Call for Expression of Interest (EoI): Empanelment of Research Consultants and Agencies for Kifiya’s Research and Learning Initiatives

Expression of Interest (EoI)

Empanelment of Research Consultants and Agencies for Kifiya’s Research and Learning Initiatives

1. Background

Kifiya Financial Technology PLC is an Ethiopian technology and innovation company advancing equitable access to financial services and markets across Africa. Since 2012, Kifiya has built AI-enabled infrastructures that drive inclusion across finance, agriculture, and digital ecosystems, focusing on enabling MSMEs, smallholder farmers, and low- to middle-income individuals.

Operating through its Market Solutions Practice (MSP), Kifiya integrates data, digital platforms, and intelligent financial systems to create sustainable pathways for inclusive growth. Its solutions—spanning intelligent decisioning, digital financial services, digital agriculture, and smart mobility—are at the heart of a growing ecosystem that supports digital transformation and financial access for millions.

Kifiya’s research and learning agenda encompasses both the flagship SAFEE program (implemented with the Mastercard Foundation and 6 banks in Ethiopia) and its non-SAFEE innovation and market programs, serving as a cornerstone for generating actionable evidence, informing policies, and guiding systemic reform in Ethiopia’s financial landscape.

a) SAFEE Program Research Portfolio (2025–2027)

The Sustainable Access to Finance to Enable Entrepreneurship (SAFEE) program aims to reach 2.18 million youth (1.74 million women), unlock USD 1.2 billion in liquidity through a USD 75 million Transitional Liquidity Facility, and support 477,861 MSMEs via digital lending and risk-sharing partnerships with Ethiopian banks. A comprehensive research agenda under SAFEE explores diverse questions in financial systems, institutional change, and employment generation.

The research agenda explores how Kifiya’s AI-driven credit scoring and bank linkage models expand MSME financing, reduce costs, and enhance repayment performance. Short-term studies focus on operational evidence—digital efficiency, customer experience, institutional capacity, and the impact of training and business support on MSME outcomes. Medium-term studies generate systemic learning, examining the implications of Ethiopia’s National ID policy, loan cost structures, blended versus unblended finance, pathways to formalization, gender-inclusive and Sharia-compliant finance, and evolving definitions of financial inclusion. Long-term and strategic studies assess macroeconomic resilience against NPLs, the link between credit and job creation, SAFEE’s overall program impact, wage multipliers, and climate and displacement finance. Together, these studies build an evidence base for inclusive finance, policy reform, and sustainable employment generation in Ethiopia.

b) Non-SAFEE Research and Innovation Studies

Beyond SAFEE, Kifiya conducts applied research and ecosystem-wide learning to advance inclusive finance and market systems transformation in Ethiopia. Its studies examine the reach and impact of digital financial platforms—Michu, Abol, Leweedaje, Malefiya, Efoyta, and Ansar—while leveraging AI-driven credit scoring and predictive analytics to better understand MSME performance and credit behavior. Through Agrifin and climate finance pilots, Kifiya connects farmers to digital credit and insurance, promoting resilience and adaptation. Complementary analyses on the cost of capital and regulatory environment inform policies that shape private-sector lending and risk-sharing. Research on financial behavior, product fit, and repayment patterns using alternative data provides actionable insights for product innovation. Coupled with systemic diagnostics and policy engagement, these initiatives form part of Kifiya’s broader evidence-to-impact strategy, designed to influence financial policy, enhance institutional capability, and scale sustainable, data-driven solutions across sectors.

Objective of the EoI

This EoI seeks to identify and empanel experienced research consultants, think tanks, and institutions capable of supporting Kifiya’s expanding research, evaluation, and policy analysis portfolio across both SAFEE and non-SAFEE programs during 2025–2027. Empaneled partners/individuals will be invited to compete for or contracted for specific research assignments as per Kifiya’s rolling research plan.

Scope of Engagement

Qualified partners may be engaged to support Kifiya’s research and learning agenda through the following areas and modalities:

a) Areas of Engagement

• Design and implementation of quantitative and qualitative research (as a lead or support)
• Review documents (reports, proposals)
• Policy and systems diagnostics
• Institutional learning, impact, and performance evaluations
• Development of data visualization tools, dashboards, and policy briefs

 

b) Modalities of Engagement

Assignments may be delivered through one or more of the following modalities, depending on the nature, scope, and location of the study:

1. Remote Engagement –
   For assignments focusing on desk research, data analytics, policy reviews, or digital platform-based evaluations that can be executed using Kifiya’s digital data systems and AI-enabled dashboards, publicly available data on specific context (national, international)
2. In-Person Engagement –
   For field-based studies involving data collection, focus group discussions (FGDs), key informant interviews (KIIs), or training assessments requiring direct engagement with stakeholders, MSMEs, banks, or field teams – using digital platforms.
3. Hybrid Engagement –
   A blended approach combining remote data analysis and in-person fieldwork. Typically applied in large-scale studies (e.g., program evaluations, longitudinal research, or mixed-method studies) requiring both analytical depth and on-ground insights.

Kifiya encourages flexible collaboration modalities to ensure operational efficiency, quality assurance, and contextual relevance in research delivery.

 

Timeline	Study Title (anticipated)	Focus / Expected Learning
Short-Term (1-2 months)	Guarantee and Liquidity Study	Measuring effectiveness of blended vs unblended finance.
	Pathways to Formalization	Examining MSME graduation from informal to formal enterprises.
	A2F Works for Women Economic Empowerment	Analyzing gender-inclusive access to finance models.
	Customer Journey Study	Urban, peri-urban, and rural borrower experience comparison.
	Sharia-Compliant Finance Study	Exploring Islamic financial service opportunities and design options.
	Training and BDS Effectiveness	Insights on MSME learning outcomes and business development performance.
	Institutional and Organizational Change	Assessment of SAFEE partner transformation through capacity building.
	Rethinking Access	Redefining financial inclusion frameworks and metrics.
Medium-Term (2 to 6 months)	Credit to Employment	Establishing linkages between finance, job creation, and business sustainability.
	Unlocking Rural Finance	Evaluating SACCOs as alternative financial agent channels.
	Formal Education and Certification	Assessing the impact of education and certification on youth employability.
	Institutional Onboarding and Strengthening	Assessing partner capacity for underserved group outreach.
	Study on IDPs and Refugees	Documenting access-to-finance journeys among displaced populations.
	Study on Climate Resilience	Identifying MSME adaptation patterns to climate shocks.
Long-Term (6 to 12 months)	Pathways to Dignified Employment	Tracking youth transitions into fulfilling employment over time.
	Impact Evaluation of SAFEE	Measuring SAFEE’s overall results and systemic effects.
	Program Evaluation (OECD/DAC)	Assessing effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, and sustainability.
	Macroeconomic Resilience Study	Determining systemic inflection points against NPL-driven instability.
	Access, Utility, and Outcomes of Financial Products	Long-term analysis of product performance and user outcomes.
	Credit Scoring and Graduation Study	Examining whether credit scoring is linked to MSME graduation.
	Climate Resilience (Extended Tracking)	Continuing longitudinal tracking of MSME climate adaptation and financing patterns.

 

1. Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must demonstrate both technical competence and academic credibility aligned with Kifiya’s evidence-generation priorities.

1. Experience:
   At least Seven (7) years of proven experience conducting applied research, evaluations, or policy analysis in one or more of the following domains: financial inclusion, fintech, MSME finance, agriculture, youth employment, or development economics.
2. Education Profile:
   • Individual Consultants: Must possess a minimum of a Master’s degree in a relevant field such as Economics, Development Studies, Finance, Data Science, Public Policy, or related social sciences.
     A PhD or equivalent research track record will be considered an added advantage.
   • Research Agencies / Firms: Must demonstrate that key personnel leading assignments hold at least a Master’s degree (preferably PhD) in relevant disciplines and have published or delivered similar assignments within the past five years.
3. Thematic Expertise:
   Demonstrated expertise in at least one of the following thematic areas:
   • Access to finance / MSME lending
   • Gender and youth employment
   • Financial systems and regulatory analysis
   • Agriculture and rural finance
   • Digital and AI-driven financial solutions
4. Research and Analytical Capacity:
   • Proven ability to apply mixed-method research designs, advanced data analysis, and AI/ML-assisted analytics.
   • Ability to produce high-quality research outputs—concept notes, reports, and policy briefs—in English.
5. Institutional and Legal Requirements:
   • For firms: Valid business registration, TIN, and tax compliance certificate.
   • For individuals: Professional certification or consultancy registration (if applicable).
6. Submission Requirements
7. Cover letter stating interest and thematic area(s) of expertise (with evidence)
8. Availability for the assignment (person days per studies, monthly, yearly availability)
9. Profile / CVs of consultant(s) or organizational profile with key experts
10. Portfolio of past assignments (title, client, year, and description),
11. List of RELEVANT publications and links
12. Technical strengths (methodologies, tools, geographic coverage)
13. References from three recent clients
14. Business license or professional certification (if applicable)
15. Fully signed Annex A for Individual Consultants
16. Fully signed and stamped Annex B for Consulting/Research Firm
17. Financial Proposal Submission