Request for Expression of Interest

African Development Bank Group (AfDB)

North Africa Regional Development and Business Delivery Office – RDGN

5, Avenue du Dollar, Immeuble Zahrabed – Les Berges du Lac II, Tunis 1053, Tunisia

  1. The African Development Bank hereby invites individual international consultants to indicate their interest in the following assignment : Design Phase of E-Connect Pan-Africa Platform (ECPP). Terms of Reference are attached ;
  2. E-commerce can provide African Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) with the opportunity to reach a large market of customers at a much lower cost and upfront investment. In Africa, E-commerce was estimated to achieve about $27 billion and to create approximately 3 million jobs in 20201. African SMEs access to the online market is constrained by the lack of connectivity, lack of financial support, limited infrastructure and networks, lack of skills and information ;
  3. The development of the E-Connect Pan-Africa Platform (ECPP) will allow African SMEs to access potential business opportunities, offer their products and be knowledgeable about other products available from other companies in the continent. It will provide them with a one-stop shop that offers the suite of tools necessary to undertake online transactions, benefit from opportunities in other African countries, and connect to suppliers, potential partners, and investors as well as provide them with full access to information about regulations and procedures of doing business in Regional Member Countries ;
  4. The key objectives of the platform are to : 1) promote intra-regional and inter-regional trade; 2)increase investment in the Continent; 3) connect SMEs to partners, clients, suppliers and investors across the continent and elsewhere in the world, and provide them with access to up-to-date and clear information about regulations and procedures of doing business in Regional Member Countries ;
  5. The project will include three phases: the design phase (Phase I), the pilot phase (Phase II), and the roll-out phase (Phase III). This assignment involves carrying gout Phase I – design of the ECPP. Source: Statista / Boston Consulting Group, estimate prior to COVID-19 pandemic ;
  6. The North Africa Regional Development and Business Delivery Office (RDGN) of the African Development Bank (AfDB) requires the services of a Business Analyst to design the E-Connect Pan-Africa Platform, as committed under pillar 2 of the North Africa Regional Integration Strategy – 2020-26 (strengthening trade and investment through promotion of the private sector) ;
  7. RDGN invites international consultants to indicate their interest in providing the services. Interested eligible consultants shall provide information on their qualifications and experience demonstrating their ability to provide the services (documentation, references for similar services, experience in comparable assignments, availability, etc.) ;
  8. The eligibility criteria, the establishment of a short list and the selection procedure shall be in conformity with the Bank’s Rules and Procedures for the Use of Consultants available on the Bank Website at http://www.afdb.org. Please, note that interest expressed by an individual consultant does not imply any obligation on the part of the Bank to include it in the shortlist ;
  9. The estimated duration of services is 6 months and the estimated start date is August 24th, 2020 ;
  10. Expressions of interest must be received by email for the attention of Rafika AMIRA at the email address below no later than 10 August 2020 at 12:00 p.m. local time. Consultants need to specify the name of the assignment in the title. Expressions of interest should be written in either English or French.

For the attention of : Rafika Amira: [email protected] – Tel: +216 71 10 13 22

Copied to : Ines Demni Moussa: [email protected] – Tel: +216 71 10 14 83