Request for Expression of Interest- Consultancy Services for the Establishment of a National Business Process Outsourcing and High-Value IT-Enabled Services Industry for the iDICE Programme

The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) has received financing from the African Development Bank (AfDB), Agence Française de Dévelopement (AFD) and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) towards the implementation of the Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises (iDICE) Programme. The objective of the iDICE Programme is to promote entrepreneurship, boost innovation, create jobs, enhance social development, and achieve economic transformation by fostering growth in the digital technology and creative ecosystem, building on brownfield investments and synergies with ongoing initiatives in Nigeria.

As part of implementation arrangements, the iDICE Programme Coordination Unit (PCU) within the Bank of Industry (BOI) – the Executing Agency for the Programme appointed by the FGN – is seeking to engage the services of a Consultancy Services for the Establishment of a National Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and High-Value IT-Enabled Services Industry under the Outsource to Nigeria Initiative (OTNI)

The overall objective is to establish Nigeria as a credible, internationally competitive exporter of knowledge-intensive services, creating high-skill, high-wage professional employment for Nigerian graduates and measurably increasing services export earnings. The specific objectives are to:

1. Activate international demand: secure committed offtake from global buyers of knowledge services — investment banks, law firms, insurers, health systems, engineering firms, AI labs and studios — through a structured market-entry and country-brand strategy for Nigerian KPO;
2. Develop advanced talent at depth: establish the OTNI KPO Academy delivering specialist, internationally benchmarked practitioner pathways to qualified graduates in knowledge-service verticals;
3. Convert talent into billable professionals: operate a Professional Apprenticeship (KPO Residency) that places Academy graduates into supervised, paid engagements with domestic and international knowledge-services employers; and
4. Institutionalise the industry: deliver the regulatory, fiscal-incentive, data-governance and investment-attraction framework required for KPO delivery centres and global capability centres (GCCs) to establish and scale in Nigeria.
5. Ensure sustainable beneficiary-level impact: ensure that the assignment delivers measurable and durable outcomes for beneficiaries, including certification, paid placement, income progression, job retention, career advancement and continued access to employer networks beyond the consultancy period.

The Bank of Industry (BOI) now invites eligible Firms to indicate their interest in providing these services by submitting their proposals, demonstrating experience in performing similar assignments with references, and showing responsiveness to the qualification requirements outlined in this REOI. Selected entities will be invited to participate in the subsequent tender process.

Qualification and Experience

The ideal candidate should meet the following qualifications and experience requirements:

prospective Consultants (or, for consortia, the lead firm) must submit signed Memoranda of Understanding, framework offtake agreements, or other verifiable agreements with industry partners evidencing a credible demand pipeline including indicative volumes/seats and validity period for the specific launch vertical(s) proposed. Bids not accompanied by such evidence shall be deemed non-responsive and shall not proceed to technical or financial evaluation.

1. A minimum of ten (10) years of demonstrated professional experience in knowledge process outsourcing, professional services delivery, or high-value IT-enabled services, evidenced by a verifiable international clientele list with references.
2. Demonstrated experience designing or operating advanced professional talent programmes (graduate academies, professional certification pathways, or apprenticeship/articling schemes) in at least two of the six launch verticals.
3. Demonstrated experience in international market development for services exports, including verifiable buyer relationships in North America, Europe, the Middle East or Asia-Pacific.
4. Proven capability in designing and operating large-scale digital marketplace, credentialing or workforce platforms, with references from at least one deployment at national or multi-country scale.
5. Availability of experienced technical and operational staff with requisite professional and vertical-specific certifications, including a designated team leader with senior KPO industry experience.
6. Detailed knowledge of Nigeria’s technology, professional-services and creative sectors and their exportable capabilities.
7. Evidence of successfully converting trained professionals into verifiable high-skill employment, with documented placement and retention outcomes.
8. Established partnerships with reputable international knowledge-services buyers, global capability centres or professional bodies sufficient to guarantee residency and placement absorption.
9. Ability to manage multiple, simultaneous and shifting priorities under tight timelines across a wide range of public and private partners.
10. Demonstrated compliance with all applicable safety and environmental protection regulations.
11. Evidence of an existing, credible demand pipeline for Nigerian KPO services, including buyer geographies, contract archetypes and indicative deal sizes, comparable in analytical depth to a global KPO demand study and benchmarked against comparator markets such as India, the Philippines, Poland, Kenya, Egypt and South Africa.
12. A clear proposal identifying and prioritising the launch vertical(s), for example: (a) financial research, analytics and actuarial services; (b) legal process and contract intelligence services; (c) data science, AI engineering and machine-learning operations; (d) health information management and clinical informatics; (e) engineering, architectural and geospatial design services; and (f) premium creative production — the bidder is positioned to serve, supported by the MoUs submitted under the mandatory eligibility requirement above.
13. Demonstrated prior experience designing and executing ‘country-brand’ or buyer-engagement campaigns for services exports, including participation in tier-one international sourcing events.
14. A track record of buyer roadshows or comparable buyer-engagement activity that has resulted in signed offtake or framework agreements.

Consortia combining international BPO operators with Nigerian delivery, training or platform firms are strongly encouraged. For joint ventures, the lead partner must hold the power of attorney.

Financial and Tax Requirements  

1. Confirmation of financial capacity of the company (3 years audited statement of accounts and financial summary).  
2. Evidence of VAT Registration and Company Tax Clearance Certificates for the last 3 years. 

Firms that are registered outside Nigeria shall submit relevant legal and compliance documents as applicable to their countries of jurisdiction. 

Submission of EOIs

Please structure the Expressions of Interest as follows:

1. Details / organisational profile of the firm or consortium (including nationality of the firms and contact person) (1 page)
2. Expression of Interest detailing the firm’s strengths, expertise, approach and methodology and any relevant information (max. 5 pages)
3. Experience in similar assignments (max. 5 pages)
4. CVs of key staff members (max. 5 pages)
5. Any additional documents or information the firm believes are relevant

EOI submissions should not exceed 20 pages, excluding supporting documents to be submitted as detailed under the Eligibility Criteria in the Terms of Reference.

The eligibility criteria, the establishment of a shortlist and the selection procedure shall be in accordance with the African Development Bank’s “Procurement Policy for Bank Group Funded Operations” October 2015, which is available on the AFDB’s website at http://www.afdb.org. Please note that interest expressed by an organisation does not imply any obligation on the part of the Bank to include it in the shortlist.

A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Quality and Cost Based Selection (QCBS) method set out in the Procurement Policy and the procurement plan for the activities

Interested consultants may obtain further information at the address below during the Bank’s office hours, i.e. from 8 AM to 4 PM (WAT) on working days.

Deadline for Submission of EOIs

Expressions of interest MUST be delivered in hard and soft (in a USB flash drive) copies to the address below no later than 5th October 2026 at 3:00 pm (WAT) and specifically mention “EXPRESSION OF INTEREST: CONSULTANCY SERVICES FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A NATIONAL BUSINESS PROCESS OUTSOURCING (BPO) AND HIGH-VALUE IT-ENABLED SERVICES INDUSTRY UNDER THE OUTSOURCE TO NIGERIA INITIATIVE (OTNI).”

For the Terms of Reference (TOR) for this Expression of Interest, please visit www.boi.ng/idicetor.