REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
TERMS OF REFERENCE
Recruitment of a Creative Agency for SANIA Communication & Marketing Assets (Smart Africa Network for Innovation and Acceleration)
| Client Address |
Smart Africa Secretariat 10th Floor, Career Centre Building KG 541 ST, Kigali, Rwanda,PO Box: 4913 Tel: +250784013646 | +250 788-300-581 |
| RFP#: | 155/S.A/SANIA/RFP/09/2026 |
| Budget | 16000 USD Fixed budget selection |
| Release date: | 9th September 2026 |
| Closing date: | 24th September 2026; 1pm (Local time, Kigali) |
| Contact |
For any questions or enquiries, please write to: tenderenquiries@smartafrica.org For Proposal Submissions: procurement@smartafrica.org |
1. INTRODUCTION AND GENERAL BACKGROUND
About Smart Africa Alliance
The Smart Africa Alliance is a bold and innovative commitment from African Heads of State and Government to accelerate sustainable socio-economic development on the African continent with the vision to transform Africa into a Single Digital Market by 2030. Its 5-point manifesto seeks; to put ICT (Information and Communication Technology) at the centre of national socio-economic development agenda, to improve access to ICT especially Broadband, to improve accountability, efficiency, and openness through ICT, to put the Private Sector First and to leverage ICT to promote sustainable development.
Currently, the Smart Africa Alliance membership includes 42 Member States, International partner organizations including the Africa Union Commission (AUC) and International Telecommunications Union (ITU) among others, as well as International Private Sector Members. Smart Africa's vision is to transform Africa into a Single Digital Market by driving Africa's digital transformation agenda through an inclusive, bold, and innovative multi-stakeholder approach.
Project Background
Africa is home to one of the fastest-growing entrepreneurial landscapes in the world, yet its innovation ecosystem remains fragmented. Governments legislate on start-ups in isolation, ecosystem support organisations (ESOs) build overlapping tools they cannot scale across borders, and capital struggles to find investment-ready ventures. Efforts to grow the digital economy are duplicated country by country, and the actors who should be pulling in the same direction rarely operate from a shared source of truth. The cost of this fragmentation is measured in ventures that never scale, policies that never harmonise, and capital that never deploys.
In response, Africa’s Heads of State commissioned the 2020 Blueprint for ICT Start-ups and Innovation, championed by Tunisia and Rwanda. SANIA the Smart Africa Network for Innovation and Acceleration is the programme that operationalises this Blueprint across Smart Africa’s 42 Member States. SANIA is built on three reinforcing pillars: Policy & Ecosystem Development, ESO Enablement, and Access to Finance. It is the only mechanism positioned to align government, ecosystem builders, and capital toward the same goal, at the same time. Within the programme sits the SANIA platform the digital tool that turns this coordination into daily practice.
SANIA’s next phase of growth depends on communicating this proposition clearly and to distinct audiences. Two challenges shape this assignment. First, SANIA is persistently misperceived as being “just for entrepreneurs,” when it is in fact a multi-stakeholder coordination hub for government, ecosystem builders, and capital simultaneously; all creative work must actively counter this misperception. Second, because the platform’s value is network-dependent, early activation is critical the communication assets are not decoration but the engine that drives the ecosystem past its cold-start.
Smart Africa is preparing for several flagship moments during the year major continental events. Each audience requires the SANIA story told differently: a booth screen, a boardroom pitch, and a social feed each demand a different length, tone, and call to action. Smart Africa therefore seeks a creative agency / production firm to deliver a coherent, on-brand suite of promotional videos and creative and communication assets, built as reusable foundations and templates that Smart Africa can deploy across these moments and populate in-house thereafter.
Request for Proposals (RFP) Objectives
The overall objective of this assignment is to engage a professional creative agency to produce, within a fixed budget and a defined delivery period, a coherent and clearly defined set of communication and marketing assets for the SANIA initiative (Smart Africa Network for Innovation and Acceleration) and the SANIA platform. The assignment covers a fixed list of deliverables including promotional videos, brand and messaging foundations, event activation templates, digital and social content, and partnership/governance collateral, grouped under Components A–E. The exact deliverables and quantities are specified in the Scope of Work and must be delivered in full within the fixed budget.
- Component A: Brand & Messaging Foundation: A SANIA platform visual identity toolkit and bilingual (EN/FR) messaging playbook that underpin all other assets.
- Component B: Video Assets: A fixed set of promotional videos a platform explainer with cut-downs, and a programme video (which may combine motion graphics, stock footage, or other formats appropriate to the budget) built on the shared visual system plus a set of short how-to tutorial videos for platform onboarding.
- Component C: Event Activation (major continental events): On-brand, audience-segmented event and exhibition materials and templates.
- Component D: Digital, Social & Paid Promotion: A social/email template system, a batch of content, social motion graphics, and set-up/management of paid social promotion.
- Component E: Partnership & Governance Collateral: partner decks and one-pagers carrying the core argument for why SANIA exists.
The agency is engaged to deliver the full, fixed set of deliverables across Components A–E specified in the Scope of Work, in both English and French, within the fixed budget and delivery period.
2. THE SANIA PROGRAMME, PLATFORM AND COMMUNICATION OBJECTIVES
SANIA (Smart Africa Network for Innovation and Acceleration) operationalizes Africa’s 2020 Blueprint for ICT Start-ups and Innovation across 42 Member States, structured around three reinforcing pillars: Policy & Ecosystem Development, ESO Enablement, and Access to Finance. The SANIA platform (sania.smartafrica.org) is the digital tool within the programme through which ecosystem actors onboard, connect, and access shared resources and intelligence.
A strict naming convention applies throughout this assignment, and all deliverables: “SANIA” refers to the full programme; “the SANIA platform” refers specifically to the digital tool. All creative work must reflect this distinction and must actively counter the misperception that SANIA is “just for entrepreneurs.” The audiences to be addressed are, at minimum: governments and policymakers (including governance partners); ESOs (incubators, accelerators, hubs); investors and capital providers; and entrepreneurs. The narrative spine is: “Africa doesn’t lack ideas or talent. It lacks a connected ecosystem. SANIA is that ecosystem.”
Assignment Specific Objectives
Smart Africa will provide the firm with key inputs to reduce cost and turnaround: the core script/narrative for the platform explainer (the firm adapts and translates it, and writes derivative-version copy), and mockups/screens of the SANIA platform for use in the explainer and collateral (the firm may stylise and animate them but need not design the UI from scratch). The specific objectives of this assignment are to:
- Produce a master platform explainer video that communicates the value of the SANIA platform to a first-time viewer in under three minutes, plus a range of ready-to-deploy cut-downs (Component B).
- Establish a SANIA platform visual identity toolkit and bilingual messaging playbook that extend Smart Africa’s brand system to the SANIA platform and give every platform asset a consistent look and message (Component A).
- Equip major continental events with on-brand, audience-segmented event and social communication templates that promote the SANIA platform (Component C).
- Provide partner and funder engagement collateral that makes the case for SANIA as the coordinating mechanism for government, ecosystem builders, and capital (Component E).
- Deliver all assets bilingually (English and French), fully editable, with brand-compliant source files and a usage guide enabling Smart Africa to produce further materials in-house.
- Produce a programme video that positions SANIA the programme as the continental coordination mechanism mandated by Africa’s Heads of State, aligned with the explainer’s visual system for coherence (Component B).
Scope of Work
The agency shall produce the fixed set of deliverables specified below (Components A–E) within the fixed budget and the delivery period. Each component lists the exact deliverables and quantities required. All deliverables are bilingual (English and French) and fully editable, and are subject to Smart Africa's review and approval before acceptance.
FIXED DELIVERABLES SUMMARY. The agency shall deliver, in full: (Component A) 1 visual identity toolkit and 1 bilingual messaging playbook; (Component B) 1 platform explainer master, 3 explainer cut-downs (partner, social, event-loop), and 1 programme film with 1 short-form cut-down and 5 how-to tutorial videos; (Component C) 5 event activation template types; (Component D) 1 social media template system, 1 email/newsletter template, 1 set of social motion templates, 10 populated social assets, 5 how-to written guides (covering the same onboarding topics as the tutorial videos) and set-up and management of paid social promotion; (Component E) 1 partner/governance pitch deck and 1 contrast one-pager. All quantities are fixed and priced within the fixed budget.
Component A: Discovery & Brand / Messaging Foundation
The foundation on which all other work depends. Completed first in the engagement.
The firm shall:
- Kick-off with the SANIA team; absorb the programme/platform distinction, the three pillars, target audiences, the anti-‘just for entrepreneurs’ positioning, and the deployment moments (partner engagements publicand private-sector and major continental events).
- Receive and work from the client-provided inputs the core explainer script/narrative and the SANIA platform mockups/screens so scriptwriting-from-scratch and UI design are excluded from the agency’s effort.
- Develop a SANIA platform visual identity toolkit (colour, typography, pixel-map motif, pillar iconography, reusable components) extending the Smart Africa brand system.
- Develop a bilingual (EN/FR) messaging playbook: narrative spine, audience-segmented message matrix, taglines/lockups, and terminology rules.
- Deliverables (fixed): 1 SANIA platform visual identity toolkit + 1 bilingual (EN/FR) messaging playbook.
Component B: Video Assets
A range of promotional videos built on the Component A system. Videos are one part of the engagement.
The firm shall develop:
- Platform explainer: 1 master (approx. 2 min, benefit-led SaaS-explainer style) plus 3 cut-downs across audience/channel (partner, social, silent event-loop).
- Programme film: 1 institutional film (approx. 90 sec–2 min) aligned with the explainer’s visual system, plus 1 short-form cut-down.
- All videos bilingual (EN/FR), with professional voiceover, licensed music, sound design, EN/FR captions and separate subtitle files; master in min. 1080p (4K master preferred).
- Total videos (fixed): 11 finished videos in total:
1 explainer master + 3 explainer cut-downs + 1 programme video + 1 programme cut-down + 5 how-to tutorial videos all EN/FR.
How-to tutorial videos (fixed): 5 short screen-recording tutorial videos (approx. 30–90 sec each, EN/FR) built from the platform mockups/screens, covering: creating an account/registering, completing a profile, joining and using the community, and applying to opportunities, applying for mentorship.
Component C: Event Activation (major continental events)
On-brand, audience-segmented templates the team adapts and deploys in-house.
The firm shall provide:
- Event graphic templates (booth backdrop, roll-up/pull-up banners, looping screen-content template), a per-audience leaflet/one-pager template, and a partner/funder brochure template.
- Deliverables (fixed): 5 event activation template types (e.g. booth backdrop, roll-up banner, looping screen-content template, per-audience leaflet/one-pager, partner/funder brochure), editable, print-ready, EN/FR.
Component D: Digital, Social & Paid Promotion
A reusable content system plus a starter batch and managed paid promotion to drive early activation past the cold-start.
The firm shall:
- Social media template system (feed, story, carousel) for announcement, countdown, live-at-event, and recap use cases; an email/newsletter template; and a set of animated social motion templates.
- Content batch (fixed): 10 populated social assets (EN/FR) to seed launch and event communication.
- Set up, target, and manage paid social media promotion (boosted posts / paid campaigns on platforms such as Meta and LinkedIn) for priority content, and provide basic performance reporting; the media/ad spend is included in the agency’s fee and covered by the agency within the quoted price. The agency shall specify the guaranteed minimum media/ad spend included and report actual amounts spent.
Component E: Partnership & Governance Collateral
Governance and funder-facing materials carrying the coordination thesis.
The firm shall:
- A partner/governance pitch deck template (institutional treatment of SANIA’s pitch narrative) and a ‘Today without coordination vs. With SANIA’ contrast one-pager; plus polishing of client-provided platform mockups for reuse.
- Deliverables (fixed): 1 partner/governance pitch deck + 1 contrast one-pager, EN/FR.
Component F: Ad-hoc Creative Adaptations (fixed allowance)
A fixed allowance of ad-hoc creative adaptations for evolving communication needs.
The firm shall:
- Provide up to 5 ad-hoc creative adaptation requests (e.g. additional graphics, minor edits, adaptation of existing assets) during the delivery period, included within the fixed budget.
- Each adaptation request covers a minor edit or reformatting of an existing asset; substantial new assets beyond the fixed deliverables are out of scope.
Finishing, Handover & Source Files
Revisions, final delivery, and transfer of all reusable assets.
The firm shall:
- Be prepared to accommodate as many rounds of revision as necessary to ensure each deliverable meets Smart Africa’s expectations before finalisation.
- Deliver all final assets in web-/print-/broadcast-ready formats with a delivery manifest, plus editable source/project files, fonts, licensed-asset documentation, audio stems, and separate EN/FR subtitle files.
- Provide a concise usage guide enabling Smart Africa to populate templates and produce further materials in-house.
- Assign to Smart Africa full ownership and worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual usage rights to all delivered assets, and confirm all third-party assets are cleared.
Main Deliverables of the Assignment
- Component A: SANIA platform visual identity toolkit + bilingual messaging playbook.
- Component B: 1 platform explainer master + 3 cut-downs + 1 programme video + 1 programme cut-down + 5 how-to tutorial videos (11 videos total), EN/FR.
- Component C: 5 event activation template types, EN/FR.
- Component D: 1 social/email template system, 10 populated social assets, 5 how-to written guides, 1 set of social motion templates, and managed paid promotion with reporting, EN/FR.
- Component E: 1 partner/governance pitch deck + 1 contrast one-pager, EN/FR.
- Handover: editable source files, audio stems, EN/FR subtitle files, licensed-asset documentation, fonts, delivery manifest, and usage guide.
NOTE: This is a fixed-budget, fixed-deliverables assignment. The quantities specified above are firm and must be delivered in full within the fixed budget. Smart Africa provides the core explainer script and platform mockups. All deliverables are bilingual (EN/FR) and editable. Terminology must respect the distinction between “SANIA” (the programme) and “the SANIA platform” (the tool), and all creative must counter the misperception that SANIA is “just for entrepreneurs.”
3. ASSIGNMMENT ARRANGEMENTS / METHODOLOGY
The assignment shall be delivered in close collaboration with the SANIA team, which will review and sign off at each gated stage: visual identity and messaging playbook; scripts and storyboards; first cuts and first design drafts; and final delivery. The firm shall propose a work plan that front-loads the visual identity and messaging foundation, since all other deliverables depend on it.
This is a fixed-budget assignment. Financial proposals shall price the full, fixed set of deliverables across Components A–E within the fixed budget, with a breakdown of cost per component, and shall specify the guaranteed minimum media/ad spend included in the price. Payment is tied to delivery and acceptance of the specified deliverables.
4. DURATION OF THE ASSIGNMENT
The assignment shall be completed within a period of maximum 3 months from the date of contract signing. The firm will work in close collaboration with the Smart Africa Secretariat using a virtual coordination model.
The indicative timetable is as follows:
| Indicative Timeline | Deliverables |
| Day 0 Commencement |
|
| Within 15 working days |
|
| Within 20 working days |
|
| Within 25 working days |
|
| Weeks 6–10 |
|
| Across the engagement |
|
| By end of engagement |
|
All milestones are expressed in WORKING DAYS from commencement (issue of the purchase order / contract signature), not fixed calendar dates, so the schedule holds regardless of the exact start date. Indicative durations shown in brackets are to be confirmed at contracting.
5. PROFILE OF THE CREATIVE AGENCY
5.1. Creative Agency’s profile
The assignment requires a professional creative agency (or consortium) able to deliver, within a fixed budget and a defined delivery period, both motion/video and brand/graphic design work, bilingually in English and French, with responsive communication and reliable delivery against the agreed milestones.
Institutional Qualifications
- Legally registered creative agency or production studio, with evidence of registration.
- At least four (4) years of demonstrable experience across explainer/institutional video AND brand/graphic design, with a portfolio (showreel and samples).
- Proven motion-graphics/animation capability, ideally including SaaS/product explainer videos in a clean, benefit-led style.
- Demonstrated brand identity and template-system design capability (brand books, deck systems, social template systems).
- Demonstrated ability to produce bilingual (English/French) content, including voiceover and accurate subtitling/copy in both languages.
- Capacity to deliver the awarded scope within the required timeline.
- At least two (2) references from comparable engagements, preferably for institutional, development, or technology clients.
5.2 Key Experts Requirements
The proposed team is central to evaluation (see criteria). The agency shall field, at minimum, the following key experts, naming the specific individuals and confirming their availability across the engagement; one individual may cover more than one role where genuinely qualified.
Creative Director / Team Lead
Owns the creative vision across video and design, guarantees brand and terminology consistency, and is the primary point of contact with the SANIA team.
Minimum Experience requirements:
- Bachelor degree in design, film, communications, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
- At least six (6) years directing creative/brand projects.
Motion-Graphics / Animation Artist
Produces the explainer master, the cut-downs, the how-to tutorial videos (including screen-recording/tutorial production), and the social motion templates.
Minimum Experience requirements:
- Demonstrable motion-graphics/animation expertise (e.g. After Effects or equivalent), with an explainer/product-video portfolio.
- At least four (4) years of relevant experience.
Brand / Graphic Designer
Produces the visual identity toolkit, event and social templates, deck, and one-pagers.
Minimum Experience requirements:
- Strong brand and layout portfolio, including template systems and presentation design.
- At least four (4) years of relevant experience.
Scriptwriter / Copywriter (EN/FR)
Adapts the client-provided explainer script, writes the messaging playbook, the how-to guide copy, and derivative-version/collateral copy in both languages, and ensures correct SANIA terminology throughout.
Minimum Experience and Qualifications requirements:
- Proven copy/scriptwriting for video and brand, with full working fluency in English and preferably French.
6. EVALUATION METHOD AND CRITERIA
The evaluation method is Fixed budget selection. The following model will be used to evaluate all respondents and proposals submitted. On top of administrative evaluation, the technical evaluation will be conducted in two phases:
- Phase one: Firm Track Record & Creative Capacity assessment
- Phase two: (i) Approach, Methodology & Work Plan and (ii) Proposed Team Key Experts
Note: Only firms qualifying on phase one of technical evaluation shall be considered for phase two of technical evaluation and firms qualifying on phase two of technical evaluation shall be considered for financial stage.
- Phase one of technical evaluation: Firm Track Record & Creative Capacity (based on submitted projects)
| # | Criterion Firm Track Record & Creative Capacity | Points |
| 1 | Creative quality and originality of the submitted portfolio the strength, distinctiveness, and craft of the firm’s explainer/motion-graphics and brand/design work, judged on visual storytelling, animation quality, and design execution. | /40 |
| 2 | Relevance of the creative work to this assignment evidence of comparable explainer/SaaS-style videos, motion graphics, brand identity, and template systems, ideally for institutional, development, or technology clients. | /30 |
| 3 | Ability to translate a brief into a creative concept evidence (from portfolio or proposal) that the firm can turn objectives into a fresh, on-brand creative direction rather than a templated output. | /10 |
| 4 | Track record and reliability comparable completed engagements and client references confirming quality and on-time delivery. ( at least two recommendation letters) | /20 |
| TOTAL | /100 | |
| MINIMUM TO PASS | 75 |
- Phase two of Technical Evaluation
| Item | Point Range |
| Approach, Methodology & Work Plan | /60 |
| i. Understanding of the SANIA programme/platform distinction, multi-audience positioning, and the anti-‘just for entrepreneurs’ brief (20)ii. Creative approach and proposed visual/messaging direction (20)iii. Level-of-effort work plan: how capacity is allocated across Components A–F, and ability to meet the day-relative milestones (20) | |
| Proposed Team Key Experts (detailed) | /40 |
|
i. Creative Director / Team Lead
|
10 |
|
ii. Motion-Graphics / Animation ArtistMinimum Experience:
|
10 |
|
iii. Brand / Graphic DesignerMinimum Experience :
At least four (4) years of relevant experience. (7) |
10 |
| iv. Scriptwriter / Copywriter Minimum Experience :Proven copy/scriptwriting for video and brand, with full working fluency in English (Frensh is a strong additional asset) (10) | 10 |
The financial proposals will be opened only for those firms which secure a minimum score of 70/100 in the technical evaluation in Phase two
- Financial Criteria
This is a Fixed-Budget selection. The available budget is fixed at USD 16,000 (all taxes and costs included) and is stated in this RFP. Bidders must propose the full set of deliverables within this fixed budget; proposals exceeding USD 16,000 will be considered non-compliant. Once the technical proposals have been evaluated, the contract will be awarded to the technically highest-ranked bidder whose financial proposal is within the fixed budget.
7. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL PROPOSALS
All technical and financial proposals must be submitted in English.
Administrative documents
- A cover letter confirming the Creative Agency’s interest to provide the services required
- Company registration certificate
- Tax registration certificate (if applicable)
Technical Requirements
- Duly signed submission Letter confirming the firm's interest to provide the services required.
- A portfolio/showreel of at least 2 real, completed projects most relevant to this assignment (explainer/motion video and brand/graphic design), each with a short note on the firm’s role and a working link or sample.
- Detailed description of methodology and Approach, work plan.
- Creative Agency references with contacts.
- Detailed and updated Curriculum Vitae for the proposed project team.
- Valid Industry certifications and relevant academic certificates.
- Creative Agency's Recommendation letters signed and stamped.
Financial Requirements
- Summarized Total Cost (tax inclusive) must not exceed the fixed budget of USD 16,000
- Breakdown of cost per Component (A–E) and per deliverable
Notes:
- All Financial Proposals/offers should be password protected, and Smart Africa will request it for bidders who have been qualified in the technical evaluation.
- All Financial Offers should be quoted and submitted in USD Currency.
- A withholding tax of 15% will be deducted from payments for Creative Agency not VAT registered with Rwanda Tax Administration (RRA) and 18% VAT will be applicable for VAT registered Creative Agencies in Rwanda.
8. SUBMISSION PROCESS
Soft copies of both Technical and financial proposals must be sent to: procurement@smartafrica.org showing each the nature of the offer concerned (technical or financial offer), not later than 24th September 2026 at 1:00 PM local time (Kigali), addressed to Procurement Office of Smart Africa Secretariat, with subject marked: RFP: 155/S.A/SANIA/RFP/09/2026, Recruitment of a Creative Agency for SANIA Communication & Marketing Assets (Smart Africa Network for Innovation and Acceleration)
9. 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 Creative Agency.
- 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.
Late proposals will be rejected.
10. VALIDITY
Proposals and quotes must remain valid for 120 days after the date of closing noted above. After, the closing date and time, all proposals received by the Smart Africa Secretariat become its property.
11. ENQUIRIES
Any inquiries will only be received at least 5 working days before the bid submission deadline. Prospective respondents who may have questions regarding this RFP may submit their inquiries to tenderenquiries@smartafrica.org.
12. 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.
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