Consultant at ZOA International - Abuja (FCT), Borno & Yobe

ZOA are an international NGO with its Head Quarters in The Netherlands. ZOA offer RELIEF to people who are affected by conflict or natural disasters. ZOA want to contribute to a new perspective of HOPE in which people work together for a promising future in dignity and mutual trust. Together with the affected communities we work on the RECOVERY until they can provide to take care of their livelihoods.  ZOA work in fifteen countries in Africa, Middle East Region and Asia and have approximately 1000 employees worldwide. 

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Consultant to Conduct a Comprehensive Study on the Digital Gaps due to Age, Disability, Geography, Socioeconomic Status, Discrimination and Migration in Borno and Yobe States

Locations: Abuja (FCT), Borno & Yobe
Starting date: ASAP

ZOA's Programme in Nigeria

• ZOA started operation in Nigeria in December 2016 in Borno State, supporting IDPs and returnees who are affected due to insurgencies and natural disasters. In the selection of the beneficiaries, we pay careful attention to including the most vulnerable households.
• Continuously promoting community governance, inclusion, peace, and stability in these fragmented and traumatized communities is a challenging but essential part of ZOA's program. ZOA currently has a full team in Borno State, responding to the critical needs in Food Security and livelihood, Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), and Education.

Background / Context

• Nigerian citizens are confronted with challenges regarding accessing civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights, right to health, food, water and adequate living standards and universal education. Its population is diverse and accommodating the needs and preferences of its diverse and young population is complex. In this regard, the civil society of Nigeria has played, and continues to play, a crucial role.
• Yet CSOs are observed to have limitations in effectively contributing to democracy, human rights, and development. One of the main constraints regarding lack of capacity is in digital skills. Furthermore, there is a huge gender gap in digital inclusion in Nigeria. More than 80% of the female youth are not computer literate whereas the same for males is about 20% in the north-west region.
• Similarly, a study conducted in 2016 by the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), indicates that 55% of men in northern Nigeria disallow their wives to use the internet, while 61% of fathers discourage their daughters use the internet as well. Furthermore, the debate on the plan to regulate the social media space in Nigeria has been worrisome.
• Nigeria currently ranks 120th in the 2021 World Press Freedom Index against 115 in the preceding year. Considering these setbacks for the North-eastern Nigerian marginalized and disadvantaged groups there is a great need to galvanize the efforts of CSOs in tackling these challenges by equipping them with unhindered access to digital resources.
• Yobe has a literacy rate of 7.23%, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Statistics from the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) revealed Northeast Nigeria, particularly Borno State, showed more gaps in digital literacy among women and youths than other states of the region. Interestingly, as of December 2018, the Southwest region had the highest We are here. number of Internet users per region, accounting for 76 percent of the total subscriptions while the Northeast and Northwest regions of the country jointly accounted for 0.62 percent. Thus, there is a profound gap that can be seen in the target areas.
• The target groups in Borno and Yobe States who are focused on this action, namely targeted CSOs and other grassroots groups, women, hard-to-reach youth, persons with disability, and other marginalized groups, have very poor or no access to digital resources. Due to these reasons, these vulnerable groups are not able to access any of the benefits that are associated with being linked to digital resources which include information sharing, learning, digital marketing, communicating, and their voices being heard.
• Therefore, they are unable to express their opinions, and preferences, and voice their concerns and the injustices they face; thus, they are effectively cut off from being a part of decision-making processes, systems, and policies that govern their lives.

Scope and Objectives
This research will be conducted to consult with the local community, CSOs, government departments, MNOs and various industry stakeholders to identify specific barriers that women, hard-to-reach youth, and persons with disability face when seeking to access digital platforms. The objectives of this study are to:

• Explore the limitations in most of the hard-to-reach areas, the critical needs, and opportunities for Community, Private and Public Partnerships (CSPs) given the role mobile telecommunication companies can play in strengthening digital transformation.
• Analyze gaps existing at the community level in utilizing digital products against the expanding ownership of smartphones and growing utilization of digital financial services.
• Assist in comprehending the true scale of the digital gender gap that exists in the targeted states.
• Assess the level of policy domestication at the State Level as well as the LGA level and further investigate the presence and or implementation of localized action plans.
• Publish the findings from the study and share broadly with stakeholders within and outside the ecosystem.
• Receive recommendations for formulating policy priorities and advocacy demands for bridging the gaps and overcoming barriers women, hard-to-reach youth and persons with disability encounter to access digital platforms.

Methodology

• The process of developing the comprehensive study on the digital gaps due to age, disability, geography, socioeconomic status, discrimination, and migration in Borno and Yobe states will make use of multiple methodologies and techniques and will identify and utilize existing data (studies, evaluations, KAP and other surveys, policy, gender, diversity, educational level, etc.), as well as recommend additional data needed to fill critical gaps.
• This research will gather data on the digital disposition of women, hard-to-reach youth, and persons with disability in Borno and Yobe states. This data will be used to guide next-steps to gear digital transformation in the two states.
• A purposive sample will be determined, from the key groups of stakeholders at the national, subnational, and community levels.
• This will include women, hard-to-reach youths and persons with disability, digital financial institutions, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), CSOs, private sectors, media organizations, schools/learning institutions, decisionmakers across Government sectors, business sector, and community leaders and members.
• This mixed-method assignment will draw data from a pool of stakeholders to provide insight on the digital gaps.

The study will progress through the following three levels:
Phase 1:

• Desk review, interview with key personnel from ZOA and its partners JDPH and LHI to develop research instruments and submission of the inception report. We are here.

Desk review: The desk review and analysis will include disability surveys, annual reports, and routine statistics from the Nigeria Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and other partners, and other surveys, reports from the Government of Nigeria, relevant research, Studies, and analytical work, Reports from Programme Reviews and Evaluations.

• Inception Report to be submitted on the 30th December, 2023. The inception report will include an analytical framework and a work plan with timelines.
• This report will be reviewed by ZOA, JDPH LHI, and other agreed stakeholders during a kick-off meeting during the report’s presentation. The report will be finalized with the feedback received during the presentation.
• Development of research instruments: In-depth interview (IDIs) and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) guides. The draft data collection tools will be pretested before finalization.
• Meetings with other relevant national stakeholders.

Deliverable 1:

• Inception report with detailed work plan, tools, and template for final deliverables.

Phase 2: Data collection
The consultant is expected to conduct IDIs and FGDs with key personnel of relevant MDAs, NGOs, CSOs, facilities that provide digital literacy programs, community leaders, schools and private sectors. The consultant is also expected to:

• Conduct IDI with key stakeholders from the public and private sectors; development partners including ZOA; religious and other community leaders and relevant civil society organizations, to collect relevant quantitative and qualitative data.
• Conduct FGDs with representatives of Civil Society, women, hard-to-reach youth persons with disabilities and their parents/guardians.
• Conduct consultations to gather perceptions of the attainment of the rights of women, youths, and persons with disabilities and the barriers and facilitators to the attainment of rights
• Prepare and submit a progress report by the 20th of January, 2024.

Data Management

• Ensure the absolute safety of all data (No data collected and or reviewed for this study or data to which the consultant is privileged during the time of the study process, as a direct or indirect result of being the consultant for this study, can be shared and or used by the consultant, neither can s/he approve the use of the whole or any part of it, for personal or professional purposes, without approval, in writing, from the providing institution and ZOA).

Deliverable 2:

• Draft digital gaps report.
• Draft regional profiles (factsheets) and case studies.
• Draft PowerPoint presentation.

Phase 3: Data Analysis, sharing of findings, and writing of the report

• For the qualitative data generated by the conduct of IDIs and FGDs, the grounded theory methodology will be used, involving verbatim transcription, coding of data, development of themes, comparing of themes, and recording of findings based on the analytical and conceptual frameworks for the development of a rights-based, equityfocused study. For the quantitative data, conduct barrier analyses and present them in charts, graphs, and maps, where relevant, with strong evidence of triangulation.
• Using an analytical framework, undertake the causal analysis, and capacity gap analysis to better understand the causes of digital skills gaps and the determinants that facilitate or hamper the realization of digital skills among women, hard-to-reach youth, and persons with disability in Borno and Yobe states. We are here.
• The main findings will be presented by the consultant to ZOA and stakeholders from Borno and Yobe states.
• Bring together CSO network representatives, State Officials, and Federal Government Authorities
• Liaise with ZOA to organize an interactive platform at the Federal level to discuss findings from the research.
• Raise awareness on the Federal policies employing a gap analysis lensThe writing of the report should be done in constant communication with ZOA through the ZOA’s digital skills team.
• The final report will be approved by ZOA.

Deliverable 3:

• Organizing a final workshop for sharing the findings of the study with relevant stakeholders in coordination with ZOA
• Final PowerPoint presentation.
• Provide recommendations through the findings of the study and useful input to develop a zero draft of the domestication action plan (This should be included in the final report)
• Final study report updated as per input and outcome of the discussions at the final workshop given to stakeholders
• Generating one leaflet and a short video clip (less than one minute) containing a description of the study, a summary of findings, and recommendations.

Duration

Management and Steering of the Evaluation
The study will be managed by the Project Manager of ZOA who the key contact
person for the study team/individual will be. The progress of the study will be closely
monitored by the assessment Committee of ZOA to ascertain compliance and
effective execution. The main function of the assessment Committee will be:

• To define and validate the design of the study.
• To facilitate contacts and services between the study team/ individual and ZOA, its implementing partners, and external stakeholders.
• To ensure that the study team/ individual has access to and has consulted all relevant information sources and documents related to the Intervention.
• To discuss and comment on notes and reports delivered by the study team/ individual.
• To assist in feedback on the findings, conclusions, lessons, and recommendations from the study.
• To support the organizing of the final workshop for presenting the findings of the study to relevant stakeholders.

Application Closing Date
7th December, 2023.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications which should include the following below in PDF format to: [email protected] using the Job Title as the subject of the mail.

• A technical proposal for the assignment
• A financial proposal for the assignment

Application Instruction

• The technical proposal should include a detailed methodological proposal, a CV, examples of similar work, and other relevant information to ensure the quality of the presented proposal and minimize the disqualifications.
• The financial proposal should be a lump sum and should include the consultant’s fee, and all other costs related to the consultancy.

Note

• Interested teams / individuals are to apply on or before the closing date of the advert.
• Kindly ensure the application is completed thoroughly and the following is shared with the expression of interest. Successful candidates will be notified by the ZOA Human Resources once the recruitment and selection process is completed.
• Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.
• Only selected candidates will be contacted and invited to participate in the process of recruitment.
• Documents that do not match the profile above will not be considered. Please note that, as part of its recruitment process, ZOA carries out background checks for successful candidates.