Across Africa, digital technologies have become critical spaces for civic engagement, organising, advocacy, and political participation. At the same time, shrinking civic space, democratic backsliding, and the increasing use of online harassment, surveillance, disinformation, and gendered attacks have created new threats to women, feminist activists, journalists, human rights defenders, and marginalised communities. Technology-facilitated gender-based violence has emerged as both a manifestation of structural gender inequality and a mechanism through which democratic participation and civic freedoms are constrained.

As part of our work to strengthen evidence-based advocacy, learning, and grantmaking, The African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) seeks to engage a consultant to undertake regional research examining the intersections between Technology Facilitated Gender Based Violence (TFGBV), gender, digital technologies, and democratic civic space in Africa. The assignment will  also generate knowledge products that contribute to movement learning, policy engagement, and feminist responses to digital authoritarianism and democratic erosion.

Objectives

The consultancy will :

• Conduct regional research on the nature, prevalence, and impacts of TFGBV within changing democratic and civic space contexts across Africa.
• Analyse how digital technologies are being used to facilitate gendered violence, silence dissent, restrict civic participation, and undermine feminist organising.
• Document feminist strategies, movement responses, and promising practices for addressing TFGBV and defending digital civic space.
• Produce accessible knowledge products that support learning, advocacy, grantmaking, and policy engagement by women’s rights and feminist organisations.

Timeline

The consultancy will be undertaken over a period of 12 weeks, with all deliverables expected to be completed by 31 October 2026.

How to Apply

Interested consultants should submit the following to consultants@awdf.org by 17th July 2026. Please put as the email subject header, “Application for consultancy: Regional Research on TFGBV.”

• A technical proposal outlining their understanding of the assignment, methodology, and workplan.
• A financial proposal with a detailed budget.
• A curriculum vitae highlighting relevant experience.
• A sample of previous research reports or knowledge products on similar themes.
• Contact details for at least two professional references.

Read the full Terms of Reference HERE