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Projects

CONSULTANCY ASSIGNMENTS

WWF South Africa

External evaluator of the Living Planet Unit, considering
organizational efficiency, relevance, effectiveness etc.
April-July 2012

UN ECOSOC Development Cooperation Forum

Co-author of paper on development cooperation and sustainable development.
with Simon Zadek and Maya Forstater.
Forthcoming
May-July 2012

OECD

Policy Analyst, co-author and researcher: OECD paper to assess and promote good practice
policies that help countries encourage private sector investment in low-carbon climate-resilient infrastructure.
with Richard Calland and Jerome van Rooij of the Climate Finance Hub
Forthcoming
June 2012

Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC)

Rapporteur: Government cluster workshops on:

(a) Economic Cluster Responses to the National Development Plan and
(b) Grounding the National Development Plan in Theory Based Evaluation
Department of Trade & Industry
March 2012

(The dti), Industrial Development Division with World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF)

Pretoria,
South Africa

Project Manager:
SA Renewables Initiative (SARi)
www.sarenewablesinitiative.gov.za

SARi is a financing mechanism that seeks to allow a renewables
roll-out at sufficient scale to create jobs and expand the
manufacturing base, bridging climate change, energy and
economic and industrial development goals and ministries, and
government with the private sector. Sharmala provided oversight,
strategic advice on issues related to policy and political matters
and coordination and integration of the various SARi
workstreams. The partnership was launched in Durban at
COP17 and was handed over from The Dti to the Department of Energy to
take SARi into a formal institutional form and structure.
March-December 2011

National Treasury of South Africa

The Public-Private-Partnerships Unit

Pretoria, South Africa
www.treasury.gov.za/ppp

Project Manager: Renewable Energy Independent
Power Producer (IPP) Project
Sharmala sourced financing for the initiative, considered international
best practice and was instrumental in procuring transaction
advisors to draft the documentation to procure the first IPP
projects. She also developed donor proposals for the next phase
and managed the World Bank support to the initiative.
June 2010 –June 2011

Advisor on Agency Establishment
The objective of the Agency Establishment assignment was to scope the potential for and risks associated with the Public Private Partnership (PPP) Unit's migration into a semi-autonomous government component, identifying risks, mitigation and phasing of the move. This work was the catalyst for the Unit hiving off into such an agency, which will be effected in the 2012/13 financial year together with other technical assistance components within the National Treasury.
October 2009 – February 2010

UN Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO)

Mid-term evaluation
Mbabane, Swaziland

External Evaluator: Leadership & Management
Sharmala was responsible for considering the institutional, leadership
and management issues within the Swaziland Agricultural Development Program as part of the external evaluation team.
The evaluation recommendations resulted in substantive changes within the project and in its management within the FAO.
May-June 2011

Swiss South African Cooperation Initiative (SACCI)

Johannesburg,
South Africa

www.ssacci.org.za

Strategy Advisor: Skills for a Green Economy
SSACI was established with Swiss support to work in the areas of youth employment, training and entrepreneurship. After Sharmala conducted their evaluation in 2010, SSACI approached her to take forward a recommendation that they broaden their partnership base and the sectors they work in. Her work focussed on finding them new partners and projects in the area of skills for a green economy this area.
October 2010 – March 2011

Sweco International

contracted by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida)
Pretoria
Southern Africa

Facilitator: Environment/Climate
(National Focal Point)

Sharmala served as the local focal point for Sida's engagements in South
Africa in environment/climate, specifically in the areas of waste management, water and energy. This means that she acts as the local advisor and facilitator to deepen bilateral relations and to establish partnerships for projects between Swedish and South African private sector, government and civil society actors.
June 2010 – May 2012

Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC)

www.ssaci.org.za
Pretoria
South Africa Programme Evaluator
This was an evaluation of a Swiss-supported initiative
on youth employment through further education and training
(the Swiss-South Africa Cooperation Initiative – SSACI). As a
result of this work SSACI approached her to assist them to
strategise and implement for expansion into skilling for the
green economy.
March – April 2010

FORMAL WORK EXPERIENCE

EASTERN CAPE SOCIO-ECONOMIC
CONSULTATIVE COUNCIL (ECSECC)

www.ecsecc.org
East London
Eastern Cape
South Africa
May 2008 – November 2009

Specialist: Institutional Development
Sharmala advised ECSECC itself, as well as provincial and local government in the Eastern Cape Province on organizational development matters related to improving good governance and service delivery.

The role involved:
Strategic policy advice to local government and provincial departments who are most able to leverage growth and development including support to identify strategic issues, risks and opportunities confronting the provincial government;

Identifying issues of strategic and policy relevance for further research and Devising mechanisms to improve governance, collaboration and intergovernmental coordination;

Facilitating transformation within ECSECC through the development and implementation of policies to develop the human capital of the organization.

Achievements include:
finalization of a mid-term assessment of the Provincial Growth & Development Plan, the design and implementation of a strategic planning process, driving a partnership between the Province and the UN's International Trade Centre and facilitating a strategic partnership (still ongoing) with the Technical Assistance Unit of the National Treasury and the Office of the Premier. She also sat on the Overarching Task Team that drives service delivery improvements in the province.

NATIONAL TREASURY

www.treasury.gov.za
November 2005 – May 2008
(January 1999 - May 2008 in various positions)

Pretoria
South Africa

Director then Acting Chief Director: International
Economics Unit

The International Economics Unit seeks to integrate regional, continental and international commitments with South Africa's political and macro-economic strengths and to influence the global finance and development agenda.

Sharmala:
Managed the turnaround strategy of the unit upon the split into an Africa and International unit, which involved attracting, building and managing a team of seventeen staff, making strategic decisions on staff deployment, developing job descriptions etc. while still providing high quality functional service to the Minister;

Provided policy analysis and advice to the Minister, Director-General and Deputy Director-General on key international finance and development issues including progress on the Millennium Development Goals, reform of the World Bank and IMF, climate change, good governance and commenting on the World Economic Outlook. As such she supervised/wrote policy positions, speeches and briefings;

Played the role of key interlocutor with international fora and institutions such as the IMF, World Bank, G4, G20, G8 and G24. She was responsible for liaison, lobbying and communicating South Africa's international finance and development policies with these fora and institutions;

Served as government coordinator for G7/8, G24, G20, IMF, World Bank etc. In this regard she served as the focal point for and managed all IMF and Bank matters including IMF Article IVs, World Bank country/sector evaluations and country assistance programs, IDA and spring and annual meetings.

The most significant achievement was the successful building of the unit with a team in place supported by systems and procedures. Other achievements include the:

* first ever joint evaluation of the World Bank's Country Assistance Strategy, and the development of a new South African-led country partnership strategy;

* successful negotiation of South Africa's agenda for its hosting of the G20 in 2007 and establishment of the G20 Unit within the National Treasury;

* renewed engagement with the OECD leading to enhanced membership for South Africa and
establishment of the G4 Finance Ministers forum (India, Brazil, South Africa and China)

Technical Assistance Unit (TAU)

September 2003 – October 2005

Director: Project Planning & Institutional Development

The Technical Assistance Unit offers program/project management support to government initiatives to ensure improved service delivery and public sector spend. Sharmala was responsible for the procurement, coordination and management of strategic and technical (management) support to initiatives in the Social Services and Justice & Protection Services clusters.

she:
Scoped the assistance required of TAU from the departments, drafted terms of reference, oversaw procurement of consultants and managed contracts;

* Supported clients to design, develop and scope multi-year strategies and implementation plans;

* Coached strategic managers to enable effective and achievable strategies and to unblock implementation difficulties.

Achievements:
Assisting the Department of Sports & Recreation with the initial scoping work to determine the optimal institutional arrangements and coordinating structures for the hosting of the Fifa 2010 football world cup and re-positioning the unit to move it from responding to requests in an ad hoc manner to a more consolidated organizational approach for longer term sustainability and greater impact, as part of the three-person management team.

International Development Cooperation

January 1999-2003

Director: Europe
(1999 – 2001 as Deputy Director, 2001-2003 as Director)

The International Development Cooperation unit is responsible for the macro-management of official development assistance (ODA) to the South African government. In this role

Sharmala:
*Drove the piloting of joint donor-South African program evaluations upon which new programs could be jointly formulated. This became best-practice within the donor community;

*Planned and negotiated agreements detailing the scope and terms of engagement with all European bilateral and multilateral donors;

*Served as the focal point for European donors in South Africa and ensured overall alignment of donor programmes with South Africa's development priorities;

*Negotiated financial and technical assistance with donors including multi-donor and sector-wide programs.

Achievements: The development and management of the first comprehensive assessment of the efficacy of ODA in South Africa - the Development Cooperation Report, in 2000
(www.dcis.gov.za) - the first such partner-driven assessment of ODA in the world and,The introduction of joint (recipient–donor) program evaluations to inform the drafting of new country partnership strategies. This became best practice within the IDC and was gradually initiated with all donors.

ROYAL DANISH EMBASSY

September 1997 – December 1998
Pretoria
South Africa

Project Manager

Danish Cooperation for Environment and Development (DANCED, now part of Danida)
DANCED was established after the Rio Earth Summit by the Danish government to give effect to the Earth Summit agreement. As a Project officer my responsibilities included:

*Coordinating for DANCED's 'green' programs in the region (Botswana, Swaziland and Lesotho) as well as a full program of assistance to South Africa;

*Negotiated the DANCED program of support in Swaziland;

*Designed and implemented assistance to the South African government and the NGO sector on forestry, sustainable livelihoods in rural areas and renewable energy projects;

*Managing an Environmental Rapid Response Facility to ensure speedy support to key projects in need. This rapid response facility was replicated by other donors.

Additional Positions 1993 – 1997

Environmental Officer, Greater Johannesburg Transitional Metropolitan Council
Project Researcher, Group for Environmental Monitoring, Johannesburg
Visiting Lecturer (p/t) Sociology Department, University of Cape Town
Researcher, Foundation for Contemporary Research, Cape Town
Assistant Researcher (p/t) Development Studies Research Group, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg
Assistant Researcher (p/t) British Household Survey, University of Essex, Britain