National Consultant of Malawi

Result of Service - Enhanced understanding of policy makers about the opportunities and challenges related to e-commerce uptake in Malawi, including digital empowerment of women. - Increased national actions (policies and programmes) aimed at boosting e-commerce adoption, in a gender-sensitive manner.

Work Location Home-based

Expected duration Contract duration: 1 September 2022 to 31 March 2023 Effective working time: 2 months over the period Place of work: Home-based.

Duties and Responsibilities As part of its technical assistance activities in the area of e-commerce, the UNCTAD Digital Economy Capacity-Building Section is implementing the eTrade Readiness Assessment (eT Ready) Programme, a spinoff of the eTrade for all initiative launched at UNCTAD. The rapid development of the digital economy is creating both opportunities and challenges for developing countries to engage in and benefit from e-commerce activities. The objective of the programme is to increase the capacity of developing countries to unlock the potential of e-commerce by assessing readiness gaps and addressing them through collaborative public and private partnerships. The Government of Malawi with the support of UNCTAD conducted an eTrade Readiness Assessment (eT Ready) in 2019 with the objective of gauging its e-commerce ecosystem and increasing the capacity of the country to participate effectively in e-commerce and the digital economy. This assessment identified key policy recommendations and actions related to e-commerce development. Financial support for the project has been provided by the Kingdom of the Netherlands, a core donor of UNCTAD’s E-Commerce and Digital Economy Programme. As a follow-up to the assessment and with a view to fast-tracking implementation, the Government of Malawi has requested UNCTAD’s assistance for the development of an Action Plan in order to operationalize the policy recommendations contained in the eT Ready. The elaboration of the Action Plan is led by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism (MoIT), with technical support from UNCTAD. UNCTAD will also liaise with relevant development and eTrade for all partners in order to mobilize technical and financial resources for effective policy implementation.

In this context, a national consultant will carry out the following activities under the supervision of the Project Officers of the UNCTAD ECDE Team.

The consultant’s assignments will include: - Support the selection of priority recommendations to be included in the eT Ready Action Plan. - Conduct a review of relevant policy documents and local sources that concern digital and e-commerce projects. - Map out ongoing interventions of the relevant national stakeholders from the public and private sectors. - Map out the ongoing and new programmes undertaken by Development Partners in the country (regarding digital and e-commerce related projects). - Assist in the organization of online or in-person focus group discussions and bilateral meetings with key stakeholders, including development partners, to collect information for the elaboration of the Action Plan. - Assist in the facilitation and the moderation of the focus group discussions. - Ensure constant liaison with the coordinating/leading ministry for the effective preparation and finalization of the eT Ready Action Plan, including collecting data and relevant information from selected institutions. - Support the production, review and the finalization of the eT Ready Action Plan. - Assist in the organization and facilitation of the launch of the eT Ready Action Plan and related communication activities. Throughout the assignment, the consultant will liaise with the coordinating/leading ministry on a regular basis to follow up with regard to the progress of the project activities and report to UNCTAD, including by drafting meetings minutes documenting the main takeaways and insights emerging from each meeting.

Qualifications/special skills Skills: Knowledge of trade development and e-commerce related issues, especially in the selected country. Academic Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in ICT, Economics, Statistics, Engineering, Business Administration, Programme Management, or related areas. Experience: 7 years of working experience preferably in the ICT/e-commerce or trade-related fields. Solid experience liaising with (and building a network of) national public and private sector stakeholders related to trade areas. Experience in report drafting skills would be a strong asset. Language: Fluency in both spoken and written English is required.

No Fee THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.