Expression of Interest are invited for Consultancy to Conduct a Market Assessment Study for ICT Services (Re-Advertised) Location: Kigali Deadline: Wednesday, 24/07/2024 23:59 The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is a federally owned international cooperation enterprise for sustainable development with worldwide operations. The GIZ Office in Kigali covers GIZs portfolio in Rwanda and Burundi. GIZ Rwanda/Burundi implements projects on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the European Union and other commissioning authorities in the following priority areas: Sustainable Economic Development, Good Governance, Climate, Energy and Sustainable Urban Development, Digital Transformation & Digital Economy, Great Lakes Region. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is one of the African Unions (AU) flagship projects for implementation of its 2063 Agenda, which is supported by the action plan on Boosting Intra-African Trade (BIAT). AfCFTA is viewed as a means for achieving the overarching BIAT goals. One of the specific objectives of the AfCFTA Agreement is the progressive liberalization of services. The AfCFTA Protocol on Trade in Services envisions a liberalized African Services market which shall be achieved by gradually eliminating restrictions that are incompatible with the AfCFTA Agreement. The Directorate of Trade in Services oversees the implementation of the AfCFTA Protocol on Trade in Services. Currently, State Parties are engaged in rigorous negotiations under the Committee of Trade in Services of which the first round of negotiations is currently ongoing under five (5) priority sectors, namely, Business Services; Communication Services; Financial Services; Transport Services, and Tourism and Travel-related Services; with 48 initial and revised offers from both State and non-State Parties currently being considered and the request/offer process being at a fairly advanced stage. Background and rationale Rwanda continues to be one of the fastest growing African countries in ICT and there are several avenues for growth for the ICT sector from e-commerce and e-services, mobile technologies, applications development and automation to becoming a regional centre for the training of top-quality ICT professionals and research. The Rwandan Government has been implementing various initiatives to promote the ICT sector, including the establishment of policies, regulations, and infrastructure development. One notable initiative is the National ICT Strategy, which aims to leverage technology for socio-economic development. Overall, Rwandas ICT sector has been experiencing steady growth, driven by government commitment, infrastructure development, innovation, and collaboration with local and international stakeholders. The AfCFTA presents a promising market opportunity for ICT services in Africa especially for Rwanda due to the growing demand for digital solutions, facilitation of cross-border trade, infrastructure development, economic growth, access to new markets, support for SMEs, and digital transformation initiatives. Additionally, Rwanda have started to trade goods like coffee and tea to other AfCFTA State Parties under the AfCFTA Guided Trade Initiative, which aimed to operationally kick start trade under the AfCFTA agreement and allow commercially meaningful trade. It is expected that Trade in services will begin under the Guided Trade Initiative. Businesses in Rwanda in the ICT sector should be aware of developments related to AfCFTA and consider how they can leverage this historic agreement to expand their presence and capture new opportunities in the African market. Objectives of the assignment. The objective of the assignment is to gather comprehensive insights into the opportunities and challenges present for ICT services within Ghana, Zambia, Guinea Conakry, Central African Republic, and Ivory Coast and analyse the readiness for Rwandan businesses in ICT sector to take advantage of the market opportunities within the mentioned countries. The assignment entails both travel and desk research for Ghana and Zambia. The contractor will be tasked with conducting thorough desk research and traveling on-site for the purpose of this assignment in these two countries. For the remaining countries, desk research alone will suffice. Specific tasks to be performed by the contractor. Analyse the legal and regulatory requirements including any ICT specific regulations within the target markets. Examine the ICT services in which Rwanda has a competitive advantage and identify areas with export potential. Analyse the capacity of firms in Rwanda to satisfy the market demand and identify conditions for accessing the market. Examine the market size, growth rate, trends, and competition within the target market. Analyse the services commitment for communication services made under the AfCFTA trade in services protocol. Propose possible modes of supply for ICT services in the target markets. Provide recommendations for growing ICT services export to the target markets. Provide information in regard to tax regimes, investments incentives Provide a self-assessment matrix for Rwandan ICT companies that want to export in the mentioned countries and benefit from the AfCFTA. Provide Recommendation on how Rwandan Companies can leverage on e-commerce, Prepare a comprehensive report with findings and recommendations. [Disclaimer: The above text is machine translated. For accurate information kindly refer the original document.] Tender Link : https://www.jobinrwanda.com/job/expression-interest-eoi-consultancy-conduct-market-assessment-study-ict-services-re-advertised
