TERMS OF REFERENCE 

Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Recruitment of Consultancy firm to Conduct Digital Entrepreneurship and Innovation Regulatory & Policy Environment Assessment and Develop Tailored Support Pathways eight African Countries

Client	Smart Africa Secretariat 10th Floor, Career Centre Building  KG 541 ST, Kigali, Rwanda, PO Box: 4913 Tel: +250784013646| +250 788-300-581   Email: tenderenquiries@smartafrica.org www.smartafrica.org
RFP#:	142/SA/RFP/01/2026
Release date:	7th January2026
Closing date:	9h February 2026 at 05:00 pm (Local time, Kigali)
Contact	For any questions or enquiries, please write to: tenderenquiries@smartafrica.org   For Proposal Submissions: procurement@smartafrica.org

Table of Contents

1. ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND3
2. AFRICA-EUROPE DIGITAL INNOVATION BRIDGE 2.0 (AEDIB 2.0)3
3. SANIA BACKGROUND4
4. PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT4
5. OBJECTIVES5
6. SCOPE OF WORK5

5.1Country Assessment5

5.2Tailored Support Pathways6

6. KEY DELIVERABLES6
7. FIRM PROFILE AND EXPERIENCE7
8. PROJECT TEAM7

8.1Team Lead7

8.2Lead Expert Policy and Regulatory Environment8

8.3Entrepreneurship & Ecosystem Specialist8

8.4Stakeholder Engagement & Workshop Facilitation Expert9

9. EVALUATION CRITERIA9
10. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL PROPOSALS11
11. SUBMISSION PROCESS11
12. RIGHTS RESERVED12
13. ENQUIRIES12
14. ANTI-CORRUPTION12

1. ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND

Smart Africa is a bold and innovative commitment from African Heads of State and Government to accelerate sustainable socio-economic development on the continent, ushering Africa into a knowledge economy through affordable access to Broadband and usage of Information and Communications Technologies.

The Transform Africa Summit held in Kigali, Rwanda on 28th-31st October 2013 culminated in the adoption of the Smart Africa Manifesto document by seven (7) African Heads of States (Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Mali, Gabon, Burkina Faso) in which they committed to providing leadership in accelerating socio-economic development through ICT’s.

On 30th -31st January 2014, The Smart Africa Manifesto was endorsed by all Heads of State and Government of the African Union at the 22nd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union in Addis Ababa. This development places the Manifesto at the heart of the ICT agenda in Africa beyond just the 7 original signatories at the Summit to all the 50+ African countries. The Smart Africa Alliance has since grown to include 42 African countries that represent 1.1 billion people.

The Smart Africa Manifesto aims to put ICT at the center of national socio-economic development agenda of member countries; improve access to ICT especially Broadband; to improve accountability, efficiency, and openness through ICT promoting the introduction of advanced technologies in telecommunication; to put Private Sector first, and to leverage ICT to promote sustainable development.

2. AFRICA-EUROPE DIGITAL INNOVATION BRIDGE 2.0 (AEDIB 2.0)

The Africa-Europe Digital Innovation Bridge (AEDIB 2.0) AEDIB 2.0 builds on the shared Africa-EU commitment to digital transformation, innovation, and sustainable development, aligned with Africa’s Agenda 2063, the Continental STI Strategy (STISA 2024), Education (CESA 16-25), TVET strategies, and the Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa 2020-2030 (DTS). EU initiatives, including Global Gateway, Digital for Development (D4D) policies, and the D4D Hub, complement these continental frameworks. Collaboration is reinforced through mechanisms such as the AU-EU Digital Economy Taskforce and high-level summits.

The programme focuses on strengthening digital entrepreneurship ecosystems, including Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs), progressive regulation, harmonisation, and human capital development. AEDIB 2.0 links African and European innovation ecosystems by improving enabling policies, building pan-African capacity, promoting entrepreneurship, providing catalytic funding, and fostering exchange of business practices, technology, and training.

The overall objective of AEDIB 2.0 is to strengthen digital transformation and the green transition in Africa. The programme’s three specific objectives are: 

• SO1: Enhance digital entrepreneurship and innovation policies. 
• SO2: Strengthen Digital Innovation Ecosystems for digital transformation and green transition. 
• SO3: Improve access to finance for innovative ventures, including women-led initiatives, supporting digital transformation and green transition.

3. SANIA BACKGROUND

With an estimated population of 1.3 billion people, Africa is a continent brimming with potential, significantly characterized by its young and increasingly educated demographic. Each year, 15 to 20 million well-prepared youths join the workforce, poised to contribute to and reshape the African economic landscape.

Recognizing the critical role of technology and innovation in harnessing this demographic dividend, the Smart Africa Alliance, in 2019, earmarked the development of tech startups and innovation ecosystems as a pivotal priority. This decision led to the launch of the "ICT Startups and Innovation Ecosystems for Africa" initiative, championed by Tunisia. This blueprint sets a framework to foster the best conditions for the emergence, growth, and success of African tech entrepreneurs.

In line with the blueprint's recommendations, Smart Africa has developed the Tech-Driven Entrepreneurship program, focusing on three strategic areas: (1) policy development, (2) ecosystem strengthening and (3) access to capital. 

The Smart Africa Network of Incubators and Accelerators (SANIA) serves as the operational arm of the tech-driven entrepreneurship program, with a clear mission to transform Africa into a global hotspot for digital entrepreneurship. SANIA's activities are aligned with the following strategic objectives:

1. Facilitate the development of pro-entrepreneurship policies and ensuring the integration of startup ecosystem players in the policymaking process across Smart Africa member states to widen market access.
2. Bolster the support network for incubators, accelerators, and innovation hubs by connecting these entities across the continent through capacity building, funding opportunities, and comprehensive networking.
3. Strengthen and empower African financial and investment entities to create a robust pipeline of investment-ready startups and to design financial instruments tailored for early-stage ventures.

4. PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT 

In line with the AEDIB 2.0 SO1, the purpose of this assignment is to engage a qualified consultancy firm to deliver:

• A Country Assessment phase, focused on diagnosing regulatory, policy, and institutional bottlenecks affecting digital entrepreneurship in the countries covered by SO1(Botswana, Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Mozambique, Senegal, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia).
• A Tailored Support Pathways phase, focused on translating prioritised assessment findings into sequenced, actionable support interventions.

While closely linked, the two phases are distinct in purpose: the Country Assessment establishes an evidence-based diagnosis and prioritisation of reform needs, while the Tailored Support Pathways define how Smart Africa and partners will support implementation through policy, technical assistance, and capacity-building actions.

1. OBJECTIVES

Country Assessment

• Map national laws, regulations, policies, institutional arrangements, and implementation mechanisms affecting startups and digital entrepreneurs.
• Identify and prioritise regulatory, institutional, and implementation gaps affecting startups and digital entrepreneurs with a focus on their impact on market entry, growth, scalability, and cross-border operations.
• Map existing initiatives supporting entrepreneurship policy, including multilateral and bilateral development partner interventions.
• Integrate entrepreneurs’ perspectives on regulatory compliance, licensing, taxation, business registration, digitalisation, and market access, ensuring these perspectives directly inform the prioritisation of reform areas.

Tailored Support Pathways

• Translate assessment findings into practical, country-specific interventions focused on policy reform, institutional strengthening, and ecosystem enablement.
• Define technical assistance and capacity-building programs for government institutions, regulators, and ecosystem actors, based on the priorities identified in the assessment phase.
• Define sequenced and phased interventions (short, medium, and long-term), clearly identifying reform ownership, responsible institutions, and enabling conditions.
• Ensure that each support pathway or intervention identifies linkages with existing or planned AEDIB 2.0 activities.
• Propose monitoring and evaluation tools, including key performance indicators, to track progress, implementation status, and effectiveness of the interventions over time.

5. SCOPE OF WORK

5.1. Country Assessment

• Scoping & Alignment: Confirm countries, priority themes, and stakeholder groups in coordination with Smart Africa and implementing partners.
• Desk Review: Review national policies, regulations, institutional frameworks, and donor initiatives; reference AU, Smart Africa, and REC frameworks.
• Stakeholder Mapping & Consultations: Identify government, private sector, ecosystem actors, and entrepreneurs through structured interviews and consultations.
• In-Country Workshops: Conduct multi-stakeholder workshops covering scoping, data gathering, and validation of preliminary findings and priorities.
• Country Analysis & Recommendations: Develop comprehensive country-specific assessments, integrating entrepreneurs’ inputs.
• Prioritisation & Validation: Validate and finalise a concise set of priority reform areas per country through participatory processes with national stakeholders.

5.2. Tailored Support Pathways

• Gap Analysis Translation: Translate prioritised assessment findings into concrete reform and support options.
• Design of Interventions: Develop actionable support pathways, including policy reform support, institutional capacity-building, and ecosystem strengthening measures.
• Integration of Entrepreneur Insights: Ensure interventions address real-world challenges.
• Implementation Roadmap: Develop country-specific implementation roadmaps with clear responsibilities, timelines, and indicative resource requirements, aligned with national reform processes.
• Monitoring & Evaluation: Develop KPIs and tools to track progress.

6. KEY DELIVERABLES

All deliverables shall be explicitly aligned with AEDIB 2.0 SO1 outputs and indicators, in particular Output 1.2.1 (regulatory frameworks assessed) and Output 1.2.2 (policy support roadmaps created).

The assignment is expected to be completed over 20 weeks, with activities implemented through parallel and staggered country workstreams to ensure efficiency and timely delivery across all target countries.

The following key deliverables are expected:

• Inception Report & Workplan: Methodology, implementation approach, detailed timeline, country sequencing, stakeholder engagement strategy, and coordination modalities with Smart Africa and implementing partners.
• Country Scoping Notes: Confirmed country-specific focus areas, priority policy themes, key institutions, and stakeholder groups to be engaged.
• Stakeholder Mapping & Consultation Summaries: Includes interviews with policymakers, ecosystem actors, and entrepreneurs
• In-Country Workshop Reports: Documentation of multi-stakeholder workshops including scoping, data gathering/consultation, and validation of findings.
• Country Assessment Reports: Detailing regulatory and policy gaps, bottlenecks, opportunities, and preliminary recommendations
• Tailored Support Pathways Reports: Practical, country-specific support pathways translating assessment findings into sequenced policy and institutional interventions, including technical assistance options, capacity-building activities, implementation roadmaps, clearly defined responsibilities, timelines, and a monitoring and M&E framework

The consultancy firm will work in close coordination with Smart Africa and AEDIB 2.0 implementing partners (Finnish Institute of Public Management - HAUS, Estonian Centre for International Development - ESTDEV and Netherlands Enterprise & Development Agency - RVO). Regular progress updates will be required, and all deliverables will be subject to review and approval by Smart Africa.

All deliverables must be submitted in English (for Anglophone countries) and in French (for Francophone countries).

7. FIRM PROFILE AND EXPERIENCE

In addition to the human resources required to assemble its team, as described below, the firm must meet the following minimum requirements to be considered for the evaluation:

• Proven experience (minimum 10 years) in policy and regulatory analysis related to entrepreneurship, innovation, or the digital economy.
• Strong track record of conducting multi-country or country-level assessments in Africa with at least three (3) projects of similar complexity.
• Demonstrated experience working with governments, development partners, and private sector actors in Africa with at least two (2) projects implemented on the continent.
• Proven ability to design and facilitate multi-stakeholder consultations and workshops, including engagement with entrepreneurs and startups.
• Capacity to manage parallel country workstreams and deliver within tight timelines.
• Experience working in at least three (3) of the target countries.
• Familiarity with national regulatory and institutional contexts affecting entrepreneurship.
• Language capacity to operate in Anglophone and Francophone contexts.

8. PROJECT TEAM

The consultancy firm shall propose a multidisciplinary team with demonstrated expertise in entrepreneurship policy, regulatory reform, digital innovation, and stakeholder engagement in Africa. The firm must ensure sufficient capacity to implement parallel country workstreams across the target countries (Botswana, Ghana, DRC, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda, and Zambia).

8.1. Team Lead

Overall responsibility for technical leadership, methodology oversight, quality assurance, coordination across countries, and liaison with Smart Africa and implementing partners.

• Advanced university degree (Master's) in public policy, economics, law, development studies, innovation policy, or a related field.
• Minimum 10 years of professional experience in digital economy, digital transformation space, digital skill development, such as digital program development, public service, and business process. Experience of relevant sectoral, national, or international digital transformation strategies of private companies, public service or development program is required.
• Proven experience leading multi-country or complex country-level policy assessments in Africa.
• Demonstrated experience working with government institutions and development partners (multilateral and/or bilateral).
• Strong understanding of entrepreneurship ecosystems and regulatory constraints faced by startups and MSMEs in Africa.
• Excellent time management, planning, analytical and communication skills 
• Having participated in at least three (3) similar projects
• Fluent in English and French (mandatory)

8.2. Lead Expert Policy and Regulatory Environment 

Lead and coordinate the team of experts for country-specific analysis of legal, regulatory, and institutional frameworks affecting entrepreneurship and digital innovation. 

• Advanced university degree in law, public policy, economics, or a related field.
• Minimum eight (8) years of professional experience in regulatory analysis, policy reform, or public sector advisory work.
• Demonstrated experience conducting national-level policy or regulatory assessments in at least three (3) of the target countries or comparable contexts.
• Strong knowledge of regulatory areas relevant to entrepreneurship (e.g. business registration, licensing, taxation, competition, digital regulation).
• Ability to translate regulatory analysis into practical, implementable recommendations.
• Experience working with government counterparts and regulators is required.
• National or regional expertise in the target countries is highly desirable.
• Having participated in at least three (3) similar projects

8.3. Entrepreneurship & Ecosystem Specialist 

Ensure systematic integration of entrepreneurs' voices and ecosystem perspectives throughout the assessment and recommendations.

• University degree in economics, business, entrepreneurship, development studies, or a related field.
• Minimum 7 years of experience working with startups, MSMEs, innovation hubs, accelerators, or private sector organisations.
• Demonstrated experience conducting entrepreneur-focused consultations, surveys, or qualitative research.
• Strong understanding of practical challenges faced by entrepreneurs in regulatory compliance, digitalisation, access to finance, and markets.
• Proven ability to translate qualitative entrepreneur insights into policy-relevant findings.
• Experience working in African entrepreneurship ecosystems is required.
• Having participated in at least two (2) similar projects

8.4. Stakeholder Engagement & Workshop Facilitation Expert 

Design, organise, and facilitate multi-stakeholder consultations and in-country workshops (scoping, consultations, validation).

• University degree in social sciences, public policy, communications, or a related field.
• Minimum 7 years of experience in stakeholder engagement, facilitation, or participatory policy processes.
• Proven experience facilitating multi-stakeholder workshops involving government, private sector, entrepreneurs, and development partners.
• Strong facilitation, communication, and consensus-building skills.
• Experience conducting workshops in African country contexts is required.
• Ability to manage parallel workshops across multiple countries is an asset.

NOTE: Additional roles may be included in the team, depending on the project's complexity and the vendor's specific capabilities. It's essential to have a well-balanced and experienced team with the necessary skills and expertise to ensure the successful delivery of the project.

9. EVALUATION CRITERIA

Firm-level experience and individual expert experience will be assessed complementarily, with firm experience focusing on organisational capacity and track record, and individual experience focusing on technical leadership and subject-matter expertise.

The following model will be used to evaluate all respondents and proposals submitted:

a. Technical Evaluation Criteria

Item	Assigned Points	Point/Range
Methodology and Approach
Proposed Methodology and approach Realistic and well-structured workplan reflecting parallel implementation	/25 /10	/35
Staff Experience
Team Lead Relevant qualifications and overall experience More than 10 years of experience 3 similar projects Lead Expert Policy and Regulatory Environment  Experience conducting national-level policy or regulatory assessments in at least three (3) of the target countries or comparable contexts. More than 8 years of experience 3 similar projects Entrepreneurship&EcosystemSpecialist Experience working in African entrepreneurship ecosystems  More than 7 years of experience 2 similar projects StakeholderEngagement&WorkshopFacilitationExpert Experience facilitating multi-stakeholder workshops More than 7 years of experience Experience conducting workshops in African country contexts	/5 /2 /3   /3   /2   /3   /5 /3 /2   /3 /2 /2	/35
Firm Experience
Company overview, size, and relevant experience  Experience working in at least three (3) of the target countries Experience working with governments, development partners, and private sector actors in Africa with at least two (2) projects implemented on the continent	/5 /5 /5	/30
Recommendation letters of Related assignments performed  No less than three (3) letters of reference from previous contracts or engagements, substantiating their demonstrated experience in the successful delivery of projects of similar or greater scope and technical complexity to the requirements set forth in this solicitation. Letters of reference shall be on organizational letterhead and officially signed.	/15

The financial proposal of only those firms which secure a minimum score of 70/100 in the technical evaluation will be opened.

St= Score for the Technical Evaluation

b. Financial Criteria

Once the technical criteria have been evaluated, the costs of all bids will be listed from low to high. Computing the cost criteria score will be accomplished by use of the following formula:

= Sf

The Applicant getting maximum marks on 70-30 weightage (70% for technical and 30% for financial) will be considered for the assignment. The weights given to the Technical (T) and Financial Proposals (F) are: T = 0.70 and F = 0.30

The Final Score (S) is calculated as follows: S = St*T + Sf*F

10. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL PROPOSALS

A specific outline must be followed to facilitate the Smart Africa Secretariat’s review and evaluation of the responses received. 

A response to this RFP must include the following sections in the order listed:

1. A cover letter confirming the firm’s interest to provide the services required

2. Administrative documents (Company registration certificates, Tax clearance certificates). Failure to submit will lead to automatic disqualification of the offer.

3. A technical proposal containing the following content: 

• Executive summary
• Business experience/Profiles/Portfolio
• Methodology, Approach, and Workplan
• Mission team experience
• Updated Curriculum Vitae for the team and relevant certificates requested
• Recommendation letters signed and stamped

4. Financial Proposal containing the following tables.

• Summarized Total Cost VAT Inclusive (Value of tax indicated on final cost)
• Breakdown of a remuneration package 
• Breakdown of reimbursable expenses
• All companies should quote in United States Dollars (USD) as currency.
• All bidding firms/ companies should Indicate their preferred payment terms 

NOTE: All financial proposals/offers should be password protected and Smart Africa will request for it for bidders who have been qualified in the technical evaluation phase.

11. SUBMISSION PROCESS

Soft copies of both Technical and Financial Offers in PDF format must be submitted via email
to: procurement@smartafrica.org showing each the nature of the offer concerned (technical or financial offer) with mention: 142/SA/RFP/01/2026, “Request for Proposal (RFp) for the Recruitment of Consultancy firm to Conduct Digital Entrepreneurship and Innovation Regulatory & Policy Environment Assessment and Develop Tailored Support Pathways eight African Countries” not later than 9th February 2026 at, 05:00 pm local time (Kigali).

Late proposals will be rejected.

12. RIGHTS RESERVED 

• This RFP does not obligate the Smart Africa Secretariat (SAS) to complete the RFP process. 
• SAS reserves the right to amend any segment of the RFP prior to the announcement of a selected firm.
• SAS also reserves the right to remove one or more of the services from consideration for this contract should the evaluation show that it is in SAS’s best interest to do so. 
• SAS also may, at its discretion, issue a separate contract for any service or groups of services included in this RFP. SAS may negotiate a compensation package and additional provisions to the contract awarded under this RFP. 
• The Smart Africa reserves the right to debrief the applicants after the completion of the process due to expected high volume of applications and avoiding the compromise of the process.

13. ENQUIRIES

Any enquiries will only be received and addressed three (3) days or more prior to the bid submission deadline. Prospective respondents who may have questions regarding this RFP may submit their enquiries to tenderenquiries@smartafrica.org

14. ANTI-CORRUPTION 

Smart Africa is committed to preventing and not tolerating any act of corruption and other malpractices and expects that all bidders will adhere to the same ethical principles.