DEMD Digital Policy Specialist – Local Consultant

Practice/Department: Government Services/Economic Growth

Location: Democratic Republic of Congo

Job Title: DEMD Digital Policy Specialist – Local Consultant

Reports to: Team Lead

Remote Eligibility:
Remote (United States)
Remote (Global)
N/A

Supervisory Responsibility:
New Role
Back Fill

Type of position:
Full-time
Part-time
Contractor
Intern

Hours: 40/week
Exempt
Nonexempt

Notes:

General Description

Company Description
Resonance is a global consulting firm that delivers market-based solutions to address the world’s toughest challenges.
We work with changemakers in the private sector and the international development community to solve wicked problems and promote market opportunity. We specialize in development of partnerships, innovation, sustainable business models, and impact finance that drive impactful results.

Across our work, we integrate diverse voices and perspectives. We promote collaboration across sectors and up and down the chain—from the field to the boardroom. Throughout, we translate client ambition into action and impact on the ground.

Position Mandate
Digital commerce is a central growing feature of the global economy. But in the world’s least-developed countries, uptake remains low. Firms in emerging and frontier markets are not selling their products online because they do not have reliable internet access due to inadequate physical infrastructure, poor policy and legal infrastructure, and lack of political commitment. These barriers prevent entrepreneurs—especially women and members of other vulnerable groups—from taking advantage of digital commerce to reduce poverty, especially with cross-border trade in goods and services. The Digital Economy and Market Development (DEMD) project seeks to address the need for an open, transparent, and competitive digital commercial environment by supporting USAID Missions, Bureaus, and Independent Offices (MBIOs) to develop, implement, and measure cutting-edge approaches in the technical areas of digital economy development, trade capacity building, private sector development, and improving the business enabling environment.

Improvement to the digital economy has the potential to be catalytic in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The DRC has a population of 89 million, and residents earn an average of $557 a year. The country lags behind the region in connectivity as mobile phone penetration rates are only 26% (compared to 43% in the region) and only 9% of the population uses the internet. Furthermore, cost is a key barrier to internet access in the country as 1GB of mobile broadband costs on average more than 16% of a person’s total monthly income, making it unaffordable for many. The recent World Bank digital economy assessment for the DRC listed improving digital infrastructure, digital entrepreneurship, and digital skills as key priorities for the country. A 2019 World Bank report found that micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the DRC use technology in a limited way and identify lack of modern equipment and technology as a constraint. Entrepreneurs are interested in using technology to facilitate their commercial operations to increase production through automation. There is also a large gender and age gap in the use of technology. Additionally, while internet service providers (ISPs) are considered key players for the connectivity market to thrive in the country, these providers have not historically targeted the most vulnerable populations, leaving them unconnected.

The USAID/Democratic Republic of Congo (USAID/DRC) Mission sees the digital economy as a priority area for the country. In particular, improving digital economy directly relates to Development Objectives #2 (Community Resilience Increased) and #3 (Inclusive, Broad-Based, and Sustainable Economic Growth Increase) from the Mission’s most recent Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) published in 2020.
The USAID DEMD project is seeking a local, Congolese Digital Policy Specialist Consultant for a limited term, part time engagement, who will support efforts to increase digital commerce, and an open, transparent, and competitive digital commercial environment. The DRC Digital Policy Specialist will support the Regional Digital Policy Specialist to support the development of a:
Detailed digital policy report consisting of an overview of relevant digital/broadband regulations, in DRC with a focus on those related to telecommunications and internet service provision, and innovations for expanding internet access including a gap and SWOT analysis of the current policy/regulatory environment and recommendations for prioritizing policy and regulatory interventions and/or advocacy efforts.
The report will also include a list of completed key stakeholder interviews, and a summary highlighting priority takeaways from the interviews.
The DRC Digital Policy Specialist consultant will provide support in identifying and coordinating outreach to various stakeholders in the digital ecosystem including any associations or organizations representing consumers of digital communications services (whether business or private individuals), digital service providers (mobile, fiber, satellite, or other service providers), and public sector officials and regulators. The consultant will support the Regional Digital Policy specialist and report to the DEMD Activity Manager based in Washington DC.

OUTCOMES / Essential Functions

The DRC Digital Policy Specialist consultant will support the Regional Digital Policy Specialist by provide inputs and research for the Digital Policy Report. The DRC Digital Policy Specialist will provide support in executing the following five key deliverables:

• Annotated bibliography.  The DRC Digital Policy Specialist will conduct desk research to be shared with the Regional Digital Policy Specialist. Bibliography should include list (with links where possible) of all reports, articles, assessments, legal and regulatory texts, or other relevant information, along with a brief (less than 5 sentences) summary description of the document and its relevance to the Policy Analysis.
• Interview guide and list of target Stakeholders. The Digital Policy Specialist will support the Regional Digital Policy Specialist in compiling a list of target stakeholders for interviews, focusing on relevant DRC stakeholders, including any associations or organizations representing consumers of digital communications services (whether businesses or private individuals), digital service providers (mobile, fiber, satellite, or other service providers), and public sector officials and regulators. The Digital Policy Specialist will also support in the development of interview guide(s) to support primary data collection. This may include multiple versions of the guide tailored to different stakeholders.
• Annotated outline of DRC Digital Policy Report. The Digital Policy Specialist will provide inputs to the Regional digital Policy Specialist who is responsible for developing a draft outline for the final DRC Digital Policy Report.  The outline should cover the current DRC policy environment, critical issue areas constraining service provision, any plans for new or reformed regulations, examples from comparator countries and preliminary recommendations for regulatory reform and areas of policy advocacy. The annotated outline should not exceed 5 pages.
• First Draft of DRC Digital Policy Report. The Digital Policy Specialist will support in the drafting of the report, sharing inputs with the Regional Digital Policy Specialist as requested.
• Final Draft of DRC Digital Policy Report with final list of interview and bibliography of desk research. The Digital Policy Specialist will support the Regional Digital Policy Specialist in finalizing drafting sections or providing inputs as requested. The detailed report will consist of an overview of relevant national and regional digital/broadband regulations, with a focus on regulation and policy related to telecommunications and internet service provision, including regulations around licensure and registration at the national, regional and/or municipal level, and innovations for expanding internet access, including a gap and SWOT analysis of the current policy/regulatory environment and recommendations for prioritizing policy and regulatory interventions or advocacy efforts. The report should include an overview of ineffective or unenforceable policy that has limited growth in internet service provision with a specific focus on innovations in digital connectivity/access, particularly for rural communities and provide both long-term and short-term suggestions for implementing similar, successful policy (possibly building on examples from comparator countries in the region or globally), taking the DRC context into consideration. The final report should not exceed 30 pages.

Implementation Plan and Timeline

DRC Digital Policy Report: Conduct a policy analysis to create a baseline understanding for the digital economy regulatory environment in the DRC. Outputs from the policy analysis will include a ‘watch list’ of relevant upcoming regulations, a deeper understanding of gaps in the current policies, and prioritized list of advocacy activities that can be undertaken to further enable internet service provision.

1.December 2022:
Deliverable 1: Annotated Bibliography.

• Conduct policy desk research on regional digital regulations; identify gaps in regulations related to the digital economy from the national and regional perspective.

Deliverable 2:  Interview Guide and list of target Stakeholders

• Develop list of key stakeholders for outreach, schedule and confirm interviews
• Develop guiding interview questions

January 2023:
Deliverable 2: Interview Guide and list of target Stakeholders

• Conduct <1 week of interviews with digital policy experts in comparator countries
• Conduct 1 week of interviews with digital policy experts in DRC

Deliverable 3:  Annotated outline of Policy Analysis.

• Develop annotated outline for policy analysis report

February 2023:
Deliverable 3: Report on Digital Policy

• Based on information collected during desk research and stakeholder interviews, identify gaps in regulatory approach to digital economy environment and propose concrete approaches to address them, including potential advocacy efforts

Deliverable 4: First Draft of DRC Policy Report

• Review and comment of report draft

Deliverable 5: FinalDraft of DRC Digital Policy Report with final list of interviews and bibliography of desk research.

• Finalized report incorporating feedback from first draft.

Total LOE: 10 Days

Required education & experience

• Master’s degree or higher in a field related to economics, international business, international relations, public policy or similar.
• Minimum of six years of experience conducting research on Digital Regulations and Policy specifically focused on internet service provision or working with public and private sector actors on Digital Regulations and Policy related to internet service provision.
• Professional relationships with or connections to businesses and industry associations engaged in digital service provision (mobile, fiber, satellite, or other service providers).
• Professional relationships with or connections to public sector stakeholders and institutions who support or regulate digital service providers within DRC is preferred.
• Must be fluent in English and French.
• Must be a citizen or permanent resident of the DRC.
• Full time employees of the Government of the DRC are not eligible unless on leave of absence.
• Experience working on USAID projects preferred.

Preferred education & experience

N/A

COMPETENCIES

N/A

Travel expectations

The consultant must be able to travel domestically.

Work environment and physical demands

This position operates in a professional office environment, and routinely requires the use of standard office equipment such as computers, phones, printers, photocopiers, and filing cabinets.

The physical requirements described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

As a part of the responsibilities for this job, the employee is required to communicate, detect, converse with, discern, convey, express oneself, and exchange information orally and in writing with others. The employee must be able to remain in a stationary position, sitting at a desk for prolonged periods, move or traverse inside the office and facilities; operate, activate, use, prepare, inspect, place, detect, or position computers and other office equipment, such as a calculator, copy machine, furniture, and computer printer. The employee must be able to make substantial repetitive motions of the wrists, hands and fingers.  The employee must be able to lift and move up to 15lbs at times.

Work Authorization/security clearance

N/A

SALARY RANGE

Candidate to propose daily rate commensurate with experience.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Interested applicants may apply via the Resonance jobs portal: DRC Digital Policy Specialist

AAP/EEO Statement

The Equal Employment Opportunity Policy of Resonance is to provide a fair and equal employment opportunity for all associates and job applicants regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability. Resonance hires and promotes individuals solely based on their qualifications for the job to be filled.

Resonance believes that employees should be provided with a working environment which enables each associate to be productive and to work to the best of his or her ability. We do not condone or tolerate an atmosphere of intimidation or harassment based on race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability.

We expect and require the cooperation of all employees in maintaining a discrimination and harassment-free atmosphere.