In-Country Marketing & Communications Specialist for Nigeria

Request for Quotations

June 2024 – March 2025

Background

Innovate UK Business Connect exists to connect innovators with new partners and new opportunities beyond their existing thinking – accelerating ambitious ideas into real world solutions.

Innovate UK Business Connect is part of the Innovate UK Group – the UK’s innovation agency.

Innovate UK Business Connect is delivering the 6-year (2019 – 2025) UK International Development Global Alliance Africa project, funded through Innovate UK (GCRF) and the UK’s Foreign

Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), which aims to build new and stronger UK-African partnerships to maximise the creation of inclusive market access, funding, and investment opportunities.

The project aligns with the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) objectives by building stronger local innovation ecosystems and enhanced UK- Africa collaborations that lead to selfsustaining economic growth in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa by the potential of innovation to meet current and future socio-economic challenges.The project is focused around three key pillars:

Local to Global

The Local to Global pillar consists of two core interventions, Place-Based Innovation (PBI) and Open Innovation (OI). PBI seeks to leverage UK and pan-African expertise, networks and resources in order to build capacity for local innovation ecosystem players to drive forwards stronger, more sustainable and more inclusive local ecosystems. OI engages Innovate UK KTN’s bespoke platform to expand business-to-business partnerships, accelerate penetration of new innovation and increase supply chain robustness & diversification.

Access to Funding

The Access to Funding pillar is formed of activities that raise the awareness and brokerage of Collaborative R&D (CR&D) funding innovation opportunities in key thematic areas of mutual interest for UK-Africa businesses, innovators & researchers.

Connected Innovation

The Global Innovation Networks (GIN’s) foster and strengthen collaborations and partnerships between Innovate UK Business Connect’s established networks and priority sector thematic challenges in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa. These Innovation Networks are crucial for addressing some of the world’s most pressing challenges. In Nigeria these networks are focused on Circular Economy (sustainable construction and circular fashion) and Agriculture/Food Security.

Objectives of the Role

The supplier will be expected to:

• Lead on the delivery of the country team(s) media and communications strategy in line with sector priority focus areas with the aim to expand the reach and engagement of the Global

Alliance Africa project in-country.

• Lead on the development of the country team(s) media article content creation with a specific focus on sector-specific initiatives and content related to Global Alliance Africa project activities.

This will require in-depth knowledge and research capabilities across the sectors that the project have prioritised for FY24/25:

Sustainable Construction

Circular Fashion

Agriculture/Food Security

• Support with the strategic marketing of in-country activities and funding initiatives, including assisting with the development of KTN’s in-country stakeholder contact lists relevant to each sector and project-level interventions.

Deliverables and Timeframes

The following are the key deliverables and timeframes for the role:

Deliverable

1. Create a marketing and communications delivery plan aligned with in-country

activities for the period of June 2024 – March 2025.

Deliverable

2. Provide regular monthly marketing and comms support aligned to country team activities and in line with the plan created as part of Deliverable 1, including:

– Development of media articles related to project activities, successes and/or future funding opportunities.

– Leading on the distribution of targeted media content in-country

– Marketing of in-county activities, events, and funding opportunities on

relevant channels

– Prioritise identification of sector aligned events, news and updates to share

with the innovation network’s members.

Deliverable

3. Submit a monthly report summary of comms progress, activities, and reach.

Required Skills and Experience

The desired candidate (consultant, firm) will possess the following skills and experience:

• Strong understanding of the Nigerian innovation eco-system.

• Technical writer with background and experience writing technical content for science and innovation audiences and with a specific focus on circular economy (sustainable construction and circular fashion), agriculture and food security themed articles (CVs to support experience in this regard).

• Expertise building stakeholder contact lists for marketing distribution.

• Strong strategic communications and research capabilities evidenced by published work available for review.

• Strong understanding of the Nigeria’s science, technology, and innovation focused media outlets.

• Fluent and dynamic technical writer with a flair for writing engaging and high-impact media content.

• Team player with ability to work collaboratively across teams on a need’s basis and in a dynamic and proactive fashion.

Budget

– The budget for this contract includes a baseline commitment of 5hrs/month with a maximum budget for £2,000/month- unless formally agreed with Innovate UK Business Connect.

– The supplier will be required to submit a daily rate.

Contract Terms and Payment Schedule

A contract with Innovate UK Business Connects Terms & Conditions, Purchase Order and Expense Policy will be provided for the supplier.

The supplier will be paid on a monthly basis on submission of a timesheet recording time spend on the project and accompanying invoice which will need to be approved by the country lead and project manager in advance.

Proposal Response

Interested parties should prepare a proposal comprising the following information:

a) Technical Capability