Avis d’appel à manifestation d’intérêt pour des services de consultance pour le renforcement des capacités du personnel des banques centrales en matière de services financiers numériques (SFN), Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK GROUP

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST (REOI)

Capacity Building of Central Banks in Digital Financial Services (DFS)

The African Development Bank hereby invites Consulting Firms to indicate their interest in the following assignment: Capacity Building of Central Banks in Digital Financial Services (DFS) for the Africa Digital Financial Inclusion (ADFI). The assignment entails empowering Central Banks with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively regulate and foster innovation for financial inclusion within the rapidly evolving digital financial landscape.

ADFI works to make digital financial solutions in Africa valuable, affordable, safe and accessible by breaking down systemic barriers to the growth, access and use of digital financial inclusion in general, and reducing the gender gap in financial inclusion in particular. Current ADFI partners are the Agence française de développement (AFD); the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; the Ministry for the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, France; the Ministry of Finance, India; the Ministry of Finance, Luxembourg; the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative; and the African Development Bank, which also hosts the fund. For more information: www.adfi.org

The services to be provided under the assignment includes but are not limited to the following:

1. Conducting a training needs assessment

• • Engage with prospect central banks and identify specific skill gaps.
  • Prioritize training needs based on urgency and impact.
  • Propose a consolidated capacity building plan that address the identified gaps.

2. Design a comprehensive capacity building program

• • Work with the Africa Digital Financial Inclusion Facility (ADFI) to design a capacity building program for virtual and on-site delivery, tailored to the project budget and timeframe.
  • Develop the training modules (the training modules can emanate from existing curricula, or be developed afresh).

3. Implement capacity building program

• • Execute a mix of virtual trainings and one physical training workshop.
  • Host webinars to promote experience sharing and best practices.
  • Create knowledge management and communications materials

The African Development Bank invites eligible consulting firms with the following experience and expertise to express their interest in providing the above-mentioned services:

• Experience: the applicant must have a minimum of five years of experience in the digital financial services sector.
• Capacity building expertise: the firm should have a solid track record of designing and delivering training for financial institutions, especially Central Banks, government regulatory departments, or other regulatory bodies.

(iii)Availability of key competences within the applicant team to be assigned to the mission: the consultancy must be able to mobilize for the entire assignment a team comprising at least of:

1. A team leader with a Master’s degree in Finance, Economics, Business Administration, Information Technologies or related fields; 10 years of experience in designing and coordinating the delivery of capacity building programs in the financial sector preferably with regulatory bodies. The lead trainer must also demonstrate project management capabilities.

1. Subject matter expert(s), with (i) a Master’s degree in Finance, Economics, Business Administration, Information Technologies, or related fields, (ii) 7 years of relevant experience; (iii) In-depth knowledge of digital payment systems, open banking, blockchain technology, cybersecurity, AML/CFT frameworks, and other emerging financial technologies and (iii) practical experience in policy formulation, regulatory compliance, and risk management within the context of digital finance.

• Language and communication: the firm must demonstrate its ability to engage stakeholders, deliver training and produce training and communication and knowledge management material and webinars/workshops in both English and French.

Interested consulting firms must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services (brochures, description of similar assignments, experience in similar conditions, availability of appropriate skills (1 page biography per key staff member etc..).

Eligibility criteria: establishment of the short-list and the selection procedure shall be in accordance with the African Development Bank’s “Rules and Procedures for the use of Consulting firms”. Interested eligible consulting firm or training institution shall limit their expressions of interest (EOIs) to a maximum of 12 pages.

The estimated duration of the service is twelve (12) months following the selection of the consulting firm. The date of commencement of the contract is scheduled to be June 15th, 2024.

Expressions of interest must be delivered to the e-mail address below by 15.00 hours Abidjan Local time on March 22^th, 2024, at 17:00 Abidjan time, and mention “Expression of Interest for Consultancy Services for Capacity Building of Central Bank Staff in Digital Financial Services (DFS)”

The Expression of interest must be delivered (via pdf electronic copy) to the address below for the attention of:

Email: Central_banks_capacity_building@afdb.org

African Development Bank

Immeuble du Centre de commerce International d’Abidjan

CCIA Avenue Jean-Paul II

01 BP 1387

Abidjan 01, Côte d’Ivoire

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SHORT LIST

A shortlist of three to six consulting firms will be established at the end of the request for expressions of interest based on the following criteria: