Request for Qualifications NEPAD Africa

3ie requests for qualifications from research teams to conduct one or more impact evaluations for the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA)  [1]of the African Union. The proposed impact evaluation will have to examine the extent to which NEPAD's e-schools have influenced ICT (Information and Communications Technology) and ICT4E (Information and Communications Technologies for Education) policies in Africa.

The selected research team will receive a policy window preparation grant that is intended to cover costs associated with activities such as travel to meet with the implementing agency, preliminary checking of administrative data, piloting surveys, site visits, researcher time, etc. necessary to develop one or more impact evaluation designs.

Deadline for applications: 23:59 GMT 15th October, 2012. Please address any questions to pw2@3ieimpact.org [2].

Download Request for Qualifications NEPAD (68.3 KB) [3]

• The lead institution making the application must be located in Africa, with African researchers as lead Principal Investigator(s).
• The research teams are however encouraged to seek an international partner to act in an advisory role.
• The request is for qualifications of the team to prepare the evaluation design, not to submit a design.
• The proposed budget for the proposal preparation costs should not to exceed $ 30,000.
• The successful team will implement the evaluation, subject to approval by 3ie's external review panel.

NEPAD stands for the “New Partnership for Africa’s Development” and embodies the visions and aspirations of Africa and Africans to eradicate poverty and promote sustainable growth and development on the continent.

Within the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA), programming related to Information and Communications Technology (ICT) development is managed through the NEPAD e-Africa Programme [4] which has as its functions to develop policies, strategies and projects at the continental level, manage the structured development of the ICT sector in the context of NEPAD and develop broad strategies and a comprehensive action plan for ICT infrastructure and the use of ICT applications and services on the continent.

NEPAD e-Schools Initiative: List of participating schools (96.4 KB) [5] 

The impact evaluation will have to examine the extent to which NEPAD e-schools have influenced ICT and ICT4E policies in Africa. It will look at the impact on learning outcomes, examine spillover effects, investigate challenges and identify good practices. The successful team is encouraged to discuss with NEPAD other possibilities for impact evaluations of e-schools initiative, and so may submit more than one proposal.

For suggested evaluation questions, please refer to the Request For Qualifications [3].

The Policy Window Two grants program is designed to fund impact evaluations that are commissioned by the policy makers and program managers who implement development interventions.

For more information, please visit the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation  [6]page.