultative processes, report outlines and development, validation, finalization and development of policy briefs.

Lot 1: Tasks

Tasks for the National Consultants:

• Using primary data, secondary data and review of available literature, characterize the poultry value chain in each country: (status, evolution, trends and emergent issues and direction). This will include but not be limited to analysis of stakeholders and their interactions; consumption and demand analysis; supply chain analysis; Production systems and models, production and productivity potential; processing and value addition, commodity flows and margins across the whole value chain, marketing and trade analysis; the enabling environment including institutional actors and supporting organizations, regulatory and policy framework, infrastructure, and the evolution of the value chain i.e., what were the key drivers and upgrading interventions that brought positive change. Assessment of competitiveness measures including competitive access to capital, scale and utilization of processing capacity; alignment to food safety requirements, innovation and product development, capacity to supply quality poultry products, state of the distribution networks among others. Assessment of how covid-19 disrupted the sector, how it may have changed how business is done and what vulnerabilities, opportunities or gaps it exposed.
• An in-depth articulation of how the country poultry value chain is inextricably linked into the regional poultry value chain and the advantages, complementarities, challenges and barriers for strengthening the regional linkages. What are the critical challenges and constraints at country level and regional that limit capacity to benefit from the regional linkages?
• Analyze the current level of investments in the poultry sector indicating key incentive/disincentives towards accelerated investment to boost sector’s growth.
• Analyze the level of women and youth participation in the poultry sector and identify value chain nods where women and youth can be easily be integrated and mainstreamed.
• Map the priorities for how the national poultry value chain should be strengthened and where the country can benefit from linkages to the region: Consultations (key informant interviews and focused group discussions) to identify what the country considers as priority issues that need a coordinated and harmonized regional approach and strategies to address to enhance the growth and competitiveness of the ECOWAS region poultry value chain
• Participate in the national and regional consultations to validate the value chain analysis reports and, the priorities for the poultry value chain development
• Integrate the feedback to refine and finalize the national and regional poultry value chain analysis.
• Development of a national Policy brief

Tasks for the Regional Consultant:

• The Regional Consultant, in close collaboration with National Consultancies, will undertake an in-depth review of national poultry value chain studies, relevant literature and secondary data consolidate and compile a report on the regional poultry value chain in the West African region. This will include but not be limited to a definition of the over-arching structure and scope of the regional poultry value chain in the region, and analysis of how it is interlinked and the level of integrated in the region, and an in-depth description of the elements of the regional poultry value chain. The analysis will capture the level of harmonization of the institutional, policy and regulatory framework across the region, articulating linkages and how this affects poultry production, processing, value addition, marketing and trade across the region.
• Using the gravity model, assess and analyze poultry and poultry commodities trade patterns across the region taking stock of existing trade policies and regulations and how they are affecting trade flows across the region.
• Identify and articulate the regional comparative advantages and country complementarities, organization of actors, models and dynamics of supply, investment, production, processing and value addition, distribution, markets and marketing, food systems, trade, institutional and governance structures, policy and regulatory frameworks, access to information and data, linkage to overarching continental and regional policies, regional cooperation, preparedness for AfCFTA, best practice and lessons.
• Where there are gaps, or a need for updated data, undertake Identification and filling of data and information gaps through additional analysis and or data and information collection through a mini-survey, key informant and focused group discussions.
• Provide a menu of priorities based on the analysis to boost growth and competitiveness of the Western Africa regional poultry value chain that sets out a shared regional vision for the development of the regional poultry value chain, based on a common understanding of development and business challenges, comparative advantages, and opportunities. Proffer strategic options that build on comparative advantages and complementarities, activate stronger regional levers to harness regional advantages, and coordinate and harmonize actions to address constraints.
• Lead the regional consultation to validate the value chain analysis, harmonization of the country and regional priorities for the development of a competitive regional poultry value chain
• Integrate the feedback to refine and finalize the regional value chain analysis
• Development of a regional Policy brief

Lot 1: Expected Outputs

• A validated national poultry value chain study report for each of the 15 ECOWAS Member State
• A validated regional poultry value chain port for ECOWAS
• 15 National Policy briefs
• 1 regional policy brief

Lot 2: Mapping of West Africa Poultry Value Chain Sector Stakeholders and Creation of a Private Sector Accessible Data Base, Directory and Community of Practice

Lot 2 Specific Objectives and Consultancy Structure:

Poultry value chain mapping of stakeholders supports a better understanding of services rendered and an in-depth knowledge for sustainable structuring of the sector. AU-IBAR seeks to recruit a consultant to map and create a sector database and directory of poultry value chain stakeholders in the ECOWAS region for utilization by the private sector. More specifically the consultant is expected to:

• (i) Identify and profile stakeholders and create a database and directory of private sector players in poultry value chain for each country in ECOWAS region
• (ii) Analyze stakeholder linkages and association within country and regional poultry value chain
• (iii) Establish the structure, size and key competencies of West African actors to support the development of an integrated and differentiated regional supply

Lot 2: Consultancy Structure

• The consultant will be under the supervision of the Director of Agriculture & Rural Development and the Value Chain Expert/Desk Officer at the ECOWAS Commission
• The Consultancy will cover the entire ECOWAS region covering stakeholders in the 15 countries, regional stakeholders, and any continental and global stakeholders that have influence on the regional poultry value chain.

Lot 2: Tasks

• Carryout consultations to identify all stakeholders involved in the development of poultry value chain in each country and region of ECOWAS at large and develop tools to collect and profile the actors and develop a functional database. Stakeholders should be categorized in line with their roles and functions in poultry value chain (e.g., feed supplies, hatcheries, breeders, producers, transporters, exporters, poultry health service providers etc.)
• Analyze the degree and/or how these stakeholders are interlinked, their relationship and level of association at national and regional level in advancing the poultry value chain development. Is there collusion between players or monopolies and interprofessional organizations acting as umbrella bodies?
• Assess the level and quality of service delivery and support that is rendered towards development poultry in each country and region at large.
• Create a comprehensive database and directory of sectors players by their category in the value chain to provide profiles i.e., indicate their georeferenced location, operations and key competencies, structure, areas of operation, size, capacity, with contact details – contact persons, phone, email, and social media contacts
• Evaluate the overall key competencies and structure per country and in the overall region to support development of and integrated and differentiated regional supply and highlight key gaps and deficiencies and strategies for addressing these.
• With support from AU-IBAR Live2Africa Project establish a Community of Practice to create a functional mechanism for access and continuous update of the database, enhanced communication and facilitating business to business linkages among sector players

Lot 2: Expected Outputs

• A regional poultry stakeholder mapping and analysis report integrating all ECOWAS countries
• An online accessible database of sector poultry players by country and across the region
• A functional Community of Practice for poultry sector players across the ECOWAS region

Lot 3: Consultant to Assess, Expand and Strengthen the Interprofessional Poultry Network in West Africa

Lot 3: Specific Objectives

The low level of poultry value chains actors’ organization (including youth and women) in the ECOWAS region presents a major challenge for empowering sector actors to contribute towards organizing actors, especially women and youth and building their capacities, and contributing to creating a conducive environment for the development of the regional poultry value chain. AU-IBAR seeks to engage a Consultant to:

• (i) Assess the status, structure and organization of the existing interprofessional poultry networks in the ECOWAS region and their capacity and impact in contributing to creation of an enabling environment for the growth of the regional poultry value chain
• (ii) Map and identify areas for strengthening the structure and organisation of interprofessional networks (ensemble of actors from all links) into functional multi-stakeholder network with requisite capacities to mobilize and unite actors, build capacities of actors, set agendas, advocate, lobby and influence for removal of constraints and bottlenecks for a more enabling environment for the development of the West African poultry value chain.
• (iii) Support mobilisation, organisational and advocacy capacity of the established interprofessional organisation.
• (iv) Provide support for the establishment of a new interprofessional network in one Member State and support for strengthening of at least two existing national interprofessional networks and on regional interprofessional network

Lot 3: Tasks

• Carryout a stocktaking exercise of past and current interprofessional poultry organisations in ECOWAS countries and region, providing a map of their geo-location and operational scope and reach
• Document existing interprofessional poultry organisations mandates, missions and objectives, focal areas, membership structure, SWOT, achievements and impacts, with a focus on the inclusion of women and youth
• Analyse the level of association, interlinkages and relationships at country and regional level in advocating for better policies towards development of the poultry industry.
• Carryout consultations with each identified interprofessional poultry organisation to propose potential integration in to one global/overarching organisation at national and regional level, identifying the merits, opportunities/comparative advantages of an integrated approach. Identify scope and strategies for a harmonized approach across the region.
• Facilitate a virtual conference meeting for all interprofessional poultry organisations to discuss approach for strengthening the national and regional interprofessional networks with a focus on women and youth recruitment and for creation of overarching/umbrella interprofessional networks for better coordination.
• Develop a framework (statute of rules and regulations) to guide integration the existing interprofessional poultry organisations under a single vibrant overarching/umbrella organisation at both national and regional level.
• Facilitate a virtual conference to validate the framework for integrating all the interprofessional poultry organisations into one unit. This should lead into registration process, putting in place structures and relevant mechanisms for the organisation.
• Documentation of best practices and lessons learned and development of a policy brief
• Develop a curriculum and conduct capacity building of the established interprofessional poultry organisation to strengthen its advocacy capacity for the poultry sector at regional level.

Lot 3: Expected Outputs

• Stocktaking exercise report for Interprofessional poultry networks in ECOWAS region
• Consultation and workshop reports
• Established or strengthened Interprofessional poultry organisation for the region
• Interprofessional Organisation Strategic Plan (include board charter, mobilisation, advocacy, lobbying and participation of women and youth)
• Statute and rule of procedure documents and capacity building materials
• Capacity Building of interprofessional poultry network reports
• Interprofessional Networks position paper/policy brief on poultry in ECOWAS region

Consultancy Modalities

The consultancies will be home based with Consultants expected to access literature, conduct surveys or administer other data and information collection tools and correspond with ECOWAS, AU-IBAR, Member States and other stakeholders mostly electronically. Where necessary, and with written approval from ECOWAS the Consultants will conduct practical activities within their home countries and the region. The Consultants are expected to attend/lead (as specified in the Specific Objectives) Expert Write Shop/Trainings/and validation Workshop which will be held either virtually or physically. Physical meetings must be rationalized and with written approval from ECOWAS.

Duration of the Assignments and Duty Station

Activities under all the Lots should be conducted for a period of no more than 30 (thirty) working days spread over a maximum of 120 days. The Consultants are expected to provide a roadmap in their proposal. The assignment will start immediately after signature of the contract by both parties.

Academic Qualifications and Expertise

The Consultant should have the following expertise:

• Consultants should hold a relevant advanced University degree i.e., Masters or Doctorate in Animal Science, Agricultural Sciences, Public Policy, Economics, Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness Development, Development Communication or any other relevant advanced degree
• An advantage will be experience and expertise in livestock production systems and value chain development, agribusiness and trade development, policy and development issues, development communication and knowledge management on the African continent, providing virtual platforms for the agribusiness or other business sector, as relevant to the Lot
• Familiarity with the ECOWAS Agricultural Policy (ECOWAP) vision, strategic objectives and operational framework
• Proven record of providing support relevant to the scope of the Consultancy under each Lot
• Excellent drafting and Technical Report writing skills

Experience and Core Competencies

• Lot 1 Consultants will have at least 15 years leading strategic processes in a field relevant to the Consultancy, with experience in the livestock/animal resources sector in the ECOWAS region an added advantage.
• Lot 2: Demonstrated capacity to conduct comprehensive value chain stakeholder mapping including creation of accessible databases and directories and establishing a community of practice.
• Lot 3: Demonstrated capacity to support and strengthen interprofessional networks focusing on mobilization, organizational capacity, lobbying and advocacy at national and regional context with a strong emphasis on women and youth recruitment
• Native or bilingual level proficiency (verbal and written) English or French is essential. Knowledge of a second African Union official language (English, French, Portuguese or Arabic) is desirable.

Medical cover

The consultant will be responsible for his/her medical and life cover during the assignment.

Gender Mainstreaming

The AU Commission is an equal opportunity employer and qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply.

Payment

Each Lot attracts a maximum payment as outlined below.

Lot 1: Regional study and analysis of the state of organization, production, processing and commodity development, and intra-regional trade in West Africa’s poultry value chain

One regional consultant for $7500, and 15 national consultants, one from each Member State for $6000 each

Lot 2: Mapping of West Africa poultry value chain sector stakeholders and creation of a private sector accessible data base, directory and community of practice

One successful Consultant will be funded for a maximum of USD Fifteen Thousand ($ 15,000)

Lot 3: Consultant to assess, expand and strengthen the interprofessional poultry network in West Africa

One successful Consultant will be funded for a maximum of USD Fifteen Thousand ($ 15,000)

The payment Modalities

Payment will be in three phases. The first payment (20%) will be made upon receipt of a satisfactory Inception Report that is discussed with and approved by ECOWAS and AU-IBAR. A second payment (30%) will be made upon satisfactory delivery of the intermediary completed and approved outputs. A final payment of 50% will be made on the delivery and approval of all the final outputs and final execution of the assignment.

This consultancy assignment does not carry any expectation of employment, extension or conversion to another type of contract with AU-IBAR or ECOWAS.

Costs of Electronic Communication in the Course of Undertaking the Consultancy: All costs related to internet/phone or other electronic means that the Consultant may use to collect the necessary information/ conduct interviews, or undertake any other tasks related to the Consultancy are consolidated within the payment for this Consultancy, and must be bore fully by the Consultant

Supervision

The successful consultant will work under the supervision of the ECOWAS Director of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Project Office Live2Africa Project, AU-IBAR.

Declaration Form on Exclusion Criteria

All Applicants will sign and stamp the mandatory Declaration Form on Exclusion Criteria as a requirement for submission of their application. Failure to do so will nullify the application.

How to apply:

Application Instructions

Applicants are required to include a separate Technical Proposal for each Lot applied for.

The Technical Proposal : should include, but not be limited to the interpretation of the ToRs, the approach to the assignment, the proposed methodology and work plan, an outline of the Report content page where relevant, a clear timeframe to carry out the assignment, a budget breakdown where relevant, web links to past similar assignements where relevant, and three references for similar assignments undertaken with email and phone contacts.

Financial Proposal: should be submitted with budget details in alignment with the maximum budget indicated above for each Lot.

Technical Scoring : The evaluation of the Minimum Academic Qualifications and Expertise, Experience and Core Competencies and the Technical Proposal will be used to weigh the quality of the Application.

How to Submit Applications

Consultants may apply for one or more Lots, but will be required to prepare separate bids for each Lot. The Technical and Financial proposal, including all supporting documentation should be no longer than 8 A4 pages in length, and should be emailed as a single document to:

procurement-210427-3@au-ibar.org, with a copy to khalid.seid@au-ibar.org, by no later than 12.00 noon East African Time on 18^thMay 2021. Specific questions not answered in this call may be emailed to: procurement-210427-3@au-ibar.org, khali.seid@au-ibar.org and alexander.eyong@au-ibar.org not later than 11^th May 2021.

Please ensure that the attached Declaration Form is duly filled in, signed, and stamped.

The Declaration form has to be submitted together with the other application requirements. Failure to do so nullifies your application.

Please note that the Personal Data & Privacy Statement is for your perusal and notice. It requires no action.