Result of Service

The overarching goal of the national consultancy is to support the preparation of the Uganda TNA by facilitating country-level data collection, stakeholder consultations, validation processes and short analytical inputs to inform the assessment. The National Consultant will support the analysis of Government-prioritised sectors, relevant sub-sectors, economic activities, STI entry points and technology needs, with a primary focus on agriculture and related value chains, while the International Consultant remains responsible for the overall methodology, analytical coherence and drafting of the TNA report.

Work Location

Uganda

Expected duration

9 months

Duties and Responsibilities

Science, technology, and innovation (STI) are key instruments for the socio-economic transformation of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and their sustainable development. For the purposes of this study, technology refers to hardware, technical know-how, technical skills, and software applied to solve development-related challenges. LDCs suffer from deficits in their Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) capacities, absorptive as well as adaptive capacities, and lag substantially behind both emerging and advanced economies. The importance of STI is recognised both in the Doha Programme of Action for the LDCs for the Decade 2022-2031 (DPoA) as well as the Decade of Action for the SDGs. The DPoA highlights the importance of using STI to address multiple vulnerabilities and achieve the SDGs, making this a central priority for sustainable and lasting graduation of LDCs. It calls for renewed and stronger partnerships between LDCs and their development partners, including governments, the private sector, and civil society. The DPoA also recognises the UN Technology Bank for Least Developed Countries as the main focal point for LDCs in the area of STI. Since 2019, the UN Technology Bank has been conducting Technology Needs Assessments (TNAs) in LDCs. The primary purpose of the TNA is to identify the technologies and technical know-how that the LDCs need to address key development challenges and, in the long term, assist them to develop the technological and innovative capabilities required to achieve growth, promote structural transformation, and attain the SDGs. It is in this context that the UN Technology Bank has been requested by the Government of Uganda to undertake a new generation Technology Needs Assessment. The project aims to strengthen the capacities of LDCs to harness the potential of science, technology, and innovation in line with their national development goals. Uganda has made notable progress in its socio-economic development trajectory over the past decade, underpinned by sustained economic growth, investments in human capital, and a strategic focus on structural transformation. The country has met the graduation criteria from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category for the first time in 2024, reflecting improvements in gross national income per capita, human assets, and economic resilience. Uganda’s long-term development vision, articulated in Vision 2040 and operationalised through successive National Development Plans, aims to transform the country from a predominantly agrarian economy into a modern and prosperous society. At the same time, international indicators, including the Global Innovation Index, continue to point to persistent gaps in science, technology and innovation performance, particularly in innovation capabilities, technology adoption and knowledge-intensive production. Addressing these gaps through the targeted and strategic use of STI will be critical to sustaining Uganda’s development gains and advancing its ambition for inclusive, resilient and innovation-led growth. Uganda has already identified strategic anchor sectors under its national development agenda and Tenfold Growth Strategy. Accordingly, the Uganda TNA will not focus on selecting broad sectors from scratch, but rather on identifying and justifying relevant sub-sectors, economic activities, STI entry points and technology needs within the Government-prioritised areas. The assessment is expected to focus on two priority areas, one of which is agriculture. The second focus area will be further defined in consultation with national counterparts. Purpose and Scope of Assignment In general, the challenges facing LDCs are numerous, and they cut across sectors and income levels. Thus, in principle, LDCs need different types of technologies, both hard and soft, to tackle immediate challenges and accelerate the development process. However, access to the diverse range of technologies they need is neither easy nor feasible — partly because of the high cost of acquiring technologies and partly because LDCs have low absorptive capacity, which limits their ability to absorb, learn, assimilate, and upgrade acquired technologies. This makes TNA a useful tool for pinpointing specific areas where appropriate and relevant technological solutions can be used to help LDCs overcome obstacles to development. The TNA will rely on a wide conceptualisation of technology, understood as the systematic knowledge and skills used in the process of production or service delivery. This knowledge can be embodied in products or processes. From the UN Technology Bank’s perspective, TNAs are policy tools designed to serve the following purposes: 1. Identify the specific sectors, sub-sectors or economic activities in LDCs that require technological input solutions and assess the level of technological development in each of them. 2. Ensure that the technological solutions identified are appropriate and compatible with LDCs’ level of development and aligned with their national development strategies. 3. Appraise the absorptive capacities of LDCs by reviewing the STI ecosystem, particularly the skills base, technology policy, and the institutional and regulatory environment governing the national innovation system (NIS). The rationale for appraising local absorptive capacities is to gauge the ability of the country to utilise and learn from transferred technologies and absorb and assimilate technology locally through adaptation and upgrading. 4. Consult with key national stakeholders, particularly the private sector, to determine technological needs from a wider perspective. 5. Recommend technological solutions and the specific sectors and sub-sectors where private and public investment and STI-related capacity building are needed and could enable LDCs to address immediate development challenges and narrow the technological gap with more developed economies. In conducting the assignment, the National Consultant is expected to:

support the collection and organisation of relevant national, sectoral and sub-sectoral information within the Government-prioritised sectors, particularly in agriculture and related value chains, including policies, strategies, statistical data, studies, investment information, evidence on technology adoption and other relevant documentation;
liaise with relevant government institutions, statistical agencies, sector ministries, research institutions, private sector actors, and other data holders to identify, collect, compile and validate available sectoral, sub-sectoral and productivity-related information;
support stakeholder consultations to validate findings, identify technology needs, assess barriers to technology adoption and gather information on implementation conditions, investment drivers and constraints; and
prepare short input reports and supporting documentation to inform the TNA chapters prepared by the International Consultant. Additionally, the National Consultant will support the identification of opportunities to leverage public and private investment to support Uganda’s development through technology. This will include collecting relevant information on existing investment flows, potential private sector engagement, public-private partnerships, investment drivers and constraints, and opportunities for technology adoption and value-chain upgrading, particularly in agriculture and related value chains. Under the supervision of the UN Technology Bank for LDCs, the National Consultant will work closely with Uganda’s STI Secretariat and the International Consultant to undertake the following tasks: 1. Support country-level data collection and stakeholder consultations to inform the analysis of Uganda’s development context, Government-prioritised sectors, relevant sub-sectors, economic activities and STI entry points, with primary attention to agriculture and related value chains. 2. Liaise and follow up with national counterparts, including government institutions, statistical agencies, sector ministries, research institutions, private sector actors and other data holders, to obtain relevant sectoral, sub-sectoral and productivity-related information. 3. Collect, compile and organise available productivity-related information and related evidence, and document data sources, gaps and limitations where information is incomplete, dispersed or unavailable. 4. Facilitate in-country participatory processes, including interviews, focus group discussions, workshops and surveys, to support the collection of qualitative and quantitative information required for the TNA. 5. Support stakeholder consultations to identify relevant technologies and technical know-how capable of addressing sectoral development challenges and supporting sustainable structural transformation, considering existing STI initiatives and indigenous or locally developed technologies where relevant. 6. Collect stakeholder inputs on how relevant technologies can be implemented and scaled up within the national context, considering existing capacities, institutional arrangements, market conditions and investment considerations. 7. Collect and synthesise information on barriers and challenges hindering the acquisition, deployment, diffusion and scale-up of relevant technologies, including policy, regulatory, institutional, financing, skills, capacity, infrastructure, market and investment-related constraints. 8. Support the integration of cross-cutting considerations, including trade and export diversification, reduction of import dependence, gender equality, social inclusion, environmental sustainability and climate-related considerations, where relevant to the TNA analysis. 9. Liaise closely with the UN Technology Bank, Uganda’s STI Secretariat and the International Consultant to coordinate data collection, stakeholder consultations, validation processes and inputs to the TNA report. Where required, and subject to confirmation of the second TNA focus area, the National Consultant may also support limited country-level data collection or stakeholder consultations related to that area. This support shall remain complementary to the agriculture-focused scope of the assignment and will not require specialised technical expertise outside the consultant’s profile. The consultancy will also include the following activities:
Facilitating stakeholder engagements/workshops.
Supporting participatory assessment processes to collect qualitative and quantitative data, including surveys, focus group meetings and interviews.
Collecting, organising, and synthesising relevant information into short analytical inputs.
Carrying out high-quality research and producing supporting knowledge inputs.
Supporting project planning and reporting arrangements, including working in professional teams.

Qualifications/special skills

An advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in Economics, Business Administration, International Development and Trade, Science, Technology and Innovation Policy or related areas is required. A first-level university degree in similar fields, in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience, may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. At least three (3) years of working experience in international development and trade, science, technology, and innovation, agriculture, agribusiness, agricultural value chains, rural development or related area is required. Experience in qualitative and quantitative research methods, data collection, and data analysis techniques is required. Knowledge of technologies and key issues/policies in science, technology, and innovation is required. A good understanding of the local context, including the national development agenda, science, technology and innovation policies and LDC transition strategy, as well as well-established networks in the country, is required Strong analytical writing and communication skills are required. Knowledge of Uganda’s agriculture sector, agribusiness ecosystem, agricultural value chains, public institutions and private sector stakeholders is desirable. Publications on international development-related matters are desirable. Previous work experience with the United Nations or other international organisations is desirable.

Languages

Fluency in oral and written English is required. Fluency in oral and written Swahili is desirable.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.

National Consultant to Support the Agriculture Component of the Technology Needs Assessment (TNA) in Uganda