Individual Consultant (IC) perform the consultancy services to develop Guidelines for phone observatory surveys.

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST (CONSULTING SERVICES – INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT) Name of Project: Eastern Africa Regional Statistics Program-for-Results (EARSPforR) Grant No : P176371 Assignment Title: Individual Consultant (IC) to perform the Consultancy services to develop Guidelines for Phone Observatory Surveys in Africa. Reference No . TN-STATAFRIC-AUC-546834-CS-INDV. Background Demand for timely, high-frequency, and cost-effective data has led African countries to explore innovative ways of data collection and statistical production. Traditional face-to-face surveys, while essential, are often resource-intensive, time-consuming, and difficult to implement during emergencies, conflicts, pandemics, natural disasters, and other situations that restrict field operations. Recent advancements in mobile phone penetration, telecommunications infrastructure, digital technologies, and data science have created opportunities for conducting Phone Observatory Surveys (POS) as a complementary data collection mechanism. Phone surveys have proven effective in generating rapid information on socio-economic conditions, employment, food security, health, education, migration, business performance, agricultural activities, prices, and citizen perceptions. Despite the growing uptake of phone surveys across Africa, there remains a significant gap in continent-specific, harmonised guidelines that address the unique challenges of the continent. The absence of such guidelines results in fragmented approaches, inconsistent methodologies, and data that are difficult to compare. Therefore, there is need to develop continental guidelines that provide methodological, operational, institutional, and ethical standards for the design, implementation, analysis, and dissemination of Phone Observatory Surveys in Africa. The guidelines will support National Statistical Offices (NSOs), Central Banks, Ministries, Research Institutions, Regional Economic Communities, and Development Partners in pro