Scoping Consultant, Tech For Development

Focus of the Role

The Tony Blair Institute (TBI) is a purpose-driven, not-for-profit organisation, with a mission to equip leaders to build open, prosperous and inclusive societies. We believe that politics done well has the power to transform lives. When governments work well, they are able to create economic and social change in a way that promotes fairness, social justice and opportunity. We are optimists, and we work relentlessly to support leaders and governments with the challenges they face: giving them practical solutions and actionable insights, that once implemented, can be transformative for their people.  

We do this within two connected divisions: 

 Government Advisory 

Our Advisory Practice works directly with political leaders and governments around the world to implement reforms that improve the lives of their citizens. It has both non-profit partners and a client base and its outputs cover a range of disciplines and projects across countries in Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and South Asia. We are currently in a rapid expansion phase from c. 18 countries at present, to 30 by December 2022.

Policy Futures 

Our Policy Futures work encompasses three broad areas: 

·       Renewing the Centre: developing a bold and innovative domestic policy programme to help renew the centre ground of British politics; 

·       Tech and Public Policy: exploring the policy challenges and opportunities presented by the technological revolution; and 

·       Extremism Policy Unit: creating solutions designed to tackle the threat of extremist ideologies in the UK and around the world. 

As an organisation, the core beliefs we all embrace are: 

·       Open and Progressive: you’ll believe in the value of teamwork 

·       Bold and Pragmatic: you’ll approach everything you do with integrity and authenticity 

·       Optimistic Changemaker: you’ll be focused on results

The Institute has been supporting Rwanda for 12 years and has established a unique trusted relationship with the government.

For the past 20 years, Rwanda has focused on economic development and improving the well-being of its citizens. The results can be seen in the ever-growing skyline of central Kigali, in the rapidly lengthening average life expectancy of the population and the growing volume of exports. The government continues to set itself ambitious targets for development in its “Vision 2050”, following the successful implementation of “Vision 2020”. Rwanda’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic stands it out from its neighbours—the only country in its region to be removed from the Robert Koch Institute’s list of risk areas and the only nation in Sub-Saharan Africa approved for EU travel. These results and ambitions are not achieved without considerable effort.

Since 2002, Rwanda has been undergoing a digital transformation journey with the ultimate goal to becoming a knowledge-based economy. The country aspires to be the leading ICT Hub in Africa with advanced IT-Enabled services, exhibiting a culture of innovation, supported by significant investment in R&D and undertaken by a highly educated and skilled workforce. It envisions having high usage and awareness of ICTs in society and ICTs contribute to a significant portion of the economy. To support its ambition, the Government of Rwanda has established several strategies focused on enhancing technology in the sectors of agriculture, education, health, and finance, including: the ICT Hub Strategy 2018-2024, SMART Rwanda Master Plan, ICT4Raf, the National Digital Talent Policy, the National Data Revolution Policy, the National Science & Innovation Policy, the National Cyber Security Policy, and the Broadband Policy.

The ICT Hub strategy presents a framework for greater focus on knowledge creation, innovation, and entrepreneurship promotion. It provides a coherent systematic approach to innovation and development and identifies several technology and innovation domains critical for Rwanda. Among other things, the ICT Hub aims to significantly grow the contribution of the Information Technology enabled Services (ITeS) to the national economy by attracting and partnering with global organisations and institutions to develop solutions addressing the socio-economic challenges in specific economic sectors. The niche sector areas identified by Government are empowering data driven farming (AgriTech), Health and informatics (HealthTech), Digital Finance Services (Fintech) and E-Government services.

TBI is scoping additional tech for transformation opportunities to pursue with the government over the next 1-2 years.  We are  seeking a short term (4-6 weeks) independent consultant to support the TBI Rwanda Team in finalising scoping and shortlisting tech-enabled solutions that will help the government to unlock national transformation through the use of technology and digitisation.

Key Responsibilities

• Review, validate, and complete the scoping and shortlisting of tech-enabled solutions – based on the substantial analysis already completed by the TBI Rwanda Team – to ensure strong alignment with, and commitment from, the Government of Rwanda and TBI
• Propose the way forward for selected opportunities with detailed workplans, including immediate next steps, resourcing needs and budget for an initial program of work beginning from Q1 2021
• For each agreed opportunity, provide an assessment of:
  • The potential transformational impact focusing on the human development economic, and catalytic impact
  • The compatibility of the opportunity in Rwanda’s country context, including the digital readiness of the country, skills and human capital required.
  • Implementation considerations including financial requirements, partner availability, TBI’s role and realistic timelines required to reach deployment
• The sustainability of the solution financially and institutionally
• The opportunity for TBI and Government of Rwanda to learn through the process and create measurable outcomes
• A risk assessment, including estimated demand/uptake, likelihood of success, and the barriers that may exist and how they can be overcome
• Provide agile support to the TBI Rwanda team on tech for transformation issues as needed, such as review of the national technology transformation landscape, likely cross-cutting challenges to address in designing the program, or the current framework used to map the opportunity landscape
• Provide a final and internally approved shortlist of 3-5 technology opportunities (based off the existing, completed initial scoping and shortlist) with additional detail on specific TBI activities and feasibility analysis
• Provide a clear workplan for each of the 3-5 shortlisted opportunities and the overall program of work outlining the proposed next steps to begin delivery from Q1 2021 and including detailed scope of work, staffing requirements, and budgets

Person Specification

The successful candidate must demonstrate a good understanding of the Rwandan ICT ecosystem and the Government operating machinery, its structures and operating environment.  Prior work with the Government of Rwanda is highly desirable. The successful candidate should also be able to demonstrate the majority of the following:

• At least 10 years’ of demonstrated technology/product experience
• Consulting experience in a development context, preferably in Africa
• Familiarity and network capability with private sector technology firms (domestic and international) in Rwanda
• Extensive conceptual and methodological skills and in applying qualitative and quantitative research evaluation methods
• Experience in developing workplans and budgeting, and implementation of risk management/matrix frameworks
• Experience in institutional development and organizational change management, including process and system design and capacity development
• Prior impact assessment experience is desirable. Experience of living and working in developing countries is strongly desirable

• Ability to work under pressure and to coordinate with multi-disciplinary advisors and other stakeholders
• Ability to present information in a concise, insightful, and structured manner, written and oral
• Exceptional problem-solving and analytical skills, including sound knowledge of data analysis, strategic planning, and project management tools
• High quality communication, drafting and presentation skills
• Experience in building and managing effective relationships including the ability to navigate complex political environments
• Excellent inter-personal skills and ability to work both independently and as part of a wider team
• An ability to work independently, think strategically and translate strategies into concrete and implementable plans; an acute attention to detail with excellent analytical, organizational, and communication skills
• Fluency in English is required; knowledge of Kinyarwanda and French is desirable

The Consultant will report to the Senior Counsellor, TBI Rwanda and will work closely with identified country team members for support. The Consultant will be paid a daily rate as agreed and will be reimbursed for all travel, accommodation and communication expenses.  

About The Institute

TBI believes embracing diversity and inclusion make us a better place to work.  It’s our goal to reflect everyone in society and we actively welcome applications from individuals and groups who are under-represented in the workplace. We celebrate difference be it ethnicity, religion, age, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation or disability.

We will only ever assess you on your abilities and fit for a role. We’re happy to discuss any adjustments you need to ensure a level playing field during recruitment and, if you're successful, discuss any adjustments you might need to thrive in your role.