Summary
Date Posted: Wednesday, June 28 2023, Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
Background
• The International Trade Centre (ITC), headquartered in Geneva, is the joint agency of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United Nations (UN). It is the only multilateral agency fully dedicated to supporting the internationalization of micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs). ITC’s mission is to foster inclusive and sustainable growth and development through trade and international business development. ITC Headquarters is in Geneva, Switzerland.
• MSMEs face several constraints to achieving meaningful connectivity, including lack of affordable access, low awareness, and adaptation to digital, low availability of advisory and technical support from the business support ecosystem and a lack of digital skills among management and the workforce.
• Switch ON, an initiative integral to ITC’s 2022-2025 Strategic Plan, prioritizes digital connectivity as a key enabler to an inclusive, sustainable, and prosperous world. Switch ON aims to get more MSMEs online and engaged in digital trade and entrepreneurialism, upgrading business capabilities, and generating economic opportunities with a particular focus on the disadvantaged. Zambia was chosen in 2022 as a pilot country for this initiative.
• For digital trade to be inclusive in Zambia – accessible to different regions, sectors of activity and the varied experience of businesses – appropriate local support needs to be offered, adapted to the needs of different communities. In this context, the “Switch ON” initiative proposes establishing several local facilities (“Switch ON hubs”) in Zambia – that provide a focal point for learning and support. This digital trade hubs will offer a range of services, including training and access to equipment and tools, that can help businesses transition to digital processes and solutions.
• Our digital trade hub in Livingstone will lay the foundation for our vision of establishing a comprehensive digital entrepreneurship hub in the region. Building upon our ongoing entrepreneurship and policy initiatives in Lusaka, we aim to leverage the valuable insights gained from the Livingstone hub to expand our presence to other regions, following with Solwezi. This strategic expansion approach ensures that our efforts are guided by real-world learnings and allows us to effectively foster innovation and economic growth throughout Zambia.

Target audience
The Switch ON hub will provide support to two types of segments, divided by their level of digital maturity:
● Digitally experienced. This segment comprises merchants, tech startups or digital freelancers, mainly in urban areas, who have a high level of familiarity and experience with digital technologies. They may already be using digital tools, platforms, and strategies to conduct business, market their products/services, engage with customers, and optimize their operations.
● Digitally underserved. This segment includes merchants, mainly in rural areas, who have limited exposure to or experience with digital technologies. They may face challenges such as lack of access to reliable internet connectivity, limited digital skills, or insufficient resources to effectively leverage digital tools for their business operations.

Methodology
The capacity building activities will be channeled through an online learning platform (built on WordPress using the LearnDash plugin) offering an e-commerce training programme. The training programme is divided into 4 phases:
• Phase I: Awareness (August 2023) – E-learning and networking.
• Phase II: Understanding (September-October 2023) – Self-driven and live tailored group training.
• Phase III: Mastering (November 2023-January 2024) – One-on-one coaching and sales activation.
• Phase IV: Excellence (February-April 2024) – Peer-to-peer learning.

The hubs also offer on-site and virtual business clinics, which offer advice and resolution of user queries about the new digital transformation processes; online events on ecomconnect.org for the Zambian community; hardware offering.
In addition, the Switch ON initiative has successfully installed four StreamSpot devices throughout Zambia, specifically two in Lusaka, one in Livingstone, and one in Solwezi. These devices provide connectivity, offering a range of educational and entertainment content, offline Wi-Fi access, and charging points for users. Individuals can connect their smartphones to these devices and freely download content. Through the deployment of these devices, ITC aims to address the digital divide by catering to the needs of the digitally underserved population.
The Switch ON hub will also accompany tech start ups in Zambia to participate in local trade shows.
ITC ecomConnect would like to hire a consultant to lead the Switch ON activities in Zambia.

Duties And Responsibilities
The vendor will work under the direct guidance of the ITC E-commerce Advisor to undertake the following duties:

1. Adapt training content and communications of the virtual learning platform (July-August)
o Familiarize with the virtual online learning platform as well as its curriculum.
o Adapt content to the Zambian reality:
§ Replace current examples and practical cases with examples from Zambian companies.
§ Adapt references to resources to relevant examples of Zambia regarding the following modules: e-commerce platforms, online payment solutions, and logistics.
§ Upload the newly adapted content on the virtual learning system.
o Review, adapt, set up and manage communications (emails) to be sent to the companies through the learning platform. ITC will provide email templates to be used, but they should be adapted by the consultant.
o Propose and manage communications with beneficiaries through another platform, for example, a WhatsApp group.
o Act as technical focal point of the VLS and handle bugs or access issues.

2. Run Phase I of the Switch ON Hub (August)
o Coordinate the organization of 1 online event on a technical topic, delivered by an external speaker/partner that the consultant should reach out to (topic will be approved by ITC). The coordination must include communications, moderation, and reporting. Prepare a 1-page report after each event.
o Coordinate the organization of 1 in-person networking event. The coordination must include communications, moderation, and reporting. Prepare a 1-page report after each event.
o Research potential digital connectivity partners and reach an agreement with at least 2 local e-commerce actors. The agreement must be approved by ITC.
o Enhance project registration by actively promoting it to potential participants, and ensure that we reach the target number of participants described earlier

3. Run Phase II of the Switch ON Hub (September-October)
o Coordinate the organization of 2 online events on a technical topic: 1 should be delivered by the consultant and 1 by an external speaker/partner that the consultant should reach out to (topics will be approved by ITC). The coordination must include communications, moderation, and reporting. Prepare a 1-page report after each event.
o Ensure that at least 60 MSMEs are connected to new markets (meaning that they have created a new online sales channel or optimized an existing one).
o Coordinate the organization of 1 in-person networking event. The coordination must include communications, moderation, and reporting. Prepare a 1-page report after each event.
o Allocate 1 hour/day to run the chat module and provide feedback to MSMEs to help them complete the modules of the VLS.
o Preselect businesses to participate in Phase III. The final selection will be approved by ITC.

4. Run Phase III of the Switch ON Hub (November-January):
o Develop and customize ITC’s curriculum for the designated channel chosen in Phase III, such as social media and/or marketplace store.
o Provide comprehensive training to 30 businesses on the specified subjects:
o Conduct 3 group training sessions, each with 30 MSMEs.
o Deliver 4 hours of individual coaching per company to guarantee seamless operation of the chosen online sales channel.
o Answer questions and provide feedback to MSMEs.
o Coordinate and report on the delivery of the training sessions.

5. Run awareness events to promote the StreamSpot devices:
o Coordinate the organization of 3 in-person events (one in Livingstone, 1 in Lusaka and 1 in Solwezi) to promote the use of the StreamSpot devices. The coordination must include communications, delivery, and reporting. Prepare a 1-page report after each event.
o Ensure that the device in Livingstone is being properly used.

6. Participate in tech focused events in Zambia:
o Attend 3 tech focused events in Zambia – determined by the ITC team – and coordinate the delegation of companies attending the events.
o Prepare the companies that will be joining the events with an online preparation session focussed on logistical details (dates, timings, location, theme etc.), and determining their focus for the event (go through their pitch, make sure they bring flyers or other branding materials etc.).

Education Requirement: No Requirements

Job Experience: No Requirements

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months:

Level of Education:

Job application procedure
• Interested candidates are kindly requested to submit their CV and motivation letter to ecomconnect@intracen.org  by July 9, 2023, at 23:59 CEST. Candidates selected for an interview will be notified on July 10th, and interviews will be conducted on the mornings of July 12th and 13th.

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