Africa Seeks Policy Assessment for Digital Entrepreneurship Innovation
Written by Black Hot Fire Network Team on January 9, 2026
Smart Africa has launched a Request for Proposal (RFP) seeking qualified consultancy firms to assess digital entrepreneurship and innovation regulatory and policy environments across eight African countries. The initiative aims to strengthen these frameworks and develop tailored support pathways for digital entrepreneurs and innovators.
This assignment presents an opportunity to contribute to Africa’s digital transformation agenda by fostering regulatory frameworks, innovation ecosystems, and supportive policies.
About Smart Africa
Smart Africa is a pan-African alliance comprising countries, private sector entities, and development partners. Its mission is to accelerate socio-economic development through the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Headquartered in Kigali, Rwanda, Smart Africa promotes digital inclusion, innovation, entrepreneurship, and harmonized ICT policies among its member states. The organization strives to position Africa as a single digital market, enabling innovation-driven growth and inclusive development.
Purpose of the Consultancy
The consultancy’s objective is to support Smart Africa’s mission by evaluating digital entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems at a country level, with a focus on regulatory and policy environments. The consultancy will also design practical, context-specific support pathways to address identified gaps and facilitate the growth of digital startups and innovation-driven enterprises. The assessment will inform policy dialogue, institutional reform, and targeted interventions to enhance the ability of entrepreneurs, particularly youth, women, and underserved groups, to build and scale digital businesses.
Scope of Work
The selected consultancy firm will conduct a comprehensive assessment of digital entrepreneurship and innovation regulatory and policy frameworks in eight African countries. This includes analyzing national laws, regulations, policies, and institutional arrangements affecting digital startups, innovation hubs, and technology-driven enterprises. The firm will map key stakeholders, including government agencies, private sector actors, innovation hubs, accelerators, and development partners.
The assessment will identify regulatory barriers, policy gaps, and enabling factors impacting digital innovation and entrepreneurship. It will benchmark national frameworks against regional and international best practices. The consultancy will also develop tailored support pathways and actionable recommendations for each country, aligned with national priorities and Smart Africa’s continental agenda. Finally, the firm will produce high-quality analytical reports and practical policy recommendations for decision-makers.
The consultancy is expected to apply a people-centred, inclusive, and evidence-based approach, ensuring that proposed pathways are realistic, scalable, and responsive to local contexts.
Who Should Apply?
Smart Africa is seeking experienced consultancy firms with demonstrated expertise in areas such as digital economy policy and regulation, innovation ecosystems and entrepreneurship development, ICT, technology, and startup policy reform, regulatory impact assessments and policy analysis, and private sector development and inclusive innovation.
Applicants should demonstrate strong experience working across African digital and innovation ecosystems, a proven ability to deliver multi-country policy assessments, strong analytical, research, and report-writing capacity, experience engaging governments, private sector, and ecosystem actors, and the capacity to deliver high-quality outputs within defined timelines.
Key Dates and Reference Information
Client: Smart Africa Secretariat
RFP Number: 142/SA/RFP/01/2026
Release Date: 7 January 2026
Application Deadline: 9 February 2026 at 5:00 PM (Kigali local time)
Location: Fully remote / Anywhere
Smart Africa Secretariat
10th Floor, Career Centre Building
KG 541 ST, Kigali, Rwanda
PO Box 4913
Submission and Enquiries
Interested firms are encouraged to carefully review the full RFP document and ensure that proposals meet all technical, financial, and administrative requirements prior to submission.
Why This Opportunity Matters
Africa’s digital economy is rapidly expanding, but regulatory and policy environments often lag behind innovation. This consultancy offers a unique opportunity to shape forward-looking digital entrepreneurship frameworks that unlock investment, support startups, and promote inclusive digital growth.
The selected consultancy will play a direct role in strengthening national and regional digital innovation ecosystems, informing policy reforms that enable startup growth, supporting youth and women-led digital enterprises, and advancing Africa’s vision of a harmonized digital single market.
This RFP is a high-impact opportunity for consultancy firms seeking to influence digital policy, innovation ecosystems, and entrepreneurship development at a continental scale. With Smart Africa’s leadership and strong convening power, the outputs of this consultancy are expected to inform strategic decision-making and long-term digital transformation efforts across Africa.
Qualified firms are strongly encouraged to submit competitive proposals ahead of the deadline.
