The Tony Blair Institute (TBI) is looking to engage an E-Gov Study Consultant to conduct a deep dive study for four to five months, assessing the capabilities of up to 3 selected institutions involved in the provision of e-services within Ethiopia, and develop a proposal for the enhancement of E-gov services in line with Government objectives.

Job Introduction

This consultancy project is part of our Tech for Development (T4D) initiative that supports governments to leverage the technological revolution for national development that serves citizens. The initiative is organized around advisory and delivery support across four initial focus sectors (Health Tech; Digital Government; Digital ID; and Ag-tech). In partnership with the Ministry of Innovation and Technology (MInT), TBI will support the Government of Ethiopia in further developing its e-government services.

The Institute has been supporting the Ministry of Innovation and Technology in the implementation of the Digital Ethiopia 2025 strategy since 2019. As part of the implementation support and the T4D initiative, we have identified the need for an assessment of E-government services, with the ambition to support efforts simplifying government procedures and improving E-government service provision.

At present, E-government services in Ethiopia are predominantly structured around Government to citizen (G2C) and Government to business (G2B) services.To improve these services, there is a need to develop and deploy a set of standards (including standards relating to software, user interface and design, data management, privacy, complaints procedures), so citizens and businesses are able to experience a coherent system through which multiple institutions provide their respective services seamlessly and at minimum effort to the citizen and appear as a single interface.

Key Responsibilities

The consultant is expected to conduct a general assessment of up to 3 key E-gov service providing institutions. Focusing on those providing G2C and G2B services, the consultant will develop a proposal for the enhancement of these services to help the MInT deliver its mandate on coordinating and driving high quality, inclusive E-gov services at the federal level for Ethiopian citizens and businesses.

The Consultant’s specific responsibilities include:

• Conducting an assessment of the selected key institutions and mapping existing stakeholders and initiatives (incl. budgets, scope of work and MEL frameworks) to deliver a detailed overview of relevant initiatives and actors in the E-gov space.
• Identify major challenges and opportunities for the relevant institutions to deliver high quality and inclusive E-gov services including, but not limited to: legislative and regulatory, budgetary, and infrastructure challenges, challenges related to internet access and use, including user ICT competencies and skills.
• Define the Ministry’s role in delivering high quality E-gov services, including a clear set of targets reflected in (i) both high level MEL as well as (ii) more detailed MEL framework in line with the Ministry’s capacity and potential to deliver
• Propose a set of standards (including, where relevant, standards relating to software, user interface and design, data management, privacy, complaints procedures) for E-gov systems. Particular attention should be given to the issue of inclusivity.
• Provide advice in more precisely defining the role of the MInT as per its mandate, to effectively coordinate E-gov services across federal agencies in line with core standards and best practices- including the ability to determine its impact and value add to citizens’ lives.
• Closely coordinate with relevant government stakeholders on the scope of the assessment, and ensure due process is followed with relevant authorities to secure agreement, with the ambition of analysing data and presenting findings.
• Prepare written deliverables:
• Inception report,
• Briefings of the ongoing research to be submitted during data collection,
• Draft final report to be approved by the supervision team.
• Final report to be shared with stakeholders

Person Specification

The candidate should be an expert in the field of E – government/Digital goverment, with experience working in similar developing contexts to deliver excellent results and implementable strategies as well as a high level of technical analysis. The successful candidate must demonstrate a good understanding of the ICT eco-system and tech and digital space. Prior work with the Government of Ethiopia is highly desirable. Additional skills and competencies required include:

• At least 10 years of relevant professional experience including at least five years experience in supporting E- governance and ICTs for development initiatives.
• Sound knowledge of e-governance issues in developing countries with demonstrated experience working in partnership with host governments, international donors, and implementing partners.
• Experience in tech project design and implementation with deep understanding of the various stages and actors involved in the implementation of public projects
• Experience in institutional development and organisational change management, including process and system design and capacity development
• Excellent relationship building skills, including the ability to navigate complex political environments
• Good writing, reporting, and communication skills including the ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Ability to present information in a concise, insightful and structured manner, both written and verbally.
• Problem-solving and analytical skills, including sound knowledge of data analysis, strategic planning, and project management practices
• Fluency in English with strong interpersonal, strategic communication, leadership, collaborative, and good listening skills.