Consultancy for YIGA Baseline Study

Baseline and Inception Benchmark Assessment for the West Nile Extension of the Promoting Youth Inclusion in Governance and Decision-Making Project (YIGA)

Organisation: Restless Development

Duty Station: : West Nile region (Madi Okollo, Arua district and Terego), Uganda

Project Title: Promoting Youth Inclusion in Governance and Decision making.

Project Duration: 16 months (1st September 2026 to 31st December 2027)

About Organisation:

Restless Development Uganda is an agency for youth-led change; we support the collective power of young leaders to create a better world. We make sure that young people’s voices are heard and that they have the power to mobilise action in their communities to respond to long-standing challenges. Across Karamoja, West Nile, Eastern and Central Uganda, we support young people to influence the decisions that affect their lives while strengthening the systems and institutions that enable them to realise their full potential. We also coordinate the Uganda Youth Collective, a national platform of over 600 youth-led organisations working together to amplify youth voices and influence policies through the National Youth Working Group. We are committed to creating an organisation that walks the talk on power shifting, using the power shifting checklist, both internally and externally.

About YIGA

Restless Development in partnership with Media Challenge Initiative (MCI) and Karamoja Youth Effort to Save the Environment (KAYESE) is implementing a 3-year project “Promoting Youth Inclusion in Governance and Decision-Making (YIGA)”. The project is being implemented under the Partnership for Accountability, Civic Engagement and Rights (PACER) programme, supported by the Embassies of Sweden, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Ireland and Denmark. The project aims to achieve it goal of:Improved youth inclusion in governance and decision-making in Karamoja, West Nile in Uganda by through two broad outcomes: 1) Strengthened youth civic competence for effective engagement in governance, decision-making and service delivery processes, and 2), Enhanced responsiveness of local governments and community structures to effectively address youth demands, ensuring inclusive and timely service delivery.

Since July 2025, YIGA has demonstrated that when young people are equipped with civic knowledge and connected to responsive local government systems, their participation becomes more meaningful and constructive. Through the project, youth in Karamoja have increasingly engaged in local governance processes through structured youth-led platforms and strengthened dialogue with duty bearers.

Leveraging the results and learnings from Karamoja, Restless Development has extended the YIGA project to three districts in West Nile, namely Arua, Terego, and Madi Okollo. The extension is designed not to replicate, but as a targeted opportunity to adapt YIGA’s proven youth-led community accountability and Meaningful Youth Engagement (MYE) approaches in West Nile. The extension will be anchored on the establishment and operationalisation of a Youth Information Hub that will serve as the primary entry point for youth civic engagement, access to governance information, and structured feedback to local government. The extension to West Nile focuses on high-impact activities under Outcomes 1 and 2 to strengthen youth participation in governance and improve local government responsiveness.

The West Nile assessment is designed as a baseline and inception benchmark for the geographical extension of YIGA to Arua, Terego and Madi Okollo. It is not intended to replicate the baseline previously undertaken in Karamoja or to establish a new project-wide baseline.

The assessment will build on the existing Karamoja baseline, YIGA Results Framework, Theory of Change, implementation learning and monitoring data generated during the first phase of implementation. It will use harmonised indicators, definitions and, where appropriate, comparable data collection approaches to establish the status of relevant outcomes and indicators in West Nile.

The assessment will therefore serve three complementary purposes:

• Establish a credible benchmark for the West Nile extension;
• Provide contextual evidence to guide adaptation of YIGA approaches to the West Nile context; and
• Strengthen comparability of evidence across the two implementation regions and support learning across the programme.

Duration of assignment and Budget

• Duration: 20th October – 20th November 2026 (tentative)
• Total Budget: UGX 8,000,000 (Inclusive of all taxes and professional fees).

Qualifications:

The Consultant should have a proven and extensive background in Governance and Accountability work, with a specific focus on youth inclusion, civic engagement, and governance evaluations. The ideal candidate must meet the following qualifications, experience, and skills:

• Educational Background:
  • PhD or MSc in fields such as Public Policy, Governance, Human Rights, Policy Analysis, Social works or other areas relevant to the study.
  • Qualifications in Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) will be considered an added advantage

Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in monitoring, evaluation, learning (MEL), research, and related fields.
• Demonstrated expertise in mixed-methods baseline/Evaluation, including both quantitative methods (e.g., survey design, statistical analysis) and qualitative methods (e.g., Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), Focus Group Discussions (FGDs)).
• Experience in civic engagement, institutional responsiveness and indicator harmonisation.
• A proven track record in conducting baseline evaluations for projects focusing on governance, youth inclusion, civic engagement, and advocacy.
• Significant experience in evaluating youth programs and initiatives related to youth participation in governance.
• Proven expertise in baseline surveys and evaluations, particularly in the fields of governance, youth inclusion, or civic engagement.
• Experience working in Uganda, particularly in the West Nile sub-region, with a strong understanding of its socio-cultural, political, and environmental complexity.
• Strong experience in data analysis, including the use of statistical software, as well as report writing and presentation skills.

Skills / Technical Knowledge:

• Proven experience in mixed-methods baseline/Evaluations.
• Strong proficiency in both qualitative and quantitative data analysis techniques.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Exceptional analytical, documentation, and presentation skills, with the ability to generate clear, actionable reports.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to interact and network with diverse stakeholders, including partners at various levels.
• Comfortable with using relevant computer software and tools necessary for data collection and analysis.

Other Requirements:

• Knowledge of local languages spoken in the program’s implementation areas (e.g., Lugbara,alur, madi languages) is considered an asset.
• A strong commitment to safeguarding principles, as well as adherence to fraud and bribery policies.
• Although largely safe security wise, ability to navigate health and other logistical challenges in West Nile, including dealing with the fact that the region is bordered by DRC currently experiencing Ebola outbreak, weather conditions.

How to Apply:  

Interested consultants should submit:

• An expression of interest (cover letter) indicating availability.
• A technical proposal detailing the applicant’s understanding of the ToR, proposed methodology (the design and a systematic approach to the execution of the assignment), reporting, detailed schedule/work plan, team structure in place to execute the assignment and updated profile/CVs (including two references from previous assignments).
• A financial proposal with a detailed breakdown of the costing in relation to the plan to execute the work.
• Evidence of past work- at least two most recent evaluation reports (including evidence of LPO’s/examples of contracts executed in the last 3 years).

Click here to access the full Terms of Reference (TOR).