Under the guidance of the ITU Regional Director for Africa with support from Regulatory, Policy and Market Environment (RME), Area Office for West Africa, all relevant colleagues from the ROA, and in close collaboration with the beneficiary counterparts (ECOWAS in this case), the consultant will develop a training program, content, and facilitate the initial workshop. Specifically, he/she will:

1. Develop a list of issues that will form the subject of the training in consultation with key stakeholders and referring to subregional, regional and global cyber laws, policies and regulations. This includes:

• Telecoms/ICT regulations in general.
• Cybersecurity.
• A symphysis of emerging technologies and platforms (IoT, blockchain, big data, AI, platforms for Digital Financial Services, crypto currencies, eHealth)
• Identify the legal imperatives the above presents in the context of ECOWAS subregion.
• Assess existing legal frameworks at sub regional and continental levels and find out how they could best contribute to the promotion of digital economy in West Africa, inform and sensitize West African Parliamentarians on the challenges and opportunities related to ICT development (e.g. cyber-legislation, cyber-resilience, digital inclusion, digital sovereignty, e-services, emerging technologies)
• Reinforce the role and contribution of ECOWAS sub region parliamentarians in the elaboration and adoption of ICT related law bills and their application on the ground for an enabling environment for the ICT sector.

2. Develop a draft agenda in line with above mentioned first point, in consultation with ECOWAS parliament and ITU.

3. Develop training modules customized for ECOWAS subregion taking into consideration the issues identified and referring to the various ITU knowledge sources.

4. Deliver 5 days training to stakeholders (mainly ECOWAS parliamentarians) to raise their awareness on ICT legislation.

5. Propose recommendations and strategies on rollout and partnerships for the delivery of training at national level for ECOWAS countries’ parliaments.

6. Suggest mechanisms for best practices sharing among parliamentarians (e.g. an e-Parliamentarian platform).

CONCRETE DELIVERABLES

Practical and interactive training handouts on Telecom/ICT cyber-legislation for parliamentarians and decision makers.

5-days training session to parliamentarians in law and cyber-legislation.

Comprehensive mission report including the outcomes of items 1 to 6 mentioned in the ”Terms of Reference” section.

COMPETENCIES

Technical competencies:

Ability to draft precise and thorough analytical reports, appropriate recommendations, and guidelines.

Excellent computer skills and apps.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED

Education: University degree in law, cyber-legislation, computer science / telecoms or a related field (science or engineering) with evidence of specialization in these fields or education in a reputed college of advanced education with a diploma of equivalent standard. An advanced degree would be an advantage.

Experience: At least 2 years of progressively responsible experience in the field relevant to the Special Service Agreement (SSA). Extensive practical experience in law, cyber legislation is required.
Good experience and knowledge of telecoms/ICT, ICT sector in general, good understanding of ICT sector challenges in the developing world context is desirable.
 Languages: Knowledge of English or French at advanced level. Second language at intermediate level would be an advantage.