Training Needs Assessment (TNA) and Capacity Development for the Ethiopian Immigration & Citizenship Service (ICS) and Ethiopian Police University (EPU), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Established in 1951, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the leading intergovernmental organization in the field of migration and works closely with governmental, intergovernmental, and non-governmental partners. IOM is committed to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants. As a member of the United Nations system, IOM supports governments globally to strengthen migration management systems, enhance border governance, improve service delivery, and reinforce institutional capacities in line with international standards. Through its technical assistance programs, IOM promotes safe, orderly, and regular migration by strengthening national structures, legal frameworks, and operational mechanisms.

In Ethiopia, IOM has been a long-standing partner to government institutions in areas including border management, migrant protection, labour migration, humanitarian response, reintegration, and institutional capacity development. As part of this commitment, IOM collaborates with key national partners, including the Immigration and Citizenship Service (ICS) and the Ethiopian Police University (EPU), to enhance their institutional effectiveness, human resource capabilities, and operational readiness.

Ethiopia stands at a pivotal moment in its migration governance and public administration reform. As a major migratory hub in the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia faces complex migration dynamics, including regular and irregular migration, return and reintegration, cross-border trade, and the movement of vulnerable populations. The Immigration and Citizenship Service (ICS), re-established by Proclamation No. 1338/2024, is mandated to deliver secure, efficient, and inclusive immigration, citizenship, and civil registration services, and to coordinate with customs, police, health, and trade agencies for effective migration and border governance.

The Immigration and Citizenship Service (ICS) plays a central role in managing migration flows, enforcing immigration laws, processing travel documents, conducting border inspections, and ensuring national security at points of entry and exit. The capacity of ICS personnel to carry out these functions effectively hinges upon the quality, relevance, and regularity of the training they receive.

The Ethiopian Police University (EPU) is the primary institution responsible for the pre-service and in-service education and training of law enforcement professionals in Ethiopia. EPU plays a pivotal role in shaping the competencies, ethical standards, and operational skills of federal and regional police officers, parliamentarians, ICS officials and related professionals. EPU's curriculum, instructional methodologies, faculty capacity, and institutional frameworks directly influence the performance of law enforcement agencies across the country, including in areas intersecting with migration management, transnational crime, counter-trafficking, and border security.

Despite the critical mandates of both institutions (ICS and EPU), there is a recognized need to systematically assess their current training and capacity landscapes, identify gaps in knowledge, skills, and institutional processes, and develop evidence-based strategies and curricula that align with international standards and best practices. Furthermore, the need for enhanced inter-agency cooperation between ICS, EPU, and other relevant agencies has been identified as a priority, as has the adoption of modern digital learning systems to improve the accessibility, scalability, and quality of training delivery.

In this context, IOM seeks to engage a qualified International Consultant to undertake two parallel but interrelated assignments (Lot One and Lot Two) aimed at strengthening the training ecosystems of both ICS and EPU.

The overall objective of this consultancy

The overall objective of this consultancy is to enhance the institutional training capacities of ICS and EPU through comprehensive training and capacity needs assessments, training strategy, competency-based curriculum development, curriculum enrichment and harmonization, and the recommendation of suitable digital learning platforms.

The specific objectives are as follows:

• Lot One — ICS Training and Capacity Development: To conduct a comprehensive Training and Capacity Needs Assessment (TCNA) of the ICS, develop an institutional training strategy aligned with ICS's mandate and operational realities, and design a competency-based training curriculum tailored to the roles and functions of ICS personnel. The curriculum will operationalize the Training Strategy and be ready for immediate use by ICS trainers in face-to-face settings, ensuring alignment with ICS's mandate, strategic objectives, and applicable international standards.
• Lot Two — EPU Curriculum Enrichment and Inter-Agency Cooperation: To conduct a comprehensive TCNA of the EPU, including its education and training curriculum design and delivery modalities, assess inter-agency cooperation mechanisms with ICS and other relevant agencies, recommend curriculum enrichment and harmonization measures, and identify and recommend appropriate digital learning systems and platforms.