Introduction

ACTS is looking for an expert required to design, plan, carry out and implement project mid-term evaluation. The mid-term evaluation will be conducted for the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada and Swedish International Development Agency (Sida), Sweden funded Artificial Intelligence for Development (AI4D) Africa Scholarship Program. The program envisions a future where AI empowers Africans to have a more prosperous, inclusive and greener future.

The purpose of this call is to engage an external expert to conduct project final evaluation. The expert will conduct an overall independent assessment of the last 36 months performance of the project, paying particular attention to the impact of the project actions against its objectives and to identify key lessons and to propose practical recommendations for follow-up actions.

Background

The African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS), in collaboration with five regional partners and two international partners, have been implementing a project on Financial Management of the Scholarship for the African Artificial Intelligence for Development (AI4D). The overall objective of the project was to design and administer a scholarship program that will foster the talent needed to meet a growing demand for research and development in responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) in African public universities. The specific objectives were: (a) to support at least 12 scholars to undertake and successfully complete PhD research in AI and ML in African universities for 24 to 36 months; (b) to support at least 8 Early Career Academics (ECA) to strengthen their R&D capacities in AI and ML for a period of at least 24 months; and (c) to facilitate professional development for the PhD and ECA scholarship holders.

At the end of the 36 months, the project expects the following immediate outcomes: 22 new PhD scholars available to enhance research and development in AI and ML related fields, in African universities; 20 MSc graduates have acquired good foundation to pursue PhD program in AI and ML related fields; capacities of at least 8 universities enhanced to provide postgraduate training in AI and Machine Learning;  access by policy makers to evidence for policy and decision making on AI and ML related issues enhanced; access to knowledge by researchers and practitioners on AI enhanced; networking opportunities of the AI and ML scholars enhanced; and a working model of AI4D scholarships for PhD and Early Career studies in Africa, that can be referred to in similar future efforts, also established. These immediate outcomes are expected to contribute to the long-term outcomes of the AI4D program - capacity of African scholars to undertake research and development in AI enhanced; and the contribution of African scholars to global AI research and debate enhanced.

Purpose and Coverage

The goal of contracting a consultant for this exercise is therefore is to carry out/ perform in-depth project final term evaluation and then prepare a final project evaluation report.

Consultancy deliverables

The following will be the expected deliverables of the consultancy exercise:

• Work plan for implementing the final evaluation;
• Draft and Final report on the implementation of the tasks, key findings with recommendations, and lessons leant;
• Final and or terminal evaluation report

The main evaluation report should be concise and not exceed 25 pages, excluding annexes (supporting data and details can be included in annexes).           

A Power-Point presentation with the preliminary findings, recommendations and lessons learned to be presented ACTS consortium and key stakeholders.

All draft and final outputs, including supporting documents, analytical reports and raw data should be provided in electronic version compatible with WORD for windows. Ownership of the data from the evaluation rests jointly with ACTS, AI4D Africa, IDRC/ Sida and the consultant. The copyright of the evaluation report will rest exclusively with ACTS, AI4D Africa, and IDRC/ Sida.

Duration and time frame

The final term evaluation shall be expected to be completed within 20 - 25 days beginning as soon as possible.

Three (3) days after signing of the contract, the expert will submit to ACTS a refined inception report that articulates the overall requirements of the ToR including proposed methodology/ approach, work plan with clear timelines, and division of labor where necessary.

Evaluation and Selection Process

This application is open to experts who are specialized in implementing or performing project/ program monitoring, evaluations, learning and reporting. The selected expert will be responsible for designing and executing all the activities described in the ToR in collaboration with ACTS Staff.

The selection process of the expert will be based on the set of criteria developed by ACTS Evaluation Committee to evaluate the proposals. The Evaluation Committee will evaluate the proposals by using the combined scoring method. The technical proposal will be evaluated on 60%; whereas financial proposals will be evaluated on 40%. The shortlisted bidding consultant or firm may be asked for a formal presentation prior to the final selection.

Further the evaluation team will examine the project implementation against the hereunder criteria by addressing the following essential questions. Evaluator will develop a more detailed analytical framework of questions and sub-questions to carry out the evaluation. Therefore, this questionnaire is not final and the selected evaluator must review this list with ACTS project team.

#	Aspects	Possible Questions
1	Relevance and strategic fit of the project	To what extent the project objectives and outcomes are relevant to the continent? Were project methodologies and approaches in line with funders’ expectations and consortiums capacities? To what extent has the projects action contributed to building capacities of AI/ML scholars in the continent? To what extent have the project’s actions so far contributed to improving uptake and adoption of responsible AI & ML? How should the project design and methodology be modified to improve its relevance in implementation of future projects?
2	Project   progress   and effectiveness	To what extent has the project achieved its objectives?  What were the major constraints in project’s implementation and how were they addressed? Have the project approaches appropriately matched the capacity of the consortium partners for their action? To what extent has the projects improved the capacity of the implementing partners? What measures are required to improve the capacity of the project partners/ collaborators/ beneficiaries to deliver similar projects in future?
3	Efficiency of resource use/ utilization	Were resources (funds, human resources, time, expertise, etc.) allocated strategically to achieve intended outcomes?
4	Effectiveness of management arrangements (including monitoring and evaluation)	Has the project received adequate technical and administrative support? Was there a clear understanding of the roles and responsibilities by all parties involved? How effective was the communication between the project team, beneficiaries, collaborators/ partners and donors?
5	Sustainability, Outcome and Impact of the project	How effectively has the project built necessary capacity of people and institutions? How effectively has the project built national/ regional ownership and capacity? What strategies and structures have been put in place to ensure that the project activities will continue beyond the duration of the project?
6	Lessons learnt and best practices	What worked well and what did not? What were the lessons learnt and best practices? What were the unintended outcomes?
7	General/ Broader questions	How and to what extent has the project contributed to strengthening capacities for the development and deployment of responsible AI in Africa? (this can be analysed at individual, institutional and systemic levels) To what extent were the methodologies and approaches suitable for achieving the intended objectives? How has the concept of responsible artificial intelligence been advanced through this capacity strengthening program? How did the project contribute to gender equality and inclusion in AI and machine learning? To what extent has the project contributed to the realization of AI4D impact pathways

 

Consultancy Competencies, Experience and Skill Requirements:

• Experience in project monitoring, evaluation, learning and reporting of program/ projects
• Extensive knowledge of quantitative and qualitative research methods and techniques
• Ability to use participatory approaches for evaluation and learning
• Good knowledge of the Sub-Saharan Africa context: Anglophone, Francophone and Lusophone communities, and dynamics of the consortium work
• Good probing and analytical skills
• Excellent communication and written skills in English knowledge and French added asset.

Deadline and submission of expression of interest (EoI)

ACTS invites interested experts to submit the following documents by or before 24/01/2024, 17:00hrs to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and copy to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

• Expression of interest (EoI) outlining how the expert meets the selection criteria and their understanding of the ToR.
• Curriculum vitae (CV) outlining relevant qualifications and experience.
• A summarized description of the scope of work and the intended methodology to be used as well as a tentative work plan including activities and time frames.
• Itemized financial proposal.