International Consultancy - Mapping of Universal Service Funds in Sub Saharan Africa, East and South Africa Regional Office at UNICEF

Goal and Objective:  

Under the supervision of the Corporate Alliances Specialist PPP, ESARO and in close collaboration with the relevant technical teams across Sub-Saharan Africa regional and country offices, the consultant will:

• map and gather the most up to date information on the USFs/USOFs or, where these do not exist, on alternative government schemes in the selected 13 countries in Sub Saharan Africa to fund wider deployment of telecommunication, Internet, and associated services. The countries to be covered in this mapping are Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Malawi, Nigeria, Zambia, Madagascar, Niger, Gabon, Congo, DRC, and Chad.
• identify entry points and opportunities for UNICEF and key stakeholders, such as Mobile Operations to leverage resources for children, particularly in relation to the provision of basic services such as education or health.

Provide details/reference to AWP areas covered

 this consultancy builds into the Airtel Africa partnership and the PPP/T4D section aim to support and develop regional investment cases, call to actions, and support country offices in drafting high quality donor proposals in alignment with the regional flagship initiative on the learning crisis.

Activities and Tasks:  

The consultant will conduct research of publicly and other available resources to compile a report on the USFs/USOFs or, where there is no government USF/USOF, on a comparable government scheme in the 13 countries. The consultant will compile gathered research into a report and prepare a PowerPoint presentation summarizing the findings in the report. The methodology for this review should be to a) conduct a desk review of publicly available sources, and available internal documents, and b) stakeholder consultations.

The report will cover the following on a country-by-country basis:

• The existence in the country of a USF/USOF or a comparable scheme; and ministries and/or specific agencies involved.
• Applicable legislative arrangements and their provisions for:
  • Establishing the USF/USOF and any associated statutory bodies;
  • Applicable governance framework and its structures;
  • Applicable levying mechanism to raise funds for the USF/USOF and to what entities do these apply, eg. Mobile network operators, Internet service providers and/or any other commercial entities;
  • Investment rules and practices: Scope and range of services, projects, initiatives and other schemes permitted to be funded/supported by the USF/USOF under the governing legislation and the USF/USOF mandate;
  • Limitations and/or constraints imposed on rollout and deployment of services such as:
    • Stationary and mobile voice services;
    • Broadband and mobile internet services to the communities; including the access to devices and basic infrastructure that support connectivity.
    • Broadband internet services to educational, health and other facilities; and
    • Capacity development, skills development and training, eg. for girls/women or teachers.
  • Applicable methods of disbursement of funds and/or funding projects, eg. through government tenders.
• Current state of the USF/USOF, including the overview of its operation, level of independence/autonomy, current balance of unspent funds and, subject to the availability of the information, funds collected and expended over the last 5 years (2016 to 2021/2 based on the available information)
• Summary of most recent projects or initiatives supported and funded by the USF/USOF (eg. in the last 3 years), including project scope and type of services rolled out, budget/allocated funds and entity implementing the project/initiative; key lessons learned/best practices with the and highlight of key opportunities for entry to access the funds.
• Overview of any alternative incentives provided to telecommunication service providers and similar entities by the USF / USOF, eg. for deployment of services, innovation, capacity development or community training
• Stakeholder’s perception on this mechanism, its objectives/national relevance, governance, and revenue management.
• Lesson
• Any other points or issues relevant to advocacy for utilization of USF/USOF resources to address deprivations such as digital divide, accessibility of online resources and similar.

Desired competencies, technical background, and experience

• A post-graduate degree (eg. Master’s) in IT, engineering, economics, international development, business administration or closely related field. A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.
• A minimum of 5 years’ experience at a mid- or senior management level, working in telecommunication sector or researching government/private sector policy issues, preferably in relation to government telecommunication policies.
• Fluency in English and working language in French is required.