REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
Consultancy on Africa Information Highway : Senior Expert in Strategic Planning and
Innovation in Data and Technology
AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK
Statistics Department (ECST)
Avenue Joseph Anoma
01 B.P. 1387
Abidjan 01 Cote d’ivoire
Email : K.L.KOUAKOU@AFDB.ORG; B.ADINGRA@AFDB.ORG ; M.KOUTA@AFDB.ORG
Background :
The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) holds that if the fight against poverty has to be won, there must be improvements in the quality and quantity of statistical data on all components of development. Reliable data is critical to setting goals and targets as well as evaluating project impact. Reliable data constitutes the single most convincing way of getting the people involved in what their leaders and institutions are doing. It also helps them to get involved in the development process, thus giving them a sense of ownership of the entire development process.
Through its Statistics Department, the AfDB is contributing to the effective development of the statistical capacity and systems of its regional member countries for the provision of timely and reliable data for policy formulation.
The individual consultant will be recruited to serve the Statistics Department through its Africa Information Highway (AIH) initiative.
The Africa Information Highway (AIH) initiative was launched by the Bank in 2012 with the primary objective of improving statistical data access in Africa by providing all African countries with an Open Data Platform (ODP).
Objectives of the Assignment :
The first and main objective of the assignment is to build strategic and sustainable partnerships around the AIH activities, as the Bank believes that strong partnerships are key to implementing successful programs. The consultant will also lead the work of the Statistics Department’s Data Innovation Lab, which aims to support African countries in building their capacities to compile augmented statistics from new data sources and big data using cutting-edge technologies. In addition to capacity building, the Lab will also aim to foster collaboration with different actors involved in the data and official statistics domains. Input from these actors, gleaned from platforms such as regional and national brainstorming initiatives hosted by the Lab, will also enable the Bank to better address the data needs in development frameworks like Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The consultant will be part of the core team working on the implementation of the project jointly funded by the Bank and the Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation to support AfDB’s effort to support the implementation of the Strategy for the Harmonization of Statistics in Africa (SHaSA).
Finally, the senior consultant will lead the design and execution of the integrated statistics and technology strategy focused on the role of the Africa Information Highway (AIH) in data collection, processing, dissemination and use.
Main activities and deliverables :
The consultant will be recruited to complete the following activities :
- Guide the design and execution of the integrated statistics and technology strategy focused on the role of the Africa Information Highway (AIH) in data collection, processing, dissemination and use including the SDGs and Agenda 2063 ;
- Lead the work of the Data Innovation Lab, draft its work program and supervise the work of the team to increase the use of new sources of data and big data as a complement to official statistics within the Bank and in RMCs ;
- Build internal and external partnerships with public and private actors including SMEs and Startups and raise funding to support the implementation of the Data Innovation Lab and AIH strategies ;
- Assist in managing the implementation and reporting on the joint project between AfDB and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation ;
- Conduct stakeholders mapping, identify sources of funding and draft project proposals ;
- Develop work and action plans for the implementation of the AIH integrated statistics and technology strategy for data collection, processing and dissemination, including SDMX ;
- Align the AIH’s integrated strategy for data collection processing and dissemination with the African Development Bank’s strategic vision to inform its data needs ;
- Conduct a comprehensive diagnostic of the AIH platform and its use by all partners including the Regional Member Countries (RMCs) and propose solutions to expand its use beyond data dissemination and reporting ;
- Coordinate the efforts of the team to draft terms of references for the system upgrade and help supervise the delivery of the system by the consultant ;
- Evaluate the role the Statistical Data and Metadata eXchange (SDMX) standard is playing within the AIH platform and propose practical steps to expand its use to other data domains within the system and at country level ;
- Assess the role the AIH should be playing in reporting progress under the Sustainable Development Goals at country and regional levels, and recommend actions to strengthen it ;
- Promote the use of the Africa Information Highway (AIH) platform at the highest level in RMCs as well as at regional and international events ;
- Supervise the work on data literacy and the promotion of statistics among African youth through competitions to promote the emergence of community-based solutions to local challenges in data systems ;
- Coordinate the AIH’s effort in promoting coordination mechanisms for data collection and use, and promote the use of data by decisions makers for better development outcomes ;
- Undertake missions to RMCs to train and/or support the implementation and management of the AIH ;
- Undertake any other tasks assigned by the Task Manager ;
- The Statistics Department (ECST) invites Individual Consultants to indicate their interest in providing the above-described services. Interested Consultants shall provide information on their qualifications and experience demonstrating their ability to undertake this Assignment (documents, reference to similar services, experience in similar assignments, etc.) ;
- The eligibility criteria, the establishment of a short list and the selection procedure shall be in conformity with the Bank’s Procurement Policy for Recruitment of Corporate Consultants. Please, note that interest expressed by a Consultant does not imply any obligation on the part of the Bank to include him/her in the shortlist.
- The estimated duration of services is twelve months (12) and the estimated starting date is 22 January 2022.
- Expressions of interest must be received at the following email addresses (ADINGRA@AFDB.ORG and M.KOUTA@AFDB.ORG) no later than 30 November 2021 at 15:00 hours Abidjan local time.
Requests for clarifications may be sent to : M.KOUTA@AFDB.ORG
ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SHORT LIST :
A shortlist of three to six individual consultants will be established at the end the request of expressions of interest. The consultants on the shortlist will be judged on the following criteria on the basis of their updated resume :
| Level of education in general | 20% |
| Educational level compared to the field of mission | 20% |
| Years of experience in general | 20% |
| Number of years of experience relevant to the mission | 40% |