Enhancing Digital and Financial Capacity of Women-Owned SMEs (National Consultant for Mauritania)

About this role

The National Consultant for Mauritania will support the UN Economic Commission for Africa's Development Account Tranche 18 project on enhancing the digital and financial capacity of women-owned SMEs. The role involves conducting country-level diagnostics, facilitating stakeholder consultations, developing policy instruments, and producing capacity-building outputs to strengthen the enabling environment for W-SMEs in the context of AfCFTA digital trade objectives. The assignment is home/country-based in Mauritania and is expected to last five months.

Responsibilities

• Conduct a comprehensive assessment of digital and financial inclusion gaps affecting women-owned SMEs in Mauritania
• Support the organization and delivery of the National Stakeholders Workshop, serving as the official national-level project launch
• Develop a Country Module on the Institutional and Regulatory Ecosystem for Digital Trade and Digital Finance accessible to W-SMEs with disabilities
• Prepare a country-specific policy paper with actionable recommendations and an implementation plan to support gender-responsive digital trade policies
• Develop a work plan outlining methodology, timeline, stakeholder mapping approach, and data collection framework
• Produce a National Diagnostic Report reviewing digital trade, e-commerce, fintech, and regulatory frameworks, including stakeholder mapping and priority reform areas
• Prepare background notes, agenda, and a summary report of the National Workshop including key findings and recommendations
• Integrate gender-responsive and disability-inclusive considerations throughout all analytical and policy outputs

Qualifications

• Advanced university degree (Master's degree) in economics, trade, digital economy, business administration, or a closely related field; a first-level university degree with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu.
• Minimum 7 years of relevant professional experience

Languages

• English (required, fluency)
• French (required, fluency)
• Arabic (advantage)

Key skills