Job Description

Subject: J.E. Austin Associates is seeking an individual expert with knowledge and expertise in using and deploying Information and Communications Technology for development and e-governance/digitalization solutions for improving access to public services by businesses, especially Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). This assignment involves an assessment of Ghana’s e-governance ecosystem, its impact on business performance, and ways to promote the adoption of e-governance systems by MSMEs in USAID Ghana Zone of Influence (ZOI).

• Assignment Title: Assessing Ghana’s E-Governance Ecosystem for Improved Business Performance in Northern Ghana
• Assignment Dates: September 2024 – October 2024
• Level of Efforts: 25 days
• Assignment location: Tamale

Assignment Overview

Ghana’s business environment is underpinned by impressive economic growth and steady innovation in the services rendered by government departments, agencies, and regulatory authorities to the private sector. This is evidenced by the revision of the legal framework for decentralization and the mainstreaming of additional government departments into the local government system. This notwithstanding, several regulatory authorities, such as the Registrar of Company, the Ghana Enterprise Agency, the Food and Drugs Authority, and the Ghana Standard Authority, have established functional regional offices to increase business access. The services offered by these regulatory agencies aim to improve business performance, especially among MSMEs.

To this end, the Government of Ghana has made significant investments in the e-governance architecture through several initiatives, including the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), Ghana Rural Telephony and Digital Inclusion Project (GRT&DIP), Ghana E-Services Payment Platform (GEPP), and the eGovernment Network Connectivity Infrastructure (eGovNet). All these initiatives seek to create an improved enabling environment for businesses to thrive in Ghana.

The Ghana government’s digitization agenda seeks to improve effectiveness and efficiency in public sector service delivery to the private sector. In line with this agenda, public sector agencies, including the Registrar General’s Department, the Office of the Registrar of Companies, the Ghana Revenue Authority, the Food and Drugs Authority, and the Ghana Standard Authority, have been digitalized.

These digitalization efforts aim to minimize direct human interactions in government business and automate business processes to improve public sector services.

Similarly, investments in e-governance solutions are geared toward improving productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness in public service delivery. Digital technologies, buoyed by high-speed broadband, have contributed significantly to economic resilience during the pandemic, enabling many businesses to continue their operations.

The Ghana Market Systems and Resilience Activity (MSR) under Objective 4: Improve Enabling Environment for Market Actors, led by J.E. Austin Associates, seeks to improve the policy implementation and coordination process in Northern Ghana by strengthening local institutional capacity among public and private market actors. This is achieved through a demand-driven, evidence-based, and inclusive approach that involves assessing the business environment to understand the enablers and inhibitors of key government policies. These assessments generate evidence to guide public-private dialogue (PPD) among stakeholders to enhance effective and efficient regulations to improve business performance.

The overall objective of this assignment is to gain information on the status of e-governance solutions and help promote their use to improve agribusinesses’ access to government services in the USAID/Ghana ZOI. 

Objectives of Assignment

J.E. Austin Associates is seeking the service of an individual ICT, digital solutions and e-governance expert to:

1. Identify and evaluate all existing and planned e-governance solutions, including platforms and portals, in Ghana that can or should be used/accessed by MSMEs, particularly in the agriculture and food sector.
2. Analyze how each of the relevant e-governance solutions increases transparency in government operations and reduce bottlenecks in MSMEs accessing public services, including the amount of time and money saved by MSMEs
3. Identify which relevant e-governance solutions are currently functional and could be adopted/used by MSMEs in the USAID Ghana Zone of Influence.
4. Identify any obstacles to MSMEs’ adoption/use of relevant e-governance solutions in the USAID Ghana Zone of Influence (e.g., equipment, software performance, staff capacity, lack of understanding by users, etc.) and the reasons for and causes of those obstacles.

1. Identify the capacity gaps among agribusinesses in using relevant e-governance solutions and recommend tailored solutions to empower MSMEs.

Activities

The Short-Term Technical Assistance (STTA) will:

• Conduct a detailed desk review of policy, programs, and initiatives on e-governance ecosystems targeted at MSMEs and their effect/impact on streamlining business formalization and regulatory compliance processes. Emphasis should be on the progress of Ghana’s e-governance ecosystem on administrative bureaucracies and costs for businesses within the USAID/Ghana ZOI.
• Conduct a mapping to identify the types and functionality of e-government platforms and services and determine how agribusinesses can access and use E-Government services within the USAID/Ghana ZOI.
• Conduct a technical evaluation and interviews to ascertain the effectiveness of utilizing the existing e-governance system for compliance with business formalization and registration with the Food and Drugs Authority and Ghana Standard Authority, among others.
• Collect field data to gain insights on the use of e-government platforms by MSMSEs to improve business performance, including capacity gaps in the use of e-government solutions
• Develop a training manual and plan to improve MSMEs' capacity to use e-government solutions.

Required Skills or Experience

• At least a master’s in ICT and digital/telecommunications technologies. PhD in the relevant field is an advantage.
• Excellent command of English (written and verbal), with proven ability to produce well-written reports and clear, effective communication.
• Experience in the deployment of digital tools for improving business processes and increasing access to government services.
• Experience in management and/or use of e-governance platforms and portals.
• Knowledge of the mandates and operations of public sector institutions such as Ghana Standards Authority, Food and Drugs Authority, Local Government Authorities, and decentralized agencies.
• Experience in ecosystem assessment, including policy environment analysis, to identify gaps in laws and regulations to implement rules or policies effectively.
• Demonstrated experience in providing advisory services to government agencies, especially local authorities, and MSMEs, to promote reforms and refine and develop new strategies.
• Familiarity with the digital technology needs of private sector actors in the agricultural sector, such as producers, aggregators, processors, agro-inputs dealers, etc.