Recruitment of a consultant for the final evaluation of the Cameroon Digital Transformation Acceleration Project (PATNUC)

DATE: October 7, 2026

FINANCING: IDA 69870-CM

1. Context and Justification

The Cameroon Digital Transformation Acceleration Project (PATNUC) results from an agreement between the Government of Cameroon and the World Bank. Its main objective is to strengthen digital inclusion and the use of digital agricultural solutions by certain actors in the target agricultural value chains. Specifically, PATNUC aims to: establish new institutional, legal, and regulatory frameworks conducive to the growth of the digital sector and the strengthening of digital trust; deploy digital access infrastructure in underserved areas in Cameroon; provide digital connectivity for public entities; create digital platforms and acquire relevant equipment for the secure and resilient development of digital services in Cameroon; improve citizens' digital skills; promote the development of applications and digital services to increase the reach and use of digital services to stimulate employment and entrepreneurship in Cameroon. Furthermore, the project focuses on stimulating the local market by facilitating internet access and the integrated use of ICT in the country's economic development fabric. Moreover, PATNUC embodies the vision of digital transformation while targeting the agro-pastoral sector, which is highly strategic for Cameroon.

PATNUC benefits from financing of 83.3 million[1] USD from the International Development Association (IDA). Launched on February 1, 2023, for a duration of 4 years, the project targets several categories of beneficiaries. Among these are 35,000 direct beneficiaries of electronic vouchers, 337,500 users of high-speed internet in the target areas, 45,000 users of digital agro-technology solutions provided by specialized agricultural technology entrepreneurs, etc.

To achieve its objectives, the Project is structured around 4 components: (i) Digital strategy, public policy, and regulation for inclusion and digital transformation; (ii) digital connectivity and inclusion; (iii) facilitating the implementation of data-driven digital solutions in the agricultural sector; and (iv) project management and citizen engagement.

Since the project's launch, the Project Management Unit (PMU) has begun implementing the various activities planned in the project financing agreement. Progress towards achieving the Project Development Objective (PDO) is measured through the PDO result indicators and intermediate result indicators.

In accordance with the project implementation process and within the framework of its accountability and results-based management policy, an independent final evaluation must be carried out by the government to assess the level of achievement of the project's results and the changes induced by it. This evaluation will analyze the project's results as a whole (including components), examine their relevance and impact on beneficiaries, determine the extent to which the project's theory of change remains valid, and draw lessons from the actions taken and results obtained. To this end, the consultant will rely on PATNUC's theory of change, as defined in the Project Appraisal Document (PAD), as an analytical guide for the entire mission. During the scoping phase, they will reconstruct and validate this theory of change based on available data, and explicitly refer to it in their causal analysis of results to distinguish what worked, what did not work, and why.

A set of environmental and social framework documents and security risk management documents have been developed, and an environmental and social engagement plan has been drawn up, prescribing a set of activities to be implemented regarding environmental and social aspects. At the end of the project, it is necessary to evaluate the implementation of all these tools, the non-conformities...