TERMS OF REFERENCE – CONSULTANCY FOR FLAGSHIP REPORT OF AFRICA HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT ANNUAL RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM (AHDARS)

  • Deadline: September 4, 2026

1. Background

The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) is a premier research-to-policy institution, generating evidence, strengthening research and related capacity in the African research and development ecosystem, and engaging policy to inform action on health and development. The Center is Africa-based and African-led, with its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, and a West Africa Regional Office (WARO), in Dakar, Senegal. APHRC seeks to drive change by developing strong African research leadership and promoting evidence-informed decision-making (EIDM) across sub-Saharan Africa.

Ahead of hosting the 2026 Africa Health and Development Annual Research Symposium (AHDARS) on 18–19 November 2026 at its Nairobi campus under the theme “Building African-Centered Data Systems: New Models, New Power. What Can Be Done Differently?”, APHRC seeks a qualified consultant to generate the underlying portfolio data and to author its inaugural flagship report on Africa’s data ecosystems for a public launch at the event.

2.Purpose and Objectives

The purpose of this assignment is to produce a publication-ready inaugural flagship report that draws on primary and secondary evidence from APHRC and partners’ data-driven projects and systems to make an original, well-evidenced contribution to the continental debate on African-centered data systems.

The objectives are to:

  • Generate data on APHRC and partners’ portfolio of data-driven projects and systems, through structured portfolio mapping, key informant interviews, and a short-structured survey of project teams.
  • Analyze and synthesize that evidence against the themes of the symposium: data sovereignty and governance, local infrastructure and interoperability, equity and inclusion, cultural contextualization, decolonial frameworks, production and use of data, and the roles of African academia, civil society and the private sector.
  • Author the flagship report, including an executive summary, evidence-based case studies, data visualizations and practical policy recommendations.
  • Design the report and prepare launch materials to enable APHRC to present it at AHDARS 2026.

3.  Scope of work

3.1 Inception and methodology

  • Review APHRC’s 2022–2026 Strategic Plan, the AHDARS 2026 concept note, and available documentation for each project in scope.
  • Agree with the Editorial Committee on the final list of projects and systems to be covered, the report structure, and the analytical framework.
  • Develop and submit the full methodology, including data collection instruments: a portfolio mapping template, a key informant interview guide, and a short-structured survey for project teams.
  • Confirm the approach to data protection, consent and attribution for all primary data collected.

3.2. Data Generation

The consultant will generate the evidence base for the report. This will include:

  • Portfolio mapping. Compile a structured database covering every project in scope, capturing at minimum: objectives; countries and sites; partners and funders; datasets created, curated or governed; standards and interoperability arrangements; platforms and infrastructure; users and beneficiaries; governance and data-sharing arrangements; capacity-building outputs; publications and policy uptake; sustainability arrangements; and lessons learned.
  • Key informant interviews. Conduct interviews with project leads, principal investigators, data managers and selected external partners across the portfolio — indicatively 15–20 interviews, to be confirmed at inception — and document them in a consistent, analyzable format.
  • Structured survey. Administer a short survey to project teams to capture comparable quantitative indicators across the portfolio.
  • Secondary data extraction. Draw on project reports, dashboards, platform statistics, monitoring data, publication records and policy citations to quantify reach and contribution.
  • Verification. Confirm all figures with the relevant project lead before they appear in the report.

3.3. Analysis and synthesis

  • Analyze the assembled evidence to identify cross-cutting patterns, models that have worked, constraints encountered, and transferable lessons for African-centered data systems.
  • Position APHRC’s experience within the wider continental debate, including the disruption to the DHS ecosystem and the implications of reduced external research funding.
  • Develop four to six in-depth case studies on projects offering the strongest evidence and the most transferable lessons, to be selected with the Editorial Committee.
  • Derive practical, actionable recommendations addressed to distinct audiences: African governments and regional bodies, research institutions, funders, and the private sector.

3.4. Report Authorship

  • Draft the full flagship report in English, indicatively 50–70 pages excluding annexes, to a standard suitable for public launch and external citation.
  • Include: an executive summary of no more than four pages; an introduction and framing chapter; thematic analytical chapters; the case studies; recommendations; and methodological annexes.
  • Design and specify data visualizations, infographics and tables, supplying the underlying data for each so that APHRC can reproduce and adapt them.
  • Ensure full and accurate referencing, and consistency with APHRC brand and editorial guidelines.
  • Incorporate two rounds of consolidated review comments from the Editorial Committee.

3.5. Design and Launch materials

  • Deliver a designed copy of the flagship report.
  • Deliver a short video summary of the report.
  • Prepare a four-page policy brief summarising the report’s findings and recommendations.
  • Prepare a launch presentation (15–20 slides) for use at AHDARS 2026.
  • Prepare a short set of key messages and suggested quotations for communications use.

3.6. Handover

  • Deliver the final manuscript in editable format, print-ready and cleared for design.
  • Hand over the complete portfolio database, anonymized interview records, survey data, and all underlying data for figures, with documentation sufficient for APHRC to update the report in future.
  • Deliver a designed flagship report approved by APHRC.

4. Oversight

The consultant will report to the AHDARS 2026 Convening Lead and work under the direction of the Flagship Report Editorial Committee. APHRC will provide access to project leads and documentation, brand and editorial guidelines, and will coordinate internal review.

5. Deliverables and timelines

All deliverables will be submitted in English, in editable Microsoft Office format, and are subject to APHRC review and written approval.

The assignment is for a maximum of 30 working days over six calendar weeks for the lead consultant.
No. Deliverable Due (from contract signature)
1 Inception report: methodology, report outline, analytical framework and data collection instruments Week 1, Day 4
2 Completed portfolio mapping database, with sources and gaps documented End of Week 2
3 Interview and survey completion report, with anonymized records and emerging findings End of Week 3
4 Analysis and findings memo, with proposed case studies and draft recommendations Week 4, Day 2
5 Full first draft of the flagship report, including draft visualizations End of Week 4
6 Revised draft incorporating first-round Editorial Committee comments Week 5, Day 4
7 Final manuscript, print-ready and cleared for design, with all underlying data for figures End of Week 6
8 Deliver communication products: a designed flagship report and short lay video summarizing the report, four-page policy brief, launch presentation and key messages End of Week 7
9 Full data handover pack and documentation End of Week 6

6. Indicative budget ceiling

Recommended ceiling: USD 25,000.

7. Required Qualifications and Experience

Essential

  • Advanced degree (Master’s or above) in public health, data or information systems, development studies, social sciences or a related discipline; a doctorate is an advantage.
  • Minimum eight (8) years’ experience in applied research, with a strong record of authoring major research or policy reports for institutional or public audiences.
  • Demonstrated experience in mixed-methods primary data collection, including key informant interviews and structured surveys, and in synthesizing across a portfolio of projects.
  • Strong working knowledge of Africa’s data, digital health or research and development ecosystem.
  • Demonstrated ability to produce publication-quality written English and to include clear, accurate data visualizations.
  • Proven ability to deliver a substantial written product within a short, fixed deadline.

Desirable

  • Prior authorship of a flagship, state-of-the-field or annual report for a research institution, multilateral agency or foundation.
  • Familiarity with debates on data sovereignty, data governance, interoperability standards and decolonial approaches to data.
  • Experience working with African Union institutions, regional bodies or national statistical systems.
  • Working proficiency in French.

8. Reporting and coordination

The consultant will report to the AHDARS 2026 Convening Lead and work under the direction of the Flagship Report Editorial Committee. APHRC will provide access to project leads and documentation, brand and editorial guidelines, and will coordinate internal review.

9. Intellectual property, ethics, confidentiality and data protection

All data, analysis, drafts, visualizations and outputs produced under this assignment will remain the sole property of APHRC. Authorship and acknowledgment will be agreed in writing at inception. The consultant will not publish, share or reproduce any material arising from this assignment without prior written authorization from APHRC. The consultant will comply with APHRC research ethics procedures, and will confirm at inception whether ethics review is required for the primary data collection. Informed consent will be obtained from all interview and survey participants, and their contributions attributed or anonymized as agreed.

The consultant will treat all information accessed as confidential and will comply with the Kenya Data Protection Act (2019) and APHRC’s data protection and information security policies. Personal data will be processed only for the purposes of this assignment, stored securely, and returned or destroyed on completion.

10. Application requirements

Interested consultants should submit:

  • A technical proposal of no more than five (5) pages, setting out the proposed approach, methodology, team composition and workplan, and demonstrating how the six-week timeline will be met.
  • A financial proposal stating all-inclusive daily rates for each proposed team member and the total fee.
  • Curricula vitae for all proposed team members (maximum four pages each).
  • One full sample report authored or substantially led by the applicant, of comparable scope.
  • Contact details for two (2) professional referees for comparable assignments.

Applications should be submitted via email to consultancies@aphrc.org, copying procurement@aphrc.org, with the email subject “AHDARS 2026 — Flagship Report Consultancy”. The deadline for application submission is September 4th, 2026.

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