META Project Consultancy 2026: Consultants Wanted for Emerging Technology Policy and Inclusive Sustainable Development

Company: atpsnet

Location: Zimbabwe

Closing Date: 30 September 2026

Stay connected with ApplyNOW via Google News #1 Hub for Global Career Opportunities META Project Consultancy 2026: Emerging Technology Experts Wanted for Masterclass Papers

The African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS), in partnership with institutions in Latin America and Southeast Asia, is inviting qualified experts to submit Expressions of Interest for consultancy assignments under the Mapping Emerging Technologies to Advance Inclusive Sustainable Development (META) Project.

Job Title: META Project Consultant – Masterclass Discussion Papers on Emerging Technologies

Job Location: Global/Remote, with a focus on Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia

Closing Date: 30 September 2026 at 11:59 p.m. EAT

Contract: Consultancy, 4–6 weeks

Remuneration: US$1,000 per thematic area

The consultancy will support the development of high-quality masterclass discussion papers and expert presentations examining how emerging technologies can contribute to inclusive and sustainable development across the Global South. The assignment will generate evidence, comparative analysis and policy recommendations covering Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), Latin America and Southeast Asia.

About the META Project

The META project seeks to generate evidence and stimulate policy dialogue on the role of emerging technologies in advancing inclusive and sustainable development. Under Work Package Two, the project will produce discussion papers and conduct quarterly webinars designed to:

Deepen knowledge and critical analysis of emerging technology trends.
Facilitate multi-stakeholder policy dialogue.
Inform policy and strategic decision-making across regions.
Strengthen Global South perspectives on emerging technologies.
Promote more inclusive, equitable and sustainable technology development.

Thematic Areas

Selected consultants will choose one thematic area and undertake comparative analysis across Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia.

Beyond the Leapfrogging Paradox: IoT, Blockchain and Decentralized Infrastructure

This theme examines practical strategies for using Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain and decentralized infrastructure to support equitable development while avoiding technological dependency, elite capture, maintenance failures and unequal access. The analysis may cover:

IoT for last-mile agricultural, energy and healthcare services.
Blockchain applications in land registries, supply chains and financial inclusion.
Community-owned mesh networks and decentralized infrastructure.
Industrial policy and public procurement.
Energy, skills and local governance requirements.
Gender, youth, informal economy and rural inclusion.
Data sovereignty and long-term maintenance.

The Future of Work in the Global South

This theme explores how digital labour platforms and agricultural technologies are reshaping employment, labour markets and livelihoods. Areas of analysis may include:

Platform and gig-economy labour.
Feminized digital labour.
Agritech and rural employment transitions.
Informal economy interactions with digital platforms.
Algorithmic management.
Wage structures and labour protections.
Social protection and portable benefits.

Strengthening Industrial Policy and Public Procurement Through Gender-Inclusive Technology Governance

This theme focuses on embedding gender equity and social inclusion into technology development from the earliest stages. Consultants may examine:

Gender requirements in national industrial and STI strategies.
Gender-responsive technology audits.
Inclusive public procurement.
Equity metrics and evaluation criteria.
Participatory technology design.
Local knowledge systems.
Gender-inclusive approaches to emerging technologies.
Contributions to SDGs 5, 8, 9 and 10.

Gender-Inclusive Technology Governance

This thematic area examines how governments can incorporate gender inclusion into industrial policy, public procurement, innovation funding and technology governance. Potential areas include:

Epistemic injustice in technology development.
Gender considerations across Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs).
Participatory design mechanisms.
Gender-responsive standards and procurement.
Case studies from technology, health, financial services and urban planning.
Ethical responsibilities surrounding knowledge generation, validation and sharing.

Decolonizing Educational Technologies

This theme investigates how digital education systems can bridge infrastructure and skills gaps without reproducing dependency on externally designed platforms and knowledge systems. Key areas include:

Coloniality and assumptions embedded in EdTech.
Connectivity, electricity and device-access challenges.
Local curricula and indigenous knowledge systems.
Teacher roles and technology-enabled education.
Local language programming.
Maker spaces and innovation ecosystems.
Building human capital for autonomous technology development.

Securing Emerging Technology and Critical Mineral Systems

This thematic area contains two related focus areas:

A. Securing Decentralized IoT in the Global South – Cybersecurity Challenges and Strategies for LMICs

The analysis will explore cybersecurity challenges affecting decentralized IoT systems in agriculture, energy and service delivery, including:

IoT attack surfaces in resource-constrained environments.
Low-resource cybersecurity architectures.
IT and Operational Technology (OT) security.
Data sovereignty.
Local cybersecurity capacity.
South-South learning.
Gender-responsive and community-centred security.

B. Securing Critical Mineral Value Chains in the Global South – Cybersecurity, Geopolitics and Strategic Autonomy

This focus examines cybersecurity and geopolitical risks associated with increasingly digitalized critical mineral value chains involving resources such as lithium, cobalt, copper and rare earths. Potential areas include:

Digital risks in mineral extraction and processing.
Cybersecurity in mining and tracking systems.
Industrial policy and public procurement.
Supply-chain resilience.
Geopolitical competition.
Gender and community dimensions.
Regional regulatory cooperation.
Strategic autonomy and local value capture.

Data Sovereignty and Distributed Infrastructure

This theme explores how countries can strengthen local control over data and digital infrastructure while supporting inclusive innovation. The analysis may address:

Data localization and governance.
Regional cloud initiatives.
Edge computing.
Community mesh networks.
Local data centres.
Public procurement and industrial policy.
Indigenous and local knowledge protection.
Gender-disaggregated data.
Balancing data sovereignty with international digital integration.

Anticipatory Governance and Indigenous Knowledge

The final thematic area examines how countries can move from reactive to proactive technology governance. Potential areas include:

Horizon scanning.
Scenario planning.
Technology assessment.
Indigenous and traditional knowledge.
Uneven Technology Readiness Levels.
Equity and distributional impact assessments.
Cross-ministry coordination.
South-South learning platforms.
Gender-responsive anticipatory governance.

Scope of the Consultancy

Each selected consultant will be responsible for one thematic area.

Masterclass Discussion Paper

The consultant will prepare an 8,000–10,000-word discussion paper aligned with the META annotated outline. The paper should include:

Executive summary.
Introduction, objectives, methodology and scope.
Problem statement.
Literature and policy review.

How to Apply:

Email: procurement@atpsnet.org. Email: executivedirector@atpsnet.org