Digital Transformation Consultant

OVERVIEW

Parent Sector : Field Office

Duty Station: Yaounde

Job Family: Computer Sciences / Information Technologies

Type of contract : Non Staff

Duration of contract : From 1 to 6 months

Recruitment open to : External candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 17-Mai-2021

 

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

 

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

 

Inspite of its devastating consequences, the COVID-19 crisis strengthened the role of digitalisation in contributing to Africa’s productive transformation and in fulfilling Agenda 2063, the African Union’s vision for the continent’s development. The digital transformation is expanding to almost all economic sectors, most rapidly to education and healthcare due to COVID-19. The continent boasts headline digital successes. The mobile money revolution is a well-known example: with the world’s highest number of accounts − 300 million − it is altering local job markets, starting in East Africa. More than 500 African companies provide technology-enabled innovation in financial services (fintech). Some African start-ups’ valuations now exceed a billion dollars. Over 640 tech hubs are active across the continent. However, digital innovations must expand far beyond these islands of success to achieve Agenda 2063 objectives and create a mass number of jobs for the youth.

Within this context, UNESCO is moving forward to support Africa’s digital transformation and trigger large-scale job creation, including outside the digital sector, capitalizing on the vast economic potential of Central Africa countries. We are looking for consultants and specialists to help develop our regional strategy and action plan to assist governments and youths to:

• Promote the dissemination of digital innovations beyond large cities through place-based policies. Ensuring universal access to digital technologies calls for enhancing coverage, affordability and the availability of suitable content. Internet access has expanded thanks to the growing prevalence of mobile phones: 72% of Africans now use them regularly, with the highest number in North Africa (82%) and the lowest in Central Africa (63%). However, digital adoption remains unequal across genders, income groups and other groupings. Only 26% of the continent’s rural dwellers use the Internet regularly, compared to 47% of its urban inhabitants.

Long Description

• Prepare Africa’s workforce to embrace digital transformation and guarantee social protection. By 2040, own-account and family workers will represent 65% of employment under current trends. The share of own-account and family workers will be the highest in West Africa, accounting for 74% of employment in 2040, and the lowest in North Africa at 25%. Presently, 45% of youth feel their skills are inappropriate for their jobs. The apparition of new livelihoods on the web requires setting solid regulatory schemes and providing social protection for informal iWorkers.

 

• Remove barriers to innovation that prevent smaller firms from competing in the digital age. Dynamic small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) need support to adopt the most appropriate digital tools for innovation and trade. For example, having a website is positively associated with a 5.5% increase in the share of direct exports in firms’ sales. Only 31% of firms in Africa’s formal sector have a website, compared to 39% in Asia and 48% in Latin America and the Caribbean. Today, only 17% of Africa’s early-stage entrepreneurs expect to create at least six jobs, the lowest percentage globally. Enticing these firms to scale up is critical for job creation.

 

• Deepen regional and continental co-operation for digital transformation. Digital technologies pose new challenges to national regulators. Supranational co-operation can provide solutions in areas such as digital taxation, digital security, privacy, personal data protection and cross-border data flows. Harmonising continental and regional regulations is an important complement to national laws. As of today, only 28 countries in Africa have personal data protection legislation in place, while 11 have adopted substantive laws on digital security incidents.

Long Description

The consultants will help develop programmes to:

 

• Map current digitalization efforts and startups in the region, as well as monitor and evaluate digital strategies at the regional and national levels;

 

• Develop a strategy and plan to coordinate investment in digital infrastructure regionally to expand coverage and ensure inclusive and reliable access, looking at ways to strengthen regional co-operation on digitalisation, and mobilise public and private resources for regional infrastructure;

 

• Develop a plan to assist governments regionally and nationally to strengthen their support to technology parks and start-up incubators, and monitor progress; Implement supportive regulatory frameworks to develop fintech, foster financial inclusion and diversify sources of financing for private sector development; Support entrepreneurs and SMEs in using digital technologies, especially in agricultural sectors, to strengthen their integration into regional and global value chains; and Invest in human capital to align skills with future market needs, and promote TVET through strategic partnerships with the private sector.

Long Description

• Develop projects proposals to:
  • Equip the workforce with the adequate skills to facilitate the school-to-work transition and reduce the skills mismatch, and leverage digital technologies to promote entrepreneurship and foster the digital transformation of regional value chains.
  • Facilitate the school-to-work transition, notably through digital literacy and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) programmes, and monitor technological developments to anticipate future skills requirements.
  • Nurture digital entrepreneurship and innovation by adapting the regulatory environment, and promote technology parks, notably through easier financing.
  • Modernize education and training systems by monitoring and evaluating digital literacy and programmes for science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and promote lifelong learning and reskilling of the workforce.
• Explore partnership opportunities with UN agencies as well as CSOs and Private sector to fund and implement these projects;

 

• Prepare a call for tenders for the identification of start-ups in Cameroon in the fields of competence of the United Nations in Cameroon;

 

• Set up a platform on the Operation Management Team website for the call for applications;

 

• Perform all other assigned tasks.

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial) Accountability (C) Communication (C) Innovation (C) Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement (C) Planning and organizing (C) Results focus (C) Teamwork (C) Professionalism (C) - For detailed information, please consult the UNESCO Competency Framework. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

 

Academic Qualifications:

The consultant should possess an advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent degree) in Digital strategy; Digital transformation or related field.

 

Experience:

Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in the domain.

 

Language:

Knowledge and fluency of English and French (both written and oral) is required for this consultancy.

DETAILS / BENEFITS AND ENTITLEMENTS

 

Job détails 

 

Title: Digital Transformation Consultant

 

Grade : Middle

 

Type of contract : Consultant Contract

 

Period : 03 months (possibility of extension depending on the availability of funds and performance evaluation)

 

Deadline for submission : 17 May 2021

SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application and provide complete and accurate information. To apply, please visit the UNESCO careers website. No modifications can be made to the application submitted.

The evaluation of candidates is based on the criteria in the vacancy notice, and may include tests and/or assessments, as well as a competency-based interview. 

UNESCO uses communication technologies such as video or teleconference, e-mail correspondence, etc. for the assessment and evaluation of candidates.

Please note that only selected candidates will be further contacted and candidates in the final selection step will be subject to reference checks based on the information provided.

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UNESCO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.