Avis de recrutement des consultants individuels pour les services financiers numériques (DFS) (bilingue – anglais et français) et services financiers numériques (DFS) (anglophone) pour la Facilité africaine d’inclusion financière numérique au sein du Département du développement du secteur financier (PIFD), Côte d’Ivoire

Avis de recrutement des consultants individuels pour les services financiers numériques (DFS) (bilingue – anglais et français) et services financiers numériques (DFS) (anglophone) pour la Facilité africaine d’inclusion financière numérique au sein du Département du développement du secteur financier (PIFD), Côte d’Ivoire

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK

Avenue Jean-Paul II, 01 B.P. 1387, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

Financial Sector Development Department (PIFD)

EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FOR ADFI DFS CONSULTANTS

 

1. The African Development Bank (AfDB) “the Bank” hereby invites Individual Consultants “the Consultants” to indicate their interest in either of the following two (2) longterm assignments: (i) Digital Financial Services (DFS) Consultant (bilingual – English and French) (ii) Digital Financial Services (DFS) Consultant (English speaking) for the Africa Digital Financial Inclusion Facility in the Financial Sector Development Department (PIFD) ;

2. ADFI was established in 2019 and represents a partnership of the Bank working with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Agence Française de Développement, the Ministry of Finance, Government of Luxembourg and the French Treasury, Ministry for the Economy, Finance and Recovery as the Initial Donors. ADFI seeks to break down the barriers to DFS growth and uptake in order to advance financial inclusion through catalytic and strategic investments in digital financial services throughout Africa. ADFI’s design was informed by an in-depth market assessment that looked at the factors affecting DFS growth and uptake in several countries and regions in Africa. The Facility has identified four pillars of intervention to work across namely, (i) Infrastructure (ii) Policy and Regulation (iii) Products and Innovation and (iv) Capacity Building with Gender as a cross cutting theme. For more information : adfi.org ;

3. The coordination unit set up by the Bank to operationalise ADFI is seeking to recruit two (2) DFS consultants to augment its existing team. One consultant will be fully bilingual in English and French and will support ADFI’s work in North, Francophone West Africa and Central Africa and the other consultant will be fluent in English and will support ADFI’s work in Eastern, Anglophone West Africa and Southern Africa. The consultants must have demonstrable experience in DFS, preferably in developing and emerging countries. The DFS consultants will work under the general supervision of the ADFI Coordinator whilst working closely with the DFS specialist leading ADFI’s work in their assigned regions, countries and workstreams ;
4. The scope of work will entail business development, portfolio management, provision of technical DFS support and contribution to knowledge management. It will require working closely with AfDB sector, country and regional offices as well as with external DFS actors ;

5. Specifically, the DFS consultants’ functions and responsibilities will include but not be limited to :

Core Functions :

Business development :

• Support review of proposals received via requests for proposals or ad-hoc ;
• Participate in project co-ideation with internal and external partners ;
• Interface with bank technical experts e.g. in financial management, legal, procurement, integrity and ADFI’s operations consultant to secure proposal input ;
• Provide technical DFS support to AfDB sector, country and regional offices ;
• Document minutes of meetings with country offices and potential partners and follow up on agreed actions ;
• Work with ADFI DFS specialists in assigned countries to track the database of projects ideas from the country office and support concept notes and proposal development.

Portfolio management :

• Track execution of detailed project plans by sub-grantees ;
• Ensure project steering committees are executed on time ;
• Active management of project risk registers with the sub-grantees ;
• Submission of monthly, quarterly and annual project and workplan reports to agreed deadlines ;
• Work with ADFI operations consultant to ensure all project disbursements, audits and compliance issues are addressed on time ;
• Support and/or participate in field project preparation and supervision missions ;
• Support project closure activities.

Maintain an active pipeline database :

• Identify potential projects for further consideration sourced through various media, including ADFI’s website and dedicated email, as well through engagement with internal and external DFS actors and maintain an active database of project opportunities ;
• Execute desk research as required to support pillars of intervention and different workstreams Communication and knowledge management activity ;
• Support project and advocacy-related communication and knowledge management content development and activity e.g. online content, reports, briefings, press releases, speeches, presentations etc. ;
• Work closely with the ADFI team including the communications lead, to support the development of knowledge products which could include research reports, human stories, case studies etc, and the design and coordination of workshops, webinars and events.

Other duties :

• Representation of the coordination unit at major events and conferences ;
• Perform any other duties assigned by the ADFI Coordinator.

6. QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS :

Key Competencies :

• Strong understanding of digital financial services (DFS) with good knowledge of digital infrastructure, regulation, and innovative products as well as capacity building and gender digital inclusion ;
• Project management experience ;
• Excellent analytical, writing, and verbal skills that are critical for influencing a broad and diverse audience ;
• Ability to write good proposals ;
• Ability to communicate complex ideas and recommendations to a diverse set of stakeholders, both technical and non-technical ;
• Analytical with the ability to identify and design solutions to complex challenges ;
• Experience in networking and knowledge of the international donor community.

Key Attributes :

• Ability to communicate fluently, both verbally and in writing, in English with fluency or working knowledge of French an added advantage ;
• Full competency in verbal and written English and French for the bilingual consultant ;
• High integrity and accountability ;
• Adaptable and displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity.

Qualifications :

• A Master’s degree in any of the development disciplines with a bias to development economics, finance, engineering, ICT ;
• At least 6 years of experience in digital financial services with experience in developing and emerging economies an added advantage.

7. The contract terms are for an initial two (2) years, renewable annually, subject to satisfactory performance. Location may be in Abidjan and/or remotely within Africa and will be agreed at the time of contracting. The positions are available immediately, latest by 1^st October 2022 ; 

8. 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 and ADFI’s Operating Guidelines. 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 ;
9. Interested and suitable candidates should submit an updated, concise and relevant to the role resume of not more than 3 pages and a cover note in MS word of no more than one and a half to two (2) pages summarising their suitability for the role to email address: adfi@afdb.org for the attention of the ADFI Coordinator. Please also indicate within the cover note and/or resume your nationality, level of fluency in English and French and earliest availability for the role. The email title should specific the position being applied for, either ‘ADFI DFS Consultant Bilingual’ or ‘ADFI DFS Consultant’ and should be received latest by 05 PM GMT on 22^nd July 2022 ;

10. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SHORT LIST : 

A shortlist of three to six individual consultants will be established at the end of 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 :

General qualifications and adequacy for the role	20%
Experience with the AfDB, other MDB’s DFI’s, donors	10%
Number of years and depth of experience relevant to the role	50%
Language proficiency		20%
TOTAL	100%

Note: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Please consider your application unsuccessful if you do not hear from us within two weeks (14 working days) of the closure date.

Female Candidates are encouraged to apply.

Visit the ADFI website to learn more about our work and mandate www.adfi.org.