Consultancy for the provision of services to review, validate and expand the existing Digital Repository across the Commonwealth

Background to the assignment

The Commonwealth Secretariat has created an online repository of digital policies and regulations that covers all Commonwealth countries and contains information on individual policies and regulations in specific countries. The repository is intended to provide a frame of reference for Commonwealth members wanting to devise and implement appropriate policies to support digital transformation, create an enabling environment for digital trade, and harness the benefits of digital transformation. To maximise its value, the platform is accessible to policy makers and regulators in Commonwealth member countries, as well as other stakeholders and the wider public in the Commonwealth and beyond. Each entry includes among others:

• the name of the policy/regulation,
• the year it was adopted,
• whether or not it is available online,
• the way data is defined,
• the main focus of the document,
• target beneficiaries/sectors,
• key elements of the policy/regulation,
• whether the policy/regulation mirrors any other and, if so, which countries have similar policies/regulations.

At present the Digital Repository contains approximately 212 records of policies and regulations which are in existence across all 54 member states. The information has been validated up to 2019/2020, and it is integral to ensure that the records are up-to-date and factor in the promulgation of new regulations, amendments as new policies and national strategies that fall within the ambit of the identified categories contained within the digital repository. However, the current version of the repository lacks the presence of digital policies and regulations relating to the agricultural and fisheries sectors, which is an essential component for expansion.

Digital Agriculture and Fisheries

Within the agricultural and fisheries sectors, digitalisation is seen as a game changer for transforming the sectors in low- and middle-income countries including those across the Commonwealth. Digitalisation for agriculture and fisheries can be defined to consist of four pillars namely digital innovations, data infrastructure, business development services, and the enabling environments for digitalisation. The enabling environment pillar under which this assignment falls, consists of the “rules of the game” including digital and non-digital factors; and agricultural/fisheries and non-agricultural/fisheries factors. This may include infrastructure and access, policies and strategies, knowledge and networking, literacy and skills, business ecosystem, etc. Specifically, the focus of the assignment is on identifying and documenting the digital policies, strategies, or regulations within the agricultural and fisheries sectors that are enabling digitalisation within the sectors.

Digital innovations (technologies and services) for agriculture and fisheries continue to multiply in the absence of sound sector policies and strategies to guide their development and deployment. While the lack of these policies may not necessarily be an obstacle to the current growth, there may still be critical issues relating to investment readiness, long-term sustainability and large-scale adoption of viable solutions, when the rule of the game is lacking. Well-developed national and/or regional digital agricultural/fisheries policies and strategies may outline procedures for the development of digital platforms, data infrastructure, the business ecosystem, approaches to implementation, financing and investment models, operations of private sector service providers, enforceable or advisory guidelines by governments for users and implementers, and a code of conduct for all actors, among others.

The World Summits on the Information Society (WSIS) 2003 and 2005 called for the development of ICT strategies for all sectors referred to as e-strategies. In 2016, FAO and ITU, in collaboration with the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) developed a National e-Agriculture Strategy Guide (FAO & ITU, 2016). The guide argued that the development of a national e-agriculture strategy is only the first step towards realising the transformative potential of ICTs in agriculture. It maintains that the strategy must be implemented and most importantly, be reviewed periodically to keep up with the changing demands, emerging goals and new technologies.

Within the agricultural and fisheries sectors, national e-strategies are still lacking or not as comprehensive as they should be. Available policies/strategies may be

• Standalone as National ICTs for Agriculture/Fisheries strategies, or National e-Agriculture/Fisheries strategies, or National Digital Agriculture/Fisheries strategies
• Part of an existing sector strategies such as National Agriculture Strategy, National Fisheries Strategy, National Trade Policy
• Embedded in the main National ICTs Strategy or National Digital Strategy.

Scope of the requirement

The consultant is being engaged to contribute to the on-going digital repository of policies, strategies, regulations, etc. in support of trade and investment across the Commonwealth. Specifically, the consultant is expected to review and validate the existing Digital Policies and Regulations repository across the Commonwealth and expand the database to include [1]digital agriculture and fisheries strategies, policies regulations across the Commonwealth to better understand the current state and recommend steps for developing new strategies or updating the existing strategies to support digitalisation across the sectors.

The consultant will undertake a validation and verification review of the current digital repository of policies and regulations to ensure that the information contained in the repository is up-to-date and accurate. In addition, the consultant will carry out desk research covering all the five regions and fifty-four member countries of the Commonwealth on the current state of digital agriculture and fisheries strategies/policies. The desk research, review and verification should be complemented with survey, or online/email interviews to validate the data from the literature.

The consultant will:

• Conduct review of the current information contained in the Digital Repository and validate the information to ensure that it is accurate
• Identify any amendments and/or updates to policies and regulations contained in the Digital Repository and catalogue new information and documentation.
• Review the literature on national digital agriculture and fisheries policies/strategies in the context of the fifty-four countries and five regional classifications within the Commonwealth - Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Pacific
• Document these strategies and policies according to the countries and regions
• Analyse the available documents taking into consideration the mention and use of the four pillars of digitalisation
• Conduct gap analyses on the current state of play and changes necessary in terms of national digital strategies and policies within the agricultural and fisheries sectors
• Compare the identified strategies, policies, regulations, in terms of stages of development and implementation (development, operationalization, evaluation, etc.)
• Produce national recommendations for the next steps based on the finding per each country

To be considered for this opportunity, you will need;

Education:

• Individual with degree in ICTs, Business Administration, Economics, Agribusiness, fisheries, international development, or firm with a mix of experts in these areas

Experience:

• 5+ years’ experience in research design, analytics, and policy analysis in low- and middle-income countries
• Experience in carrying out ICTs/digitalisation for development research is an advantage
• Experience in performing analysis, drafting reports, and producing policy recommendations
• Experience working with government officials and stakeholders from academia, private sector and civil society is an advantage.

Skills:

• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Ability to constructively and tactfully engage with senior private sector partners and policymakers to solicit relevant information
• Knowledge of least developed countries (LDC) and small island developing states (SIDS) context is an advantage

Please apply for this contract by submitting a Technical and Commercial proposal to [email protected] by 7 February 2022.

Prices quoted should include VAT but must indicate clearly where VAT is applicable and where items might be zero-rated. The total budget payable under this contract is £15,000.00 (including VAT and all costs).

Evaluation will be based on both competency and cost.

Closing date: 17:00 GMT, 7 February 2022

[1] Note: This includes national or regional ICTs for agriculture or ICTs for fisheries policies, strategies, regulations; or e-agriculture or e-fisheries policies, strategies, regulations; or digital agriculture or digital fisheries policies, strategies, regulations.