Terms of Reference

Digital Media Context Analysis (DMCA) Consultant

RNW Media

Duration of the research task:	6–8 weeks (May–June 2025)
Type of contract/partnership:	Short-term consultancy (external)
Program name:	Digital Sexuality Education (DSE) – Ghana
Implementing partner name:	Children and Youth In Broadcasting (Curious Minds)
RNW Media Focal Point:	Brenda Morales, M&E Expert
About this Consultancy	RNW Media is seeking a consultant to lead a Digital Media Context Analysis (DMCA) for the Digital Sexuality Education program in Ghana, implemented in partnership with Curious Minds. This DMCA will assess the digital media landscape, youth and CSO engagement, and opportunities for strategic digital transformation with a focus on SRHR. The consultant will produce actionable recommendations to support Curious Minds’ digital strategy, grounded in co-created insights and data-driven analysis.

1. INTRODUCTION 

RNW Media is an international media development organization based in Haarlem, the Netherlands, dedicated to harness the power of independent digital media to uphold human rights and advance the public good. Working in more than 40 countries across Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, West and East Africa, East Asia, Central and South America, we defend media and internet freedom, the right of every human being to access to information and freedom of expression.

With over 75 years of experience, RNW Media has evolved from an international radio broadcaster into a champion of independent digital media. Our work with our partners has demonstrated how a diverse, resilient, and trustworthy digital media ecosystem can inform people, shift narratives, influence social norms, and drive policy change, reinforcing the essential role of independent media in open and democratic societies.

RNTC, the internationally renowned training center of RNW Media, provides journalism and media training to journalists, media makers and communication professionals. Through The Vine, RNW Media’s global community, with more than 25 independent and public interest digital media, 80 media trainers, and 10,000 RNTC alumni, we facilitate media coalition, partnership, and movement building.

2. PROGRAMME BACKGROUND 

Curious Minds Ghana, a youth-led organization with a strong digital presence, is the implementing partner of the Digital Sexuality Education (DSE) project in Ghana. The organization has extensive experience in digital advocacy, using social media platforms, podcasts, and online campaigns to engage and educate young people on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), gender equality, and youth empowerment. Through creative visual content, interactive online discussions, and the active exploration of artificial intelligence (AI), they are integrating innovative approaches into their digital strategy. The consultant will work in close collaboration with Curious Minds to ensure the digital strategy and findings are contextually relevant, aligned with the partner’s digital priorities, and reflective of local insights.

The Digital Media Context Analysis (DMCA) will facilitate Curious Minds to consolidate its multi-platform digital efforts by aligning platform-specific goals, streamlining workflows, and integrating digital safety, moderation, and analytics into their strategy. The consultancy will support the co-development of an actionable digital strategy that builds on their existing youth-centered approach and established digital products. This strategy will help align the use of various platforms, define clear objectives per channel, and integrate digital safety, moderation practices, and performance analytics into day-to-day digital workflows. The process will be guided by RNW Media’s values of co-creation, data-driven strategy, and ethical use of AI, and audience first approach.

3. PURPOSE & SCOPE OF THE DMCA

3.A.) Purpose

The purpose of a digital media context analysis (DMCA) is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the Ghanaian digital environment, its challenges and opportunities, as well as the interests, specific needs for and behaviors of young people, particularly from the capital and suburban areas, and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in terms of SRHR digital content accessibility. As part of the baseline study in February 2025 a DMA was conducted. The results of this assessment are informing the core themes and deliverables to establish a well-informed digital media context analysis. 

Key digital themes, for example, include (but are not limited to): online media, internet coverage, digital youth needs regarding the topic of concern, youth digital platform presence, young people’s use of AI tools, and AI-based content consumption and digital context regarding the topic of concern (e.g., SRHR context, AI, social inclusivity, etc.). These key thematic areas will inform the digital media context analysis, based on contextualized research questions and a set of participatory data collection methods.  The complete overview of key thematic areas can be found in the DMCA Research Questions Template.

3.B.) Scope

1. RNW Media and Curious Minds want to get a complete overview of relevant policies and practices concerning digital context and media environment; as well as digital and media actors and factors that are limiting or (potentially) promoting relevant SRHR rights for young people (e.g., SRHR).

2. We want to get insights in youth’s online channels used for their increase in knowledge and understanding of SRHR topics and gendered related social norms to inform on best digital strategies for sustained youth engagement per platform. 

3. We want to understand the priorities and needs of CSOs and changemaker movements in terms of capacity strengthening for digital engagement of young people, and relevant social norms, policies and practices that influence SRHR understanding for young people.

Moreover, the selected consultant will have access to the program’s Key Indicators (KIs) and make sure all relevant findings are linked to relevant KIs.

Therefore, the selected consultant should oversee and ensure delivery of draft and final version of a digital country analysis, focused on young people, movements, and civil society actors (e.g., CSOs), which consists of:

1. A country digital media context analysis report and;
2. A country analysis report (including an abstract) with an overview of key themes, issues, and potential challenges in the country.

The key digital background themes below will be operationalized by the consultant, with support from RNW Media.

Operationalization of key digital background themes are as follows (but not limited to): 

Online Media & Actors: 

• Identify the role of internet and social media use; look at the influence of actors such as bloggers and ‘influencers’ on decision makers. 
• Examine SRHR campaigns conducted online by Curious Minds or other CSOs, identify which campaigns were most and least successful and why.
• Identify digital factors use of audio or video formats (e.g., consistency, targeting, tone, interactivity) that enhanced or limited content engagement across different platforms.
• Extract lessons learned and best practices from multi-platform efforts to inform more strategic and streamlined digital outreach.

SRHR Norms & Perceptions:

• Explore through a desk review and available studies, the prevailing SRHR-related social norms, attitudes, and behaviors among young people; identify existing barriers to access, misinformation trends, and levels of trust in online SRHR information sources.
• Identify how digital/online media organizations currently report on SRHR issues, including frequency, sentiment, and discourse
• Based on the available data and desk research, identify which content formats youth prefer (e.g., videos, stories, infographics); and assess how they engage with such content (e.g., views, shares, comments).
• Explore how SRHR narratives can be diversified and adapted for different platforms and patterns through platforms to identify streamlining possibilities.

Role of Government & Legal Framework: 

• Explore to what extent government institutions have and make use of websites; situational analysis of mainstreaming internet use; map how internet, media and AI are regulated under media laws. 

Youth Consultation: 

• Research preferred devices, particularly for audio and video formats, demographics (age and gender), internet access and use of AI-based tools.
• Identify pain points in youth’s content experience (e.g., inconsistent tone across platforms or inaccessible formats).
• Gather insights on youth expectations for innovative features, such as interactivity or gamification and their expectations on AI-based tools.

*Note: It is up to the Consultant to determine a list of themes to be researched by selecting a final set of research questions (see Research Questions Template).

4. CONSULTANT/CONSULTANCY TEAM and DIGITAL CONTEXT ANALYSIS PROCESS

The consultancy is open to all qualified consultants. The consultancy project team may consist of one person or a team of experts. In the latter case, the applicants should propose a team specifying team member’s expertise (with the lead being The Consultant).

The consultant is managing the entire process (including but not limited to preparing research protocol, consent/assent forms when and if needed, data collection tools, work schedule, etc.) remotely from a home/work base, hence not be needing to travel in any of the countries. While the consultant might have several online consultations with key stakeholders and young people, actual in-country field work will be implemented by local field facilitators (In-Country Facilitators, ICFs) contracted directly by the consultant.

The consultant will agree tasks and timeframe with the ICFs, coordinate their work, be responsible for the quality of the deliverables of ICFs and accept the deliverables of ICFs. Their fees as well as local fieldwork costs will be covered by the consultant and under the consultant’s supervision. Once data is collected, the consultant will organize and cover for their translation into English before submitting them to the RNW Media and Curious Minds for further approval.

5. METHODOLOGY  

The Consultant will submit a technical and financial proposition including detailed descriptions of the methodology to be used. Data collection tools will be developed in close collaboration with the RNW Media team. An agreed comprehensive working calendar (Timeframe) and Operational plan will guide the process.

5.A.) general guidance

The detailed DMCA design is to be created by the Consultant, however, the following general guidance and/or methods should be considered:

• Preliminary literature review
• Design of research question(s): in consultation with RNW Media
• Organize youth consultation workshop(s) and/or focus groups with young people/change-makers
• Online and traditional media landscape overview: who are the biggest players in the online media and traditional media landscape, and who are most influential in reaching young people (change-makers, and influencers).
• Online SRHR campaign mapping
• Interviews with local partners
• Data entry, analysis, and compilation of report.
• Other potential activities: focus groups, surveys, design workshops and information validation activities.
• Review and report validation: such as the incorporation of the comments from the validation workshop.

5.B.) Workshops

The Consultant (or/and the full consultancy team) and RNW Media colleagues will kick-start the DMCA research process by having an inception meeting. In this meeting, the research questions template and other relevant resources will be shared by RNW Media, after which the consultant will have to prepare the selection of the research questions and subsequent methodology per chosen questions, which will determine the scope of the research. The selection of the research questions should consider the partner’s DMA results.

The following meeting between the Consultant and RNW Media is the Research Design Workshop with the project team (including all support staff from RNW Media and research team), who will review and finalize the research questions selection and determine relevant data collection methods. After this, a detailed Inception Report, including a detailed work plan, will be shared by the consultant. This inception report sets out a timeline for all key deliverables and the exact data collection activities (see table below under chapter 7 for key deliverables and timeline).

The second workshop is the Validation Workshop, which only occurs after data collection and analysis is completed and before reporting is finalized. Please note that in between the two workshops, there are frequent project team meetings (either weekly or bi-weekly).

5.C.) The 3-Step Approach

The DMCA as a RNW Media research service can be replicated and implemented using the DMCA Methodology Guide, which is based on the following 3-step approach:

• Contextualize research scope and methodology
• Gather and analyze your data
• Write up the key findings and digital strategies in the DMCA Report

A detailed roadmap, including toolkit per data collection method, on how this 3-step approach can be implemented can be found in the DMCA Methodology Guidelines document.

5.D.) DMCA Milestones

The final DMCA data collection activities with timeline is to be created by the consultant, however, the following DMCA Milestones are standard in the DMCA research: 

• Contextualize research scope and methodology per research question: including the selection of relevant data collection sources and activities (in consultation with RNW Media)
• Secondary data collection: based on desk research and for example, platform analytics and/or google trends analysis, guided by RNW Media
• Primary data collection: organize and conduct youth consultation workshop(s), Key Informant Interviews and/or focus groups with young people/change-makers/CSOs
• Data analysis and compilation of report
• Review and report validation: such as the incorporation of the comments from the validation workshop and from the first draft

 *Note: It is up to the Consultant to suggest a final list of data collection methods and activities (with timeline) as part of the DMCA Inception Report

6. ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CONSULTANT

The consultant is usually a single person who is end-responsible, but also free to form a team of experts. In case of the formation of a research team, the DMCA implementing partner organization should dedicate a section of the Inception report to an overview (table) of the research team member (their expertise) and clear division of roles and responsibilities with one Lead (called, the Consultant). The consultant manages the process (preparing research protocol, consent/assent forms (when and if needed), data collection tools, work schedule and is end-responsible for the research).

The consultant (or consultant team) is free to personally conduct consultations such as Focus Group Discussions and Interviews with key stakeholders such as CSO and young people. However, they are also free to sub-contract or delegate this task to a third party (consultant/researcher). In case the consultant decides to hire local support staff, the consultant is responsible for agreeing on tasks and a timeframe for the data collection and remains end responsible for the quality of the deliverables. If chosen, the field consultant(s) will thus work under the supervision of the consultant.

7. COMMUNICATION

The consultant is expected to frequently communicate with RNW Media and is willing to meet on a weekly or bi-weekly (to be determined) basis during the period of the DMCA research.

8. DELIVERABLES  

The consultant will develop an overview of the methodology and tools and plan a research timeline with the data collection team, including a presentation of a detailed timeline of the data gathering process. The consultant will collect data, transcribe them, and after translation to English, submit them to RNW Media. The expected deliverables are listed as follows:

• Inception report with a detailed work plan and methodology for the DMCA.
• Presentation of the main data collection tools (DMCA), including timeline
• Presentation of the final methodology, tools, and work plan.
• Digital platform mapping brief: overview of existing platforms, content types, and current performance insights.
• Draft DMCA reports (per country reports and/or regional report if relevant) with reference materials/links, annexure, photos, etc. This can be presented with an infographic, such as the example below:

• Presentation of key findings session (sense-making workshop) with RNW Media and Curious Minds.
• Final DMCA reports with executive summary, reference materials/links, annexes, photos, etc.
• Actionable recommendations for streamlining content and platform use, based on Curious Minds’ digital maturity.
• AI-readiness brief: preliminary guidance on using AI tools in content creation, moderation, or analytics.
• All data collected through the assessment in digitalized format, including databases, which remains property of RNW Media and the partner once the assessment is conducted.

Draft outline of the per country DMCA report should include the following:

• Introduction
• Government and Legal Framework
• Key Players in Online Media Landscape
• SRHR landscape in Ghana
• Online Media, Mobile & Internet Penetration
• Results Youth Consultation & Information Validation
• Conclusion

9. TIMELINE 

Activity	Timeline
Call for Consultant – Application Open	30th April – 6th May
Recruit the Consultant	9th May
Onboarding the Consultant	14th May
Inception Meeting	19th May
Development and Finalization of Tools	30rd May
Inception report (including detailed workplan and timeline)	9th June
Data collection and Analysis	13th June -27th June
Submission of first draft to RNW Media	4th July
Submission of final draft	11th July
Validation Workshop	Early August

*Please note that the exact dates under the timeline will be determined after the completion of the Inception Report by the Consultant.

10. REQUIRED EXPERTISE AND EXPERIENCE   

• Minimum University degree in the field of social or humanistic sciences.  
• Minimum of five years’ experience in conducting similar research in various aspects of the theme under study (e.g., SRHR) and/or digital media 
• Exceptionally good analytical and reporting skills; 
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to communicate detailed concepts clearly and concisely both in writing and verbally;   
• Ability to facilitate and support coordination for country activities, including workshops and meetings. 
• Excellent time management and coordination skills. 
• Extensive knowledge and networks on civic space, youth movements, inclusion, and/or the topic of concern in targeted region and countries.  
• Fluency in English. Knowledge of local languages is a plus. 

11. BUDGET AND PAYMENT CONDITIONS 

BUDGET:

The remuneration, payment schedule, and conditions will be discussed and agreed upon with the selected consultant. The total remuneration will cover the consultancy fee as well as reasonable costs related to the execution of the assignment, such as expenses for field research, administration, coordination, and digital tools or software required for data collection and analysis.

12. APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Interested consultant(s) should develop and submit the bidding proposal in English to respond to the above-mentioned specific tasks.

The proposal should include:

• Description and contact details of the consultant applying;
• A clear description of the methodological approach, including proposal methods to be used and proposals of the format of the analysis;
• A detailed Budget Proposal;
• Cover Letter and CVs of all team members, emphasizing relevant experience;
• Past performance in similar areas of the Consultant applying with reference to previous contracting agencies, organizations, etc.
• One non-academic writing sample in English (max 500 words).

Interested candidates should send their applications to Brenda Morales (M&E Expert, RNW Media) at: brenda.morales.ruiz@rnw.org

Only shortlisted candidates will be considered.

RNW Media is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.