AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK GROUP
Human Capital, Youth and Skills Development Department Immeuble CCIA, Tour B - Avenue Jean Paul II
01 BP 1387 Abidjan 01, Côte d’Ivoire Tel: (+225) 27 20 26 40 41, Ext: 6072
Web: http://www.afdb.org
EOI-RECRUITMENTOFINNOVATION, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP EXPERT
1. The African Development Bank hereby invites Individual Consultants to indicate their interest in the following Assignment: Innovation, Science, Technology and Entrepreneurship Expert (Consulting opportunity) for the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lab. of the African Development Bank (AfDB).
I. BACKGROUND
2. The African Development Bank (AfDB) is the premier pan-African development institution, promoting economic growth and social progress across the continent. The Bank delivers financial and technical support to Regional Member Countries (RMCs) through transformative projects that will significantly reduce poverty and bring inclusive and sustainable economic growth. In order to sharply focus the objectives of the Ten-Year Strategy (2013 – 2022) and ensure greater developmental impact, five priorities (High 5s) have been identified for scaling up and accelerate the Bank’s delivery, namely: Feed Africa, Industrialize Africa, Power Africa, Integrate Africa and improve the quality of life for the people of Africa.
3. To improve the quality of life for the people in Africa, the Jobs for Youth in Africa Strategy (JfYA) was approved in 2016 with the objective to create 25 million jobs and equip 50 million young people with skills to enhance their employability and entrepreneurial success by 2025. The JfYA strategy will support countries in their efforts to strengthen youth entrepreneurship to stimulate youth employment and inclusive economic development with a focus on young women. Linked to this, the Bank also runs the Boost Africa Program, which seeks to provide financing for high growth potential start-up companies in Africa and strengthen entrepreneurship ecosystems for start-ups.
4. As part of these activities, the Bank has created the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lab under the Human Capital, Youth and Skills Development Department (AHHD) division.
The Lab is also a key component under the Boost Africa Program, operated through the Financial Sector Development Department.
5. The objective of the Lab is to support youth employment and entrepreneurship in Africa by strengthening the capacity, operational reach and sustainability of Enterprise Support Organizations (ESOs), i.e. business incubators, accelerators and financial intermediaries including fund managers operating at all stages of the startup investment cycle – from seed/angel to exit, and various other intermediaries supporting entrepreneurship. The focus
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is on supporting early-stage youth-led startups and entrepreneurs and especially young women entrepreneurs and startups run by and employing young women.
6. The Lab operates through the following activities: i) Market studies & networking focused on entrepreneurs and enterprise support organizations (ESOs); ii) Capacity Building; iii) A Knowledge Exchange Platform; iv) Financial Support for innovative startups; v) Innovation incubation: promoting tech & hardware entrepreneurship and the usage of 4th Industrial Revolution technologies and other disruptive innovations, etc. Creating quality jobs for young people and young women is the key impact indicator of the Lab.
II. PURPOSE AND DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENT
7. The Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lab wishes to hire an expert in innovation, science, technology and entrepreneurship to help establish and manage the “Innovation Incubation Program” (Pillar 5) of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lab of the African Development Bank. For this, the African Development Bank invites candidates to indicate their interest in this assignment. This assignment is open to individual consultants only.
8. The candidate chosen will have a passion for discovering and supporting entrepreneurs, startups and the ESOs that accompany them in applying and commercializing scientific, technological, and engineering solutions to the human, social and economic development challenges facing Africa today. She/he will also be passionate about the role that innovation, science, technology, and engineering can have in achieving inclusive development in Africa. She/he will be curious about the role that new and disruptive technologies can play and motivated by the potential of these technologies to strengthen African innovation and entrepreneurship for the common good and for commercial success and for sustainable and inclusive economic development.
9. The Innovation Incubation program of the Lab identifies, engages with, and supports ESOs that can help inventors, entrepreneurs and startups working on innovations requiring capital and/or specialized skills, including tools and equipment (hardware) or innovations that rely on the use of cutting-edge technologies.
10. Some of the tech areas of interest under the Innovation Incubation program include the following: 4th Industrial Revolution (AI, IoT/M2M, UAVs, big data, DLT/blockchain, AM/3D printing, cloud, 5G, etc.), digital economy tech: fintech, e-commerce, digital ID, broadband, mobile, etc., industrial design (CAD/CAM, BIM), precision engineering &
manufacturing, data analytics including applications requiring specialized computer hardware systems or servers, biotech, medtech & gentech (genetic editing/engineering, etc.), agtech, heavy industry, transport and infrastructure, logistics, architecture, construction and engineering (including BIM), energy, mining & extractive industries, blue economy (fresh and saltwater), aerospace & space applications, sensing (satellites, drones, imaging & photography, geomatics, etc..), environmental sciences including renewable energy, cleantech, climate action, climate modelling, smart tech (smart cities & buildings, smart cars, autonomous vehicles, etc.), etc., and/or that rely on hardware or software entrepreneurship that may require engineering or “handyman” or equivalent skills. This is sometimes referred to as hardware entrepreneurship, tech entrepreneurship or tech enabled and tech supported entrepreneurship.
a. This action will also enhance the innovation, manufacturing & industrial capacity of Africa.
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b. A special focus will be on innovations and ventures that mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
11. The ideal candidate will be able to understand the needs of innovators and inventors operating early-stage enterprises or startups in the formal economy as well as frugal and other innovators operating in the informal sector and/or under resource limited conditions.
12. The candidate will understand the challenges presented by the gender gap in entrepreneurship in Africa.
13. The Lab is looking for someone who can relate to the potential unicorn opportunity and entrepreneur or investor as well as the informal sector inventor, entrepreneur or SME operating at the local and community level and with far fewer resources at her/his disposition but who can still create quality jobs. Given that most entrepreneurs in Africa work in the informal economy and that most jobs are in agriculture, the needs to strengthen entrepreneurship and job creation in the informal economy in Africa remains a priority for the Lab.
14. Women candidates are encouraged to apply.
III. JOB DESCRIPTION
15. Identify and get to know the ESOs, hubs and startups that are focused on hardware entrepreneurship or on tech innovation in Africa and the challenges and opportunities they face. Update information about these ESOs and startups in the Lab database(s) and online platform. Compare the situation of these ESOs with those in more industrialized parts of the world.
16. Assess various African ESOs, and in particular fund managers, specifically those in which the AfDB might be an investor under the Boost Africa Program and establish which ESOs may support tech (enabled) start-ups and might require assistance for the investees / start- ups supported at their end.
17. Identify innovation opportunities in fields and tech sectors described earlier where African entrepreneurs are underrepresented, in part because of the cost threshold associated with acquiring the equipment and/or expertise threshold necessary to make the best use possible of this equipment or other tech solutions. Produce a short report (7-10 pages) documenting the results.
18. Identify agencies, organizations, and institutions, both African and non-African, that provide different types of tech support solutions (R&D centres, prototyping centres, fablabs, tech hubs, university centres, NGOS, networks, development agencies, etc.) that can be applied to earlier stage tech based and tech enabled companies in Africa and provide an overview of these entities and of the services they provide. Consult also with AfDB staff and others to develop this list. Prepare a concise report detailing the findings.
19. Discuss the findings with AfDB colleagues and supervisors and agree on a plan forward to develop partnerships with selected agencies that may be best positioned to provide early stage / start-up tech support to African entrepreneurs. Develop the partnerships accordingly.
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20. Assess opportunities to support ESOs and tech (enabled) start-ups based on their needs, job creation potential, commercial / economic potential and potential to strengthen the innovation or competitive potential of a sector or region.
21. Help ESOs and the startups associated with these ESOs access appropriate technology, skills and investment in support of their ventures
a. Identify and liaise with science, tech and applied research organizations or networks in the public and private sectors, among civil society organizations and in academia in Africa and beyond that could support hardware entrepreneurs and tech startups. Develop a roster and agree with AfDB colleagues on partnerships with such agencies to be developed
22. Facilitate networking & matchmaking, linking tech / hardware ESOs with tech / hardware start-ups, investors and other support agencies.
a. Consider the gender dimension of supporting tech and hardware entrepreneurs, startups and ESOs – what are the special challenges that young women tech or hardware entrepreneurs face and how should the Lab address these gaps?
b. Consider novel support mechanisms such as prizes, awards, on the job training in prototyping or hardware entrepreneurship facilities inside and outside of Africa, etc.,
c. Identify opportunities and propose innovation pitches & challenges, competitions, to promote innovative business models to support hardware, scientific and tech entrepreneurship in Africa.
23. Develop training programs and other activities including procurement requests, to support ESOs and startups. Training in prototyping is of particular interest.
a. Identify opportunities to provide technology support for entrepreneurs mediated through ESOs.
24. Assess demand for tech / hardware startups and create a roster of industry companies and experts that can assist innovative start-ups to integrate and profit fully from value chain opportunities.
25. In consultation with the Lab Team and aligned to the various tasks and activities described below, develop and present a strategy, workplan and budget for implementing the Innovation Incubation Pillar of the Lab workplan. Include a funding strategy to achieve the goals of the Innovation Incubation Pillar.
a. Identify and make available relevant sector specific resources, tools, guidelines and approaches to support ESOs and startups.
26. In collaboration with the Lab and the Bank’s communication experts, communicate project/program objectives, activities, achievements using both digital and printed media social media. Produce written communication products accordingly.
27. Contribute knowledge and documentation about ESOs and entrepreneurs and related actors to Lab knowledge resources such as the Lab database of ESOs, entrepreneurs and partners and the Lab online Ennova Platform. Contribute to Lab communication activities including the Lab social media channels in conformity with the rules and regulations of the AfDB.
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28. Identify opportunities and business cases for applying hardware and tech innovation in the public and private sector for the AfDB Group to support by using a variety of financial instruments, including loans, de-risking measures, alternative and innovative financing mechanisms, through partnerships, Public-Private Partnership arrangements or otherwise.
This may also require participating in developing business cases for AfDB Group support.
IV. KEY DELIVERABLES
29. A strategy, workplan and budget for the Innovation Incubation program of the Lab. This will include a funding and partnership strategy to assist implementation.
30. Identify project priorities and implement activities and develop procurement requests to address these priorities.
31. A summary report based on secondary information and on discussions with key hardware and science and tech entrepreneurs and specialists in Africa and beyond on the state of hardware and science and tech entrepreneurship in Africa.
32. A short list of the main tech related funds (incl. potential Boost Africa funds) and investors supportive of science and tech entrepreneurship in Africa and describe the type of assistance provided.
33. A list of relevant specialized tech support agencies both in Africa and beyond, with a short description of their focus and support approach
34. An annotated list of ESOs, including prototyping centres or related facilities, FabLabs and related, supporting hardware and science and tech entrepreneurship in Africa.
a. Define what is meant by hardware and science and tech entrepreneurship in Africa and the organizations including ESOs that support this type of entrepreneurship.
b. This list will be consistent with the Lab ESO database structure and the results will be included in the Lab ESO database and integrated in the Lab online knowledge sharing platform.
c. The list will include a summary report of the main players, the sectors or activities they are involved with, trends in hardware and science and tech entrepreneurship in Africa, the sources and level of funding they can access and their strengths and weaknesses. This will allow in depth indexing of the results and facilitate searching the list using Boolean operators for example.
35. Work with the Lab team in obtaining support and funds to implement the Innovation Incubation program.
a. Develop project ideas and procurement notices to implement the Innovation Incubation program of work.
36. Contribute to the communications activities of the Lab, including the digital communications / social media communications plan of the Lab.
37. Contribute to the overall workplan of the Lab and to the 4 other Pillars of the Lab program of work by participating in team meetings and contributing to the overall Lab strategy and budgeting exercise.
V. ESSENTIAL SPECIALIZED SKILLS / COMPETENCIES
38. The consultant to be recruited will be a professional and a national from a member country of the Bank with an M.Sc. or MBA in engineering, science or technology with experience in entrepreneurship and/or innovation in Africa.
39. The consultant should have the following profile:
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a. Experience in engineering, science, or tech and in entrepreneurship.
b. Experience as a hardware or tech start-up entrepreneur is an advantage
c. Excellent training, coaching and mentoring skills. Experience in mentoring, training, teaching, or coaching young people in technology, applied sciences, engineering and entrepreneurship will be a distinct advantage.
d. Experience working in international development including with DFIs and donor or UN agencies and/or experience working with international and/or transnational corporations.
e. Working experience in Africa. Experience as a tech entrepreneur / business mentor working in Africa would be ideal.
f. Experience working in a tech focused ESO, startup or innovation hub is sought.
g. Passionate and curious about exploring the potential tech can do in development in Africa.
h. Experience working with the private sector including entrepreneurs, startups, and early-stage SMEs and ESOs including investors in a developing / emerging market context is a strength.
i. Excellent analytical and project management skills
j. Strong communication skills, including strong interpersonal communication skills.
k. Excellent command of the English or French language. There is a preference for candidates fluent in one of these languages and with a working knowledge of the other language.
l. Experience in communicating professionally using advanced tools, including in using and producing imagery and especially photographs for Lab communication activities.
m. High level of skill in using office productivity software. Awareness of some of the specialized tools and apps used by hardware & tech entrepreneurs.
n. Excellent cross-cultural skills
o. Excellent interpersonal skills - Gender and culturally sensitive team player – a people person
p. Possess a valid passport and willing and able to travel internationally.
q. Photographic skills will be a plus.
VI. TIMELINE AND SUBMISSION
40. The assignment duration is for a 12-months period once renewable based on adequate performance. The consultant will be offered a lump sum contract. The consultant is expected to implement the program of work to achieve its deliverables.
41. The AfDB invites individual consultants to indicate their interest in providing the above- described services. Interested individuals must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services through: a) a CV; and b) a short motivation letter that also refers to the relevant assignments undertaken / positions held that support the candidate’s submission, to be sent by e-mail to the addresses mentioned below.
42. Eligibility criteria and 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 Consultants” May 2008 edition and revised July 2012, which is available on the Bank’s website at http://www.afdb.org. Only Individual Consultants would be considered for this Expression of Interest. Consultants should be national of one of the AfDB’s regional or
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non-regional member countries: https://www.afdb.org/en/about-us/corporate- information/members.
43. The criteria for evaluation and weighting to be applied by the evaluation committee are as follows:
a. General Qualifications and suitability to the Tasks 30
b. Experience in the specific assignment 40
c. Experience with International Institutions 10
d. Language Capacity 10
e. Working knowledge of the Africa Region 10
44. The Bank is under no obligation to shortlist any individual who expresses interest.
45. Expressions of interest must be submitted or sent by e-mail to all the addresses mentioned below no later than Oct. 7, 2021 at 23:59 PM (GMT) and specifically mentioning
“Expression of interest - Innovation, Science, Technology and Entrepreneurship Expert for Africa”.
46. The total size of the email file transmitted must not be larger than 5 MB, and all documents must be transmitted in ONE (OR MAXIMUM) TWO FILES ONLY. PDF format is preferred. Files containing malware will be deleted and the application rejected.
For the attention of:
For the attention of:
Ms. Aida Mademe Sylla E-mail: [email protected]
Copies to:
Ms. Ndeye Absa Gningue E-mail: [email protected] Mr. Richard Labelle
E-mail : [email protected]
