Policy & Governance Consultant - DPI and Verifiable Credentials for Cross-Border Trade

Policy & Governance Consultant – Digital Public Infrastructure & Verifiable Credentials for Cross-Border Trade

Request For Proposals

About DIAL 

The Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL) is a global non-profit, reimagining how data and digital technology can fuel bold, inclusive solutions to society’s toughest challenges. Since 2014, we have focused our efforts on unlocking African countries’ digital potential to create lasting change – from advancing equity and driving sustainable economic growth to addressing climate change.

Our team – based across four continents – works at the intersection of research, policy, and practice, equipping leaders with the insights, tools, and resources they need to make informed, forward-thinking decisions that drive real, lasting benefits for people.

Our strength lies not only in the expertise we have, but in who we are – a global alliance, partnering with many of the world’s most influential investors and changemakers in digital development. As such, we are uniquely positioned to help build consensus and political will to realize a future where data and digital technology serve people and communities across Africa.

Background

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is one of the most ambitious economic integration projects since the formation of the World Trade Organization. The vision extends beyond traditional trade liberalization to encompass a comprehensive transformation of Africa's economic landscape, with the creation of a single digital market serving as a critical pillar of this transformation. To make that vision a reality, the AfCFTA adopted the Digital Trade Protocol (DTP) in 2024. The DTP is the critical step in turning the ambitious idea of a single digital market into something real and workable. One of the most promising parts of the DTP is the Annex on Digital Identity, adopted by the African Union in February 2025.

To ensure that the data economy drives equitable growth and social progress, DIAL set up the Africa Data Leadership Initiative – also known as ADLI – with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and Smart Africa. As a dedicated peer-to-peer forum, ADLI fosters deep exchanges and learnings between policymakers, private sector stakeholders, and people working in innovation and data economies across Africa. It aims to explore current and future issues related to data governance, data sharing, consent, and policies, which can be best understood and solved through sharing real-world examples and experiences.

The 2026 cohort of ADLI will consist of approximately 30 participants from six countries, who will be paired in groups of two vis-à-vis existing trade corridors as follows:

Zambia and Malawi

Ethiopia and Rwanda

Nigeria and Benin

The plan for the 2026 cohort of ADLI includes six virtual sessions and one two-day in-person convening following the Digital Trade Fair in Lagos, Nigeria in early May 2026.

Objective

The objective of the consultancy is to provide technical, policy, and facilitation support to design and deliver a structured peer learning programme, assess country readiness and political willingness, and co-create actionable pathways for testing and advancing digitally verifiable credential use cases that support cross-border trade under the AfCFTA DTP – for the 2026 cohort of ADLI but also for potential use for future cohorts of ADLI. 

About the Role

The Policy & Governance Consultant (an organization, individual or team) will provide policy analysis, political economy insight, and facilitation support to advance the design and testing of digitally verifiable credential use cases under the AfCFTA DTP. The consultant will focus on regulatory readiness, political willingness, institutional coordination, and governance frameworks - ensuring that technical experimentation is grounded in policy reality and continental priorities.

Working under the guidance of the DIAL team and in close coordination with the AfCFTA Secretariat, the consultant will support a structured peer learning programme and help translate learning into actionable policy pathways for willing Member States with the responsibilities and outputs.

Scope of Responsibilities

Evidence-Based Policy Analysis and Capacity Building

The Consultant will support the development of a replicable, multi-modal learning programme informed by comparative policy analysis and aligned with the AfCFTA DTP.

Responsibilities will include:

Undertaking desk-based research focused on verifiable credentials for each country (Zambia, Malawi, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Nigeria, and Benin), including a high-level policy, regulatory, and institutional gap analysis and/or a maturity assessment, with attention to alignment with AfCFTA DTP provisions, readiness of national frameworks, and institutional coordination arrangements.

Translating findings for inclusion into a replicable, multi-modal learning programme for all six countries that includes learning objectives, curriculum content, and structured discussion prompts suitable for a multi-sectoral audience (co-created with DIAL and a Technical Consultant).

Supporting delivery of six virtual peer learning sessions (including speaking and session facilitation and presentations), using these engagements to test, validate, and refine research findings through practitioner exchange and comparative learning.

Deliverables:

A research report that includes high-level policy, regulatory, and institutional gap analysis and/or a maturity assessment for each of the six countries: Zambia, Malawi, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Nigeria, and Benin

A replicable, multi-modal learning programme for all six countries (co-created with DIAL and a Technical Consultant)

Support during all six virtual peer learning sessions 

Workshop Facilitation and Roadmap Development

The Consultant will collaborate with DIAL and a Technical Consultant to support the design and facilitation of a two-day in-person convening following the Digital Trade Fair in Lagos, Nigeria in early May 2026. This in-person peer learning workshop will focus on translating shared learning into concrete priorities for advancing digitally verifiable credential use cases. During this workshop, the Policy & Governance Consultant will be focused on translating evidence-based policy learnings into feasible, implementation-oriented pathways for digitally verifiable credential pilots.

Responsibilities will include:

Planning and sequencing workshop content to support use case identification, prioritization, and strategic alignment, including development of session objectives and facilitation approaches.

Providing facilitation support during a two-day in-person workshop, guiding participants through structured discussions on policy, institutional, and coordination considerations.

Supporting the co-creation of a high-level implementation roadmap for all six countries (with DIAL and a Technical Consultant), outlining priority use cases, roles of stakeholders, collaboration mechanisms, and indicative next steps toward pilots.

Deliverables:

Final workshop content – can include slides, presentation materials, and workshop agenda and run of show

Provision of in-person facilitation support during the two-day workshop in early May 2026

Policy and governance inputs to the high-level implementation roadmap

Synthesis and Decision Support

The Consultant will translate analytical insights and workshop outcomes into clear, decision-relevant outputs to inform AfCFTA Secretariat leadership and participating Member States.

Responsibilities will include:

Preparing or contributing to a concise synthesis report including:

Key findings from the assessment, peer learning engagements, and roadmap co-creation process

Targeted policy recommendations to support decision-making on pilot design, governance arrangements, partnerships, and risk mitigation.

Deliverables

Concise synthesis report

Qualifications & Experience

We are open to receiving proposals from organizations, individuals or teams with the following qualifications:

Advanced degree in Public Policy, Law, International Trade, Development Studies, or related field.

7+ years of experience in digital policy, trade policy, DPI governance, or regional integration initiatives in Africa.

Strong understanding of AfCFTA, digital trade, and cross-border regulatory cooperation on the African continent.

Proven experience facilitating multi-country, multi-stakeholder policy processes.

Excellent analytical writing and synthesis skills.

Period of Performance

Work will start on or around 1 March 2026 and should be completed within a period of three months.

Location: Remote, Africa with required travel to Lagos, Nigeria

Submission

Please submit the following materials in BambooHR by 23 February 2026:

CV/resume highlighting relevant experience

Proposal narrative (max 2 pages, size 12 font) describing your approach and relevant expertise

Cost estimate / budget to include travel to Lagos in-person meeting – not to exceed USD $20,000

At least two professional references

You may reach out to [email protected] with any questions about this RFP or submission requirements.