About this role
About DIAL
The Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL) is a global non-profit, reimagining how data and digital technology can fuel bold, inclusive solutions to society’s toughest challenges — from advancing equality to driving sustainable economic growth and addressing climate change. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in the United States, today we are based across four continents. Our team works at the intersection of research, policy, and practice, equipping leaders with the insights, tools, and resources they need to make informed, forward-thinking decisions that drive real, lasting benefits for people.
Project Description
Since 2016, Benin has undertaken major structural reforms in the digital and technology sector. Following a comprehensive sector diagnosis, several reforms were launched, notably the adoption of the Digital Code, which strengthened the legal and regulatory framework, particularly regarding personal data protection.
Beyond this major reform, several flagship initiatives have contributed to the digital transformation of public administration, including the Smart Gouv project, whose achievements include the deployment of an interoperability platform, digital identity and electronic payment systems, as well as the National Public Services Portal hosting nearly 300 digitized services.
To further accelerate this momentum, Benin has engaged the Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL) to support the development of a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Roadmap. In this context, DIAL is conducting an assessment of the maturity of Benin’s data exchange platform and the digital identity ecosystem in order to inform the DPI roadmap. To complement ongoing efforts, DIAL will conduct an assessment of the digital payment ecosystem, taking into account assessments already conducted under ongoing initiatives within the broader digital ecosystem. Together, these assessments will provide a more holistic view of the broader DPI ecosystem in Benin, including existing capabilities, gaps, key actors, and the overall state of play, to inform the country’s DPI vision and roadmap.
These Terms of Reference are intended for the recruitment, by DIAL, of an individual consultant to conduct the digital payments landscape assessment and provide actionable recommendations to inform the development of an inclusive, interoperable, and sustainable digital payments ecosystem as part of the country’s broader DPI vision and roadmap.
Scope of Work
Objective
The overall aim of this work is to conduct a comprehensive and objective assessment of Benin's electronic payment ecosystem, including its enabling infrastructure, institutional and regulatory environment, and use across key sectors - enabling the identification of strengths, gaps dependencies, opportunities, and priority actions to strengthen its inclusiveness, interoperability, resilience, and governance and inform Benin's broader DPI vision and roadmap.
The specific objectives are as follows:
• Assess the national legal and regulatory framework applicable to electronic payments, benchmarked against current Central Bank of West African States / West African Economic and Monetary Union (BCEAO/WAEMU) requirement standards, and relevant regional initiatives, and identify any gaps or constraints to innovation, interoperability, inclusion, and market development.
• Map the supply of electronic payment services (banks, electronic money institutions, telecommunications operators, fintechs) and the underlying infrastructure (including clearing and settlement systems, payments switches, interoperability and digital channels, agent networks) including the roles and relationships of key ecosystem actors.
• Analyze demand and actual usage of electronic payment services by individuals, businesses, and government, including gender and rural/urban disparities; barriers to adoption and sustained usage, and relevant use cases such as person-to-government (P2G), government-to-person (G2P), merchant, and business payments.
• Identify critical dependencies and linkages between the payments ecosystem and other components of Benin's DPI ecosystem, particularly digital identity and data exchange, and assess opportunities for these components to enable priority digital payment use cases.
• Assess ecosystem governance and coordination mechanisms between public and private actors including institutional mandates, roles and responsibilities, decision-making mechanisms, and opportunities to strengthen coordination and accountability.
• Assess regional integration and interoperability within the WAEMU zone, including connection to regional payment infrastructures such as Groupement Interbancaire Monétique de l'UEMOA (GIM-WAEMU) and alignment with BCEAO instant payment initiatives. Identify the implications and opportunities these regional developments present for Benin's domestic payments ecosystem.
• Conduct a comparative benchmark against two to three reference countries that have carried out similar assessments with relevant experience in developing inclusive and interoperable digital payment ecosystems, drawing out lessons applicable to the Benin context.
• Assess the inclusiveness and accessibility of the payments ecosystem, including affordability, geographic coverage, accessibility, etc. and other barriers that may limit equitable participation.
• Formulate prioritized recommendations and an operational roadmap led by ASIN (Agence des Systèmes d’Information et du Numérique) and its partners - identifying priority interventions, sequencing, institutional responsibilities, dependencies, and indicative time horizons.
Scope
The recruited consultant will be responsible for:
• Developing and submitting the methodological inception note and the detailed assessment model based on international standards;
• Conducting the desk review and mapping the ecosystem's actors;
• Organizing and conducting interviews with the identified stakeholders;
• Carrying out the regional benchmark against the selected reference countries;
• Producing the full ecosystem diagnostic according to the validated assessment model;
• Identifying use cases and indicators to track the impact on citizens;
• Facilitating an interim validation workshop with stakeholders;
• Incorporating workshop feedback and producing the final report together with a prioritized roadmap.
Milestones
• Validation of assessment model.
• Completion of questionnaires of the assessment model.
• Completion of the final report.
• Contributing to the DPI Roadmap.
Deliverables
The below list reflects the anticipated deliverables and schedule required for this project. Respondents may suggest amendments as part of their proposals, for approval prior to contracting.
Deliverable / Output: Assessment model
• Estimated Completion Date / Working Days: 11 September 2026 / 10 days
• Acceptance Criteria: This model should include tools that can evaluate at least the legal, infrastructure, supply of services, demand and usage, ecosystem governance and priority use case dimensions
Deliverable / Output: Desk review report and stakeholder mapping and interviews
• Estimated Completion Date / Working Days: 30 September 2026 / 10 days
• Acceptance Criteria: Stakeholders analysis; data collected and analyzed
Deliverable / Output: Diagnostic report and presentation during a workshop (physical or online)
• Estimated Completion Date / Working Days: 16 October 2026 / 10 days
• Acceptance Criteria: Final report should include recommendations on legal and regulatory governance framework, infrastructure, supply of services, demand and usage and strategy adoption, open finance and safeguard considerations and use cases, and indicators to measure impact and roadmap
Deliverable / Output: Contribution to the DPI roadmap
• Estimated Completion Date / Working Days: 30 November 2026 / 10 days
• Acceptance Criteria: Findings are aligned with expectations from the DPI roadmap process; findings are aligned with requirement from the DPI roadmap process; findings are accepted by the DPI roadmap process lead
Languages
All deliverables shall be submitted in French, as they are primarily intended for national stakeholders and government counterparts in Benin. Each deliverable shall have an executive summary in English. Working language for coordination, meetings and exchanges with DIAL shall be English.
Period of Performance
Work will start on or around August 31, 2026, and should be completed by November 30, 2026. During this time, DIAL anticipates a close working relationship with the chosen consultant.
Location
Must be based in Benin – no travel or relocation costs available.
Profile of the ideal consultant
The ideal candidate holds a master’s degree in information systems, digital transformation, or a related field, with a minimum of 10 years of general experience in digital transformation or finance, including at least 5 years of specific experience in digital payment systems.
Please note that we are accepting applications from individual consultants and will not be considering applications from organizations.
The consultant must demonstrate:
• Proven experience conducting assessments, stakeholder consultations, and producing high-quality analytical reports;
• Strong familiarity with digital payment frameworks and assessment tools;
• Experience working in Sub-Saharan Africa or emerging market contexts, with knowledge of the associated institutional and governance dynamics;
• French C2 (mastery) — mandatory for all stakeholder interviews, workshops and local documentation;
• English C1 (advanced) — required for report writing, DIAL coordination and international documentation;
• Experience and ability to engage effectively with government counterparts, development partners, and technical teams.
Submissions
Please submit the following materials in BambooHR in English by 5:00 PM WAT on August 21, 2026:
• CV/resume
• Brief work proposal and summary of qualifications (no more than five pages), including cost estimate for 40 days of work (kindly provide a daily rate)
• At least two professional references (past clients or colleagues)
You may reach out to [email protected] with any questions about these Terms of Reference (ToR).
Intent and Disclaimer
These Terms of Reference are issued with the intent to identify a consultant to deliver the results described herein. Issuance of these Terms of Reference does not obligate DIAL to award a resulting contract, and any costs incurred in the preparation of an application are the sole responsibility of the applicant.
In submitting an application, the applicant certifies that the information contained therein is truthful and accurate to the best of the applicant’s ability. Should any information later be found not to be in line with this certification, DIAL reserves the right to terminate any resulting contract(s) and/or select an alternative consultant. DIAL assumes it can be confident in the consultant's ability to deliver the services proposed in response to these Terms of Reference.
Evaluation Process
DIAL will review all written proposals and may request a phone or in-person interview and/or updated submission to address questions or provide clarification.