1.   Background: About AfricaNenda Foundation

AfricaNenda is an Africa-led organization of dedicated digital payments experts that work to build expertise, coordinate, and accelerate the roll-out of inclusive instant payment systems (IIPS), for the benefit of all Africans including the financially excluded. Our mission is to work towards universal access to inclusive payment systems ensuring that the more than 400million unbanked adults across Africa are included in the financial system. We pursue this mission by addressing theregulatory, structural and technical barriers to effective deployment of IIPS such as limited interoperability, insufficient technical in-house capacity, and limited collaborative models across actors. As a convening actor, AfricaNenda supports policyand regulatory advocacy and enhancing capacity development across African institutions, providing technical support to IIPSprojects, facilitating knowledge-sharing and collaboration, and thought leadership through tools and resources.

2.   About the Role

AfricaNenda Foundation is seeking a highly capable Research and Advocacy Specialist to strengthen its evidence-generation and advocacy work. The Specialist will produce credible, decision-useful evidence and convert it into policy positions, advocacy messages, stakeholder-engagement strategies and practical recommendations that advance inclusiveinstant payment systems across Africa.

The role sits at the intersection of research, policy and influence. It requires an individual who can interrogate complexevidence, identify what matters for decision-makers, write with clarity and authority, and move confidently betweentechnical analysis and stakeholder engagement.

Reporting to the Director, Advocacy and Capacity Development, the Specialist will support the full evidence-to-influence cycle: identifying priority questions; commissioning or conducting research; analyzing findings; developing thought leadershipoutputs; preparing leadership engagements; coordinating advocacy dialogue initiatives; tracking policy and industrydevelopments; and documenting results and lessons.

The Specialist will pursue five connected objectives:

• Generate evidence – Produce rigorous, timely and relevant research on policies, regulations, institutions,markets and user realities shaping inclusive instant payments.
  • Translate evidence – Turn complex findings into clear advocacy propositions, practical recommendations and compelling advocacy messages.
  • Drive influence – Support targeted advocacy that moves priority issues onto institutional and ecosystem agendas and contributes to changes.
  • Equip leadership – Provide the AfricaNenda Foundation leadership with sharp analysis, briefings, talking points and engagement materials.
  • Demonstrate results: Track advocacy progress, capturing outcomes and use learning to improve future evidence-generation and influencing strategies.

Key responsibilities Evidence strategy andplanning The Specialist will:

• Support the Director to define and maintain AfricaNenda Foundation’s evidence-generation and advocacypriorities.
  • Develop an annual and rolling evidence agenda linked to AfricaNenda Foundation’s organizational strategy, programpriorities and emerging sector issues.
  • Translate strategic priorities into clear research questions, analytical workstreams, products, audiences and influencing opportunities.
  • Identify critical evidence gaps that limit policy action or weaken the case for inclusive instant payment systems reforms.
  • Maintain a forward-looking calendar of research outputs, policy processes, regulatory developments, stakeholdermoments and advocacy opportunities.
  • Ensure that evidence-generation plans are realistic, appropriately sequenced and linked to intended policy or advocacy outcomes.

a.          Research and analysis

The Specialist will:

• Conduct high-quality desk research, literature reviews, policy and regulatory reviews, comparative analysis,political-economy analysis and rapid evidence assessments.
  • Design and support primary research using appropriate qualitative and quantitative methods, including interviews, focusgroups, surveys, consultations and case studies. Support research commissioning and quality assurance.
  • Analyze developments affecting IIPS, including, governance, participation rules, scheme design, pricing, use cases, access channels, consumer protection and recourse.
  • Produce analysis on relevant adjacent issues, including digital public infrastructure, digital identity, data governance,competition, open finance, cross-border payments, digital trade and responsible innovation.
  • Undertake country, regional and continental scans to identify policy trends, implementation gaps, emerging risks and transferable lessons.
  • Develop research frameworks, methodologies, interview guides, survey tools, evidence matrices and quality-assuranceprotocols. Validate findings through triangulation, peer review and stakeholder consultation.
  • Maintain complete and traceable source records and ensure that all factual claims are verifiable. Present evidencehonestly, distinguishing clearly between findings, interpretation, assumptions and recommendations.
  • Identify where evidence is incomplete or contested and advise on the implications for AfricaNenda Foundation’sposition.
  • Maintain a clear record of approvals, versions, sources, research ethics requirements and intellectual-propertyarrangements.

b.         Advocacy strategy and execution

The Specialist will support the translation of AfricaNenda Foundation’s evidence into clear institutional positions, targetedadvocacy strategies and coordinated actions that influence policy, regulation and practice.

The Specialist will:

• Support the Director in developing, executing and periodically refining AfricaNenda Foundation’s advocacy strategy,ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and approved institutional positions.
  • Translate research and technical evidence into clear policy implications, institutional positions, practicalrecommendations and targeted advocacy asks.
  • Develop issue-specific advocacy plans defining objectives, priority audiences, influence pathways, key messages,tactics, milestones, risks and indicators.
  • Produce high-quality advocacy materials, including policy briefs, position papers, regulatory analyses, consultationresponses, executive memos, briefing notes and talking points.
  • Identify policy windows and decision points, segment stakeholders by influence and interest, and tailor advocacyapproaches to the mandates and incentives of priority actors.
  • Coordinate advocacy execution across technical programs, capacity development, communications and partnerships,including coalition building, leadership engagement and systematic follow-up on commitments.
  • Monitor stakeholder responses, institutional constraints and advocacy outcomes; adapt approaches accordingly; andmaintain a repository of approved positions, messages, recommendations and supporting evidence.
  • Ensure all advocacy is technically sound, politically informed, non-partisan, inclusion-focused and consistent with AfricaNenda Foundation’s mission.
  • Design and coordinate stakeholder engagement strategies, policy dialogues, consultations, roundtables and bilateralmeetings, including preparing materials and decision-focused briefing packs for the AfricaNenda leadership.
  • Build trusted relationships, represent AfricaNenda Foundation when delegated, incorporate underserved-userperspectives, and maintain disciplined records and follow-up on decisions, commitments and agreed actions.

3.  Qualifications and Experience

Essential qualifications

• A master’s degree in public policy, economics, finance, development studies, law, political science, internationalrelations, public administration or another relevant discipline.
  • At least seven years of progressively responsible experience in applied research, policy analysis, advocacy, financialinclusion, digital financial services, payment systems, digital public infrastructure or a closely related field.
  • Demonstrated experience conducting research and converting findings into clear DFS ecosystem recommendations and advocacy propositions.
  • Strong experience producing high-quality policy briefs, research reports, presentations and stakeholder engagementmaterials.

• Experience engaging policymakers, regulators/central banks, development partners and private-sector institutions
  • Experience managing research assignments or consultants and assuring the quality of technical outputs.
  • Strong understanding of African DFS policy, regulatory and instant payment system contexts.
  • Demonstrated ability to manage multiple workstreams and deliver high-quality outputs under tight timelines.
  • Demonstrated experience applying systematic-review methodologies and tools, including PRISMA 2020 and PRISMA-Pprotocols; managing research references and citations using Zotero and EndNote; and conducting qualitativethematic coding and analysis using NVivo and ATLAS.ti.
  • Ability to develop concise executive products as well as substantive research outputs

Desirable qualifications

• Direct experience in instant payments, interoperability, payment-system governance, financial-sector regulation ordigital public infrastructure.
  • Experience working across multiple African countries or regions and applying political-economy analysis to policy or advocacy work.
  • Relevant publications or a demonstrable portfolio of policy and research products.
  • Mandatory proficiency in English, while bi-lingual English – French desired.

4.   Application requirements

How to apply

Qualified candidates are invited to submit:

• A cover letter demonstrating their suitability for this role.
  • A current curriculum vitae (CV) highlighting relevant responsibilities and achievements, including contact details forthree professional referees, including a recent supervisor or client.
  • Two publications substantially authored by the applicant; one research output and one advocacy thoughtleadership output (policy note or blog or thematic think piece).

The above should be submitted to applications@africanenda.org by COB EAT on October 5, 2026, the subject line shouldread “Research and Advocacy Specialist” and relevant files labelled accordingly e.g.: ‘CV – (Name)’ ‘Cover letter – Name’.

Please note that incomplete applications will not be considered. As there are several applications, only shortlisted candidates willbe contacted. However, we encourage interested parties to continue to check our website for opportunities as they come up.

Shortlisted candidates may be required to complete a practical written assessment covering insight synthesis, policy analysis,advocacy positioning and thought leadership.

AfricaNenda is an equal-opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of all backgrounds. We arecommitted to creating a diverse environment and are proud to be an inclusive organization.