Consultancy - Creative Agenda Expert, Kenya. at Palladium International

Project Overview:

The Challenge Fund for Youth Employment (CFYE) is a 7-year and €134 million programme funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that aims to create a prosperous future for 230,000 young women and men in the Middle East, North Africa, Sahel & West Africa and Horn of Africa regions. The Fund will be supporting initiatives in 12 focus countries that will offer youth, in particular young women, opportunities for work that is demand-driven and productive, offering a stable income and safe working conditions, and that is contributing to their personal development and social protection.
The portfolio of projects is selected from business cases that were proposed by private sector, civil society and knowledge institutions. Each business case has outlined scalable solutions for creating more and better jobs and income generating opportunities for youth. Solutions in particular focus on an integrated approach that addresses the shortcomings on the demand side (jobs) and supply side (skills) and bridging the mismatch between these two in the labour market.

Assignment Overview:

The need for a Learning Agenda in the creative sector is primarily driven by the complexity and dynamism of the industry, which presents unique challenges and opportunities for youth employment and entrepreneurship. The creative sector in Kenya, characterized by activities ranging from digital arts to traditional crafts, holds significant potential for economic growth and social impact. However, understanding the barriers and enablers within this sector requires a structured approach to learning and evidence gathering. This Learning Agenda seeks to align with broader strategic objectives in Kenya, aimed at nurturing talent, fostering innovation, and promoting inclusive growth.

Employment within the creative sector has often been reported in several circles to mirror the broader trends and challenges of the gig economy—irregular work, lack of job security, and the need for continuously updating skills. For youth, particularly women and marginalized groups, these challenges are compounded by systemic barriers that limit access to opportunities. Through targeted research questions, this learning agenda seeks to uncover the nuances of gender disparity, evaluate the effectiveness of interventions aimed at inclusivity, and generate actionable insights that can lead to more equitable industry practices.

Moreover, the rapid pace of technological change impacts the creative sector more acutely than many other areas of the economy. The Learning Agenda will attempt to provide a framework to explore how digital skills and technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning, are reshaping creative roles and what new skills are needed to ensure that youth are not only consumers but also creators of technology. Understanding these dynamics would be essential when ecosystem actors are designing training programs that are relevant and responsive to industry needs, thereby enhancing the employability of young people in the creative sector.

In addition to addressing immediate skill and employment challenges, the Learning Agenda also examines long-term sustainability and growth prospects of the creative sector. This involves studying the impact of cultural policies, investment in creative enterprises, and the overall economic contribution of the sector. By focusing on strategic areas such as policy influence, job decency, and gender mainstreaming, the agenda aims to provide a comprehensive overview of how different levers can be used to support and grow the creative industries in Kenya.

Finally, the CFYE Project projects that the implementation of a Learning Agenda will foster a culture of continuous improvement and evidence-based decision-making among ecosystem actors in the creative sector. Through insights generated from the assignment, the project aims to build a robust knowledge base, a reference point for policy makers, educators, and industry leaders. In the long-term, this evidence-driven approach not only enhances program effectiveness but also ensures that future projects are adaptable to the changing landscapes of technology and global markets, thus securing a resilient future among creatives in the sector.

Assignment Objective:

The project aims to address critical questions related to youth employment in Kenya's creative sector, focusing on gender inclusivity, systemic barriers, job decency, and the impact of technological advancements. The assignment seeks to generate evidence to inform strategies that promote sustainable growth, cultural preservation, and equitable opportunities in the industry.

To achieve this goal, CFYE is looking to onboard an organization/s (it can be a consortium with a Lead Partner) with extensive research experience in the creative sector based in Kenya to support CFYE Kenya to conduct research that will generate evidence to inform strategies that promote sustainable growth, cultural preservation, and equitable opportunities in the broader creative sector ecosystem.

The organization/s will report directly to the Country Lead and work closely, on a day-to-day basis with the CFYE Kenya implementing projects in the creative sector.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Conduct research on the creative sector (guided by key Learning Agenda Questions provided on request through)
• Evaluate barriers to gender representation and inclusivity, in addition to systemic barriers (financing, policy etc.) in the creative sector, and propose strategic initiatives to enhance access to opportunities.
• Assess job decency and develop strategies to improve employment quality.
• Investigate the role of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital skills in advancing the creative sector.
• Support CFYE in the analysis and documentation of findings within the creative sector.

Deliverables:

• End of assignment reporting on activities and impact
• Map and engage relevant stakeholders and conduct comprehensive research in the creative sector based on the learning agenda questions.
• Conduct analysis of data collected and develop a learning report based on the findings.
• Participate in the dissemination workshop to share findings and best practices obtained from this learning agenda assignment.

 Required Qualifications:

• Substantive experience working in the creative sector.
• Demonstrated experience in research, data collection, analysis, and reporting.
• Experience conducting research on the creative sector is an added advantage
• Strong interpersonal skills and proven ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships across teams and organizations.
• Experience working with small and growing companies (SGBs) operating in the informal sector is an added advantage.
• Demonstrated experience working in development cooperation project will be an added advantage.

Core Competencies:

• Strong communication skills – an ability to clearly communicate (both written and oral) complex results to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Excellent attention to detail and ability to perform multiple tasks and balance competing priorities effectively and efficiently often within a required timeframe.
• Basic knowledge in office suit (Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook)
• Strong business acumen.