Business Specialist Consultant for a scalable DPG Incubator of the African Drone and Data Academy

Consultant Programme & Policy Innovation

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Background and Justification

UNICEF Niger worked with Agence Nationale pour la Société de l’information (ANSI) on strengthening government-led support to locally developed digital public goods (DPGs) in education and health.

Activities included the support for the establishment of an African Drone and Data Academy (ADDA) in Niger and the development of an additional curriculum module specific to the needs within the Sahel region. The activity also included the translation of part of the core ADDA curriculum to French. These courses will help create a trained drone operations workforce in support of public health initiatives alongside climate change adaptation and mitigation in line with Niger’s national strategies for technical and vocational training and education (TVET) and the national civil aviation objectives.

To meet a growing demand for scaling of the academy, a potential avenue is to adopt a scalable and

sustainable “ADDA light” business model that can operate nationally even in fragile contexts. The foundation for an open-source approach has already been laid through close work with the DPG alliance to register the curriculum as a Digital Public Good. ADDA’s intellectual property (IP) belongs to UNICEF, and part of the curriculum has been made available as massive open online courses (MOOCs) which have been nominated as DPGs and are in the process of being registered as DPGs.

The ADDA skill-set also addresses the question of how to monitor progress against SDGs related to climate change: With global warming being one of the most serious issues in the world, Yoma aims at growing its opportunities for climate action through “green Yoma” in 2021. Tokens will be disbursed to youth engaging in tree planting or safeguarding healthy wetlands for carbon storage, enhancing nutrition security through agroforestry, improving water quality, providing habitat, etc. Yoma would thus tackle climate change by enhancing alternative livelihood opportunities while putting an emphasis on green economy in deprived areas. The evaluation of impact made will be done via georeferenced cell-phone pictures, and drone & satellite acquired imagery displaying a specific development along a timeline. The use of automated data oracles will allow scaling impact assessment at very low cost.

Scope of work

1. Goal and objective: Under the supervision of the Innovation Manager the consultant will provide advisory services to develop a scalable business plan for ADDA and a DPG incubator.
2. Provide details/reference to AWP areas covered: Technical expertise will be provided to allow Green Yoma and ADDA scale its operation to reach more young people to train relevant 21st century skill.

Activities and Tasks:

a) Work with the innovation scaling consultant and the broader Green Yoma team to facilitate a human-centered process for developing a scalable business model for ADDA and a DPG incubator based on the learnings from Niger and other campuses.

3. Provide substantive input to the development and drafting of a scalable business model.
4. Provide substantive input validate the key findings of the implementation and draft business plan including the UNICEF ADDA / Green Yoma ecosystem of partners.

Input will be related to the following:

Milestones and Resources Table

Milestones

Activities

ADDA assets and resources

Review of work done so far regarding the incubation hub and the evolution of ADDA. Map and assess the suitability of existing business models against ADDA’s model. Key informant interviews (KII) and focus group discussions (FGD), draw on Malawi CO, ESARO and OoI

expertise.

Market Research

Industry trends, supply analysis, and market gaps that ADDA fills.

Document review.

Target end users / customers

Define the customer profile, learner’s profiles, and desired learning pathways/journeys. Consider synergies with GenU and Yoma pathways. KIIs and FGD, document review, workshops with private

sector partners.

Financial Model

Desk review of actual project cost data from programs in Niger and

ADDA in Malawi, analysis of data.

Value proposition

Define product prototypes for ADDA and “ADDA light” (I.e., certifications, upskilling of staff) and test the value proposition with potential future customers (I.e., WFP, industry, development and humanitarian agencies, agriculture, and construction firms). KIIs and

FGD, Document Review.

Reputational Risk

Understand and assess potential points of reputational risks for UNICEF and potential mitigations. Ensure alignment with UNICEF values and mission including UNICEF’s innovation principles. Key informant interviews (KII) and focus group discussions (FD),

document reviews.

Partnerships

Define potential strategic partnerships with complementary

organizations, and businesses.

Customer Feedback

Implement customer pipeline, support local partner validating first customer engagement and generate feedback and integrate learning for ongoing improvement. This will be operationally implemented by

the national ADD-N organization with support from ANSI and

UNICEF. The aim is to implement the training with paid costumers in

subsequent months.

Business Model Draft

The business model includes a hypothesis for the target market, value proposition, revenue streams, cost structure, and distribution channels. This includes careful deliberation of intellectual property, legal implications, and social franchising approaches as well as the

role of both a training academy with an incubation hub.

Draft Operational Roadmap / Playbook

Develop a playbook that includes an implementation plan for the ADD curriculum and incubation hub, operational timelines, procurement a

iteration, and M&E guidance.

Work relationships: The consultant will work in close consultation with Innovation Scaling Consultant for a DPG Incubator of the African Drone and Data Academy and the Innovation Manager.

Outputs/Deliverables:

Deliverables

Level of Effort

(days)

Deadline

Schedule of

payment

Advisory Services to develop and financial and ADDA Light Business Model providing guidance on feasibility, cost-sharing with local partners, IP management, copyright as DPG, adherence to UNICEF minimum requirements (certain group of age and gender), continued quality control through Virginia Tech, branding, financial sustainability and other to be

determined factors

16

20 October 2024

80%

Input to ADDA / Green Yoma Scaling Operational Roadmap Draft providing guidance on operational roll-out of ADDA light as part of the wider strategy, including specific target countries, potential partners for implementation as well as funding, and the specific skill- set needed from ADDA graduates for the green economy as part of green yoma.

4

1 December 2024

20%

Timeframes are negotiable pending factors outside the control of the consultant

All deliverables are to be completed in English, however materials in other languages including French may need to be consulted and reviewed as part of the process.

Payment schedule:

See table above. Please note that the final remuneration will be negotiated by HR.

Desired competencies, technical background, and experience:

1. Education: Master’s degree in management, Environmental management, Development, International Studies or similar.
2. Experience with scaling innovation towards the SDGs. Experience working in the African context and with diverse stakeholders. Including an understanding of different business model options in the Third Sector.
3. Ideally, experience working on multi-stakeholder projects — especially with the academic and private sectors.
4. A minimum of 8 years of experience in the development sector and/ or innovation. Proven experience working with international organizations in the UN system.
5. An understanding UAS in the African/development context.
6. Must exhibit the UNICEF Core Values of:
7. Care
8. Respect
9. Integrity
10. Trust
11. Accountability

12. Sustainability

13. Fluency in English, knowledge of French preferred

Administrative issues:

• Some travel may be required on the African continent and for partner meetings elsewhere as needed.
• All travel (in case of any) will be by most economical fare and reimbursement will be as per UNICEF policy.
• The consultant is expected to be home (or Nairobi) based with potential travel depending on COVID- 19 travel restrictions for which the UNICEF office would cover subsistence allowances and travel costs. If the consultant is required to quarantine while traveling, UNICEF will pay for the quarantine if not organized by the host country.
• Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid- 19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to

work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.

• The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract.

  Conditions:

Please indicate any related conditions such as the following:

• As per UNICEF DFAM policy, payment made against approved deliverables. No advance payment is allowed unless in exceptional circumstances against bank guarantee, subject to a maximum of 30 per cent of the total contract value in cases where advances purchases, for example for supplies or travel, may be necessary.
• Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered ‘staff members’ under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures and will be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants. Consultants are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

How to apply :

Qualified candidates are requested to submit a cover letter, CV form and their technical proposals to the online recruitment portal (Talent Management System) or email provided.

Interested candidates to indicate their ability, availability, and rate (daily/monthly) expressed in US$ to undertake the terms of reference. The fees should be inclusive of other costs incurred such as travel or subsistence allowances for international consultants who will be based in Nairobi.

Applications submitted without a fee/ rate will not be considered.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.

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Added 5 months ago - Updated 5 months ago - Source: unicef.org