BackgroundThe Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015 stand to generate unprecedented both in quantity and quality of data and statistics. The “leaving no one behind” principle and increased importance of monitoring sustainable development particularly imply that the world needs more data with better quality. It is with this backdrop that the Secretary General’s High Level Panel (HLP) on Post-2015 Development Agenda called for actions to “improve quality of statistics and information available to people and government” in A New Global Partnership. In Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, world leaders pledged to intensify efforts to strengthen statistical capacity in developing countries.This global call for a Data Revolution has been echoed around the world since the publication of HLP report and much discussion has been done around how to implement it. In Africa, the High Level Conference (HLC) on Data Revolution was held in Addis Ababa in March 2015, in response to a request by African Heads of States. During the HLC, a set of principles to implement Data Revolution in Africa was developed which includes; i) countries must own the prioritization, financing and leadership of this revolution; ii) all data communities should embrace the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics as a starting point; iii) data should be open by default; and iv) technology, new forms of data and other innovations should be actively embraced.Given the indispensable role of data in achieving SDGs, it is important to assess the current Data Ecosystem and the new data demand, track the progress of the unfolding data revolution in Africa and inform policy makers about what is needed to fully realize the Revolution. Therefore, a mechanism needs to be devised to monitor the changing data situation on the continent and hence it was proposed to publish a biannual “Africa Data Report” (ADR) to assess the strength of data ecosystems. The Report will feed into other SDG initiatives and studies by providing a concrete analysis of data issues in the continent.The first issue of ADR will focus on reviewing and mapping components of national data ecosystems to assess current data situation. For an in-depth review on data ecosystems, country assessment will be conducted for fourteen countries within which one national researcher, knowledgeable about the country, will be identified to carry out the assessment. One Lead Author will coordinate the entire exercise, consolidate the findings of the country assessments and write the full report based on them. The report will aim to provide review of Data Ecosystem as exhaustively as possible, address common systematic challenges that hamper the full realization of Africa Data Revolution and identify recommendations for follow-up actions. The components of the Data Ecosystem to be reviewed include: data stakeholders, data culture, legal framework, technology, infrastructure and interaction between these components.Duties and Responsibilities
Working under the guidance of the Steering Committee and in close collaboration with the Lead Author for the Africa Data Report 2016, the country researcher will undertake an assessment of the data for development ecosystem in NIGERIA. More specifically, the country researcher will be contractually responsible for undertaking national-level activities and producing agreed deliverables. These include:
Undertaking a desk review of existing literature, research and reports from data-related initiatives, laws and regulatory frameworks, to broadly capture the data landscape of stakeholders, relationships, and processes in the country;
Conduct surveys, interviews and focus group discussions as relevant and required, in order to capture detailed and precise perspectives of stakeholders;
Liaise on an ongoing basis with the Lead Author to ensure that adherence to the overall research methodology;
Produce a baseline assessment of the national data for development ecosystem, including a detailed and exhaustive mapping of the various components of the data ecosystem in the country, identification of the systemic challenges and gaps that hamper the full realization of the data revolution for sustainable development, and recommendations for follow-up actions;
The assignment will have a duration of up to 2 months. The researcher may be requested to travel abroad at least once, to attend a methodology workshop with other country researchers and the Lead Author. The international travel will be fully funded by the IDRC/UNECA/UNDP/Web Foundation partnership. In-country travel occurring in the context of this assignment must be factored in the candidate’s financial offer.
Competencies
Demonstrates excellent writing skills, and strong communications and presentation skills;
Demonstrates substantive and technical knowledge to meet responsibilities and post requirements with excellence;
Demonstrates the ability to produce high quality results following the research handbook and providing strong desk research and web search skills;
Demonstrates an understanding of open data and experience with data communities;
Demonstrates working knowledge of the country s/he is willing to research;
Demonstrates leadership, team building and coordination skills;
Good interpersonal and teamwork skills and proven ability to work in a multi-cultural setting and teams with diversity of background and skills;
Excellent understanding of statistics and strong analytical skills;
Demonstrated organizational and planning skills, and ability to meet deadlines and to manage multiple tasks effectively and efficiently.
Required Skills and ExperienceEducation:
Masters (or equivalent degree/experience) in international development, economics, international relations, statistics or a related field is mandatory.
Experience:
Minimum 5 years of experience in socio-economic analysis and research;
Knowledge and experience of national and global policies on data and statistics for implementing and monitoring sustainable development;
Demonstrated excellent analytical, writing and editing skills;
Experience in developing complex knowledge products and flagship reports.
Language Requirement:
Proficiency in one official language of the country is a requirement;
Working knowledge of English is a requirement; and
A second UN language, preferably French, is desirable.
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