International Consultancy: Mobile Money feasibility study in South Sudan (for Non South Sudanese only)

The aim of this consultancy is to determine the feasibility of using mobile money in South Sudan to administer cash payments to teachers under the Outreach project as well as health officers and Nutrition workers receiving incentives/salary from UNICEF Implementing Partners (IPs). This assignment is for 3 months

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UNICEF South Sudan seeks to improve its cash-based programming to advance outcomes for children. In 2019, UNICEF South Sudan launched a Strategy for Cash-Based Approaches. Implementation of the Strategy commenced immediately, including capacity building for UNICEF staff on cash-based programming, and identification of entry points where cash transfers could add value and yield more effective programmatic results for children. UNICEF is implementing the EU funded “Outreach Project”, to provide incentives to teachers in hard-to-reach areas in South Sudan. The Outreach Project will provide incentives to a limited number of government-certified teachers (1,950) and volunteer teachers (5,500) over a 24-month period. These teachers will be targeted to support equitable access to quality education in contexts having education facilities but lacking qualified teachers. The incentives will be provided in cash by the contracted Financial Service Provider (FSP). However, taking into consideration the volatile and fragile context of South Sudan, the use of cash assistance comes with a host of challenges and operational risks both to general population and development actors. Some of the challenges include safety and protection risks, delays in distributing cash in field locations and risk of leakages. It is against this background that UNICEF seeks to explore alternative cash delivery mechanisms, such as transfers through mobile money by undertaking a feasibility study. The mobile network mapping also presents an opportunity for UNICEF to explore the landscape for piloting text-message-based real-time monitoring systems (such as Rapid Pro which has been recently established in UNICEF South Sudan to potentially track teacher and student attendance, performance and provide a feedback loop from schools in a timely manner.

The World Bank MM feasibility study (2019) indicated a negligible rate of bank account ownership in South Sudan, proposing MM as a strong potential for boosting financial inclusion. However, WB also cautioned that the latter would only be achieved if more reliable and extensive network infrastructure were built. At the time of WB reporting, MM service development was in infancy stage requiring system development from scratch but pointing to a window of opportunity to develop a system that meets international standards. From the time of WB study to date, South Sudan has experienced ameliorated political and economic stability that has given potential for MNOs and MMOs room to advance network coverage. This new window of opportunity is yet to be explored for advancement of MM for cash-based programming by humanitarian and development actors.

Through this consultancy, therefore, UNICEF seeks current information about the feasibility of MM in South Sudan. UNICEF will use findings from the study to pilot mobile money payments in locations where feasibility to use mobile money is established.

How can you make a difference?

The aim of this consultancy is to determine the feasibility of using mobile money in South Sudan to administer cash payments to teachers under the Outreach project as well as health officers and Nutrition workers receiving incentives/salary from UNICEF Implementing Partners (IPs).

Under the direct supervision of the Chief of Education, the Consultant will be expected to conduct the mobile money feasibility study in South Sudan for a period of three months. The consultant will work in close collaboration with chiefs and colleagues in Education, Health and Nutrition section as well as MOGEI and Implementing partners during the study.

Key responsibilities/deliverables of this consultancy:

 The consultant will be responsible for the following deliverables during the consultancy period

1. Conduct a desk review of the current regulatory framework for Mobile Money transfers in South Sudan, particularly building on information from recent assessments such as the World Bank feasibility assessment in 2019.
2. Assess the current available infrastructure for Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and Mobile Money Operators (MMOs) highlighting geographical coverage, clientele base, the products provided like P2P, airtime top up, merchant payments, bill payments, bulk payments, wallet to bank payments, cross-border payments, etc. 
3. Identify any challenges and opportunities for growth and development as well as opportunities for linkages and collaboration with other key players in the market.
4. Provide percentage coverage of MMO services per county and distribution of cash out points, mapping this against the provisionally planned locations of the UNICEF supported education cash transfer programme.
5. Assess the liquidity of Mobile money agents –reach of agent network (including number of active/operational mobile money agents), distribution model, cash and e-float rebalancing strategy etc.
6. Distribution of Network coverage per county for selected states covered under the Outreach project assessing mobile network robustness (e.g., frequent network outages/shutdowns or downtime in recent months/weeks).
7. Explore the current demand for and usage of Mobile Money Services, with focused surveys targeting education, health and Nutrition stakeholders (female and male teachers in both urban/rural with geographic representation, MoGEI, Education sector partners in 10 states and 3 Administrative Areas, health officers and Nutrition workers receiving incentives and/or salary through UNICEF implementing partners).
8. Present the business models offered by various MNOs and MMOs. Detail the KYC requirements for registration of clients on MNOs and MMOs, highlighting challenges if any which impedes the adoption of the services by the different following groups:

1. those among volunteer teachers in HRIS who own sim cards and mobile phone but not using mobile money services.
2. those who do not own a mobile phone nor working sim cards and therefore not using the Mobile Money Transfer.
3. the satisfaction level of the members of public who own a mobile phone and working sim cards who are also using the Mobile Money Transfer, highlight the challenges if any which they face in using Mobile money transfer.
4. Health officers and Nutrition workers receiving incentives or salaries through UNICEF implementing partners.

1. Explore perceptions of the above groups in the following areas:

• Mobile money providers system.
• Convenience/ease to use of mobile money
• Awareness on how digital payments service work /levels of digital literacy
• Satisfaction of Mobile Money service

1. Provide recommendations of specific areas (States, Counties) where UNICEF can pilot use of mobile money transfers highlighting actions to be undertaken by Mobile Money providers and by UNICEF to improve readiness (e.g., devices, outreach, and trainings),
2.  Indicate possible risks of using mobile money in this context and provide recommendations.
3. Provide technical guidance and develop workplans for the implementation of the cash for work project.

Duration

The consultant will be hired for a period of three months.

Scope of Work and Expected Results

The final product of this consultancy is a Feasibility study report.

The detailed technical report should highlight the following.

1. Current Regulatory Framework: guiding statutory frameworks and requirements. for operating mobile money services.
2. Infrastructure:  description of the available infrastructure to operate mobile money services – including   mobile money coverage, cash out agent proliferation, agent liquidity, etc.
3. Description of services offered (P2P, airtime top up, merchant payments, bill payments, bulk payments, wallet to bank payments, cross-border payments)
4. Cost: Provide costs breakdown of different service providers and KYC requirements.
5. Liquidity and Coverage of Mobile money agents – reach of agent network (including number of active/operational mobile money agents), distribution model, cash, and e-float rebalancing strategy.
6. Description of Mobile Phone Penetration: usage and demand for mobile money services focused on teachers, education stakeholders, Health officers and Nutrition workers.
7. Perceptions on the use of mobile money services and levels of digital literacy among the targeted population.
8. Breakdown of specific areas where it is feasible to pilot mobile money under the UNICEF supported education, health, and Nutrition projects.
9. Actions to be undertaken by MM providers, implementing partners and UNICEF to improve readiness to pilot the project (e.g., devices, outreach, and trainings)
10. Risks and recommendations of using mobile money in the South Sudan context.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• Minimum Masters level of education in Telecommunication, Economics, or related field in social sciences.

• Five years of experience in conducting feasibility studies of this magnitude at international level in areas related to cash assistance, cash programming, mobile money, or any other relevant area.

• Solid understanding of the operation of MNOs and MMOs in the African context. 

• Evidence of similar work conducted for UN agencies and INGOs, preferably in South Sudan context.

• Ability to work independently and respond to feedback in a timely and professional manner.Developing country work experience - preferably in a humanitarian context.

• Fluency in English is required.  Knowledge of another official UN language or local language of the duty station is considered as an asset

Language and communication skills:

• Excellent oral and written command of English required. The consultant should be at ease in presentations and meetings with different high-level stakeholders and officials.
• Excellent planning, writing/editing skills, facilitation skills are proven with workshops and meetings, especially with partners and Government counterparts.
• Proven organizational and coordination skills
• Work effectively through email, phone, and other means of communications.

Other competencies:

• Analytical and conceptual thinking.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment and to establish harmonious and effective relationships both within and outside the organization, more specifically with the Ministry of General Education and Instruction.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

All applications MUST be accompanied, by a detailed Technical and Financial proposal 

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.