1. Background and Rationale

The Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) is a forum for policy dialogue and a leading voice on education and training in Africa. It is hosted by the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

The five-year Tackling Education and Skills Data Challenge in Africa (ESDC) initiative is led by ADEA, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL). It supports up to 30 African countries to strengthen their capacity to produce, manage and use quality education and skills data for evidence-based decision-making. Rwanda was the first country to begin full in-country implementation, followed by Côte d’Ivoire and Tanzania. By the end of 2025, more than 8,000 education officials had been trained across ESDC countries, with Rwanda representing the largest cohort of about 6000 trainees. The ESDC initiative is now entering a scale-up phase, with 25 countries onboarded to date and up to 30 targeted by 2028.

ADEA’s communications and advocacy tries to reflect realities or the lived experiences of African education systems. This is how we deepen the authenticity of ADEA’s voice, the quality of its results, and the country-demonstrated reforms to which our initiatives contribute. For this case, ADEA requires original, high-quality and rights-cleared film material that shows, through the experience of ESDC country government officials and institutions, how investment in education data capacity delivers results.

2. Purpose and Objectives

ADEA seeks a media production company to plan, film, edit and deliver a progress documentary on the ESDC initiative, together with a selection of soundbite and a vox pop series, all captured in a single production cylce. The documentary shall show how much progress the ESDC is making in supporting countries move from collecting data to using education and skills to bring tangible change in planning, implementation, and reporting at national and sub-national, including school, levels – with Rwanda as the first case.

The content shall pursue four objectives as follows.

• Demonstrate that the ESDC initiative in Rwanda is contributing to impact through the country’s policymakers, governmentofficials, trainers and school leaders who use education and kills data in their daily work.
• Support advocacy and investment by availing to Ministries, partners, funders, and other stakeholders a clear, shareable story that investing in education and skills data capacity delivers results.
• Create a reference for replication by documenting lessons from Rwanda to inform ESDC implementation in other countries.
• Amplify authentic voices from Rwanda through short, self-contained soundbites and vox pops that travel across channels on their own.

The tone shall be warm and evidence-driven. It should be inspiring without being promotional. The Creative Brief accompanying this ToR sets out the narrative structure, interview voices and production requirements in detail. Applicants shall read both the Creative Brief and these Terms of Reference before applying.

3. Scope of Work

This process will be delivered across three working areas outlined below.

• Pre-production. The Service Provider shall prepare a treatment, shot list, interview guides, consent materials and filming schedule, developed with ADEA communications team, Rwanda Ministry of Education, and ESDC in-country partner institution. The selection of contributors and vox pop sites will be made by ADEA Communications with the Ministry of Education and the in-country institution’s
• Production. The Service Provider shall carry out shooting on agreed days in Rwanda, focusing on Kigali or selected districts, in November 2026. Filming will take place in the Ministry, its sub-national offices, and schools using observational and interview techniques, with clean audio and consistent framing. A separate handheld unit shall be deployed for the vox pops.
• Post-production. The Service Provider shall carry out editing, motion graphics, sound mixing, colour grading, subtitling and versioning for all deliverables and formats.

The Ministry of Education, ADEA, and the ESDC in-country institution will support access to key institutions and contributors. The Service Provider remains responsible for all production logistics, equipment, travel and local permits.

4. Deliverables

A successful assignment shall include the deliverables listed below.

• Main documentary - A film of 15–20 minutes, delivered as an English, with Kinyarwanda and French contributors subtitled into English.
• Soundbite series - Develop fifteen (15) clips of 30–90 seconds each from policymakers and beneficiaries, delivered in 9:16, 1:1 and 16:9 formats, with burned-in English captions and separate subtitle files.
• Vox pop series - Twenty (20) clips of 30 seconds each, selected from 30–40 people recorded, together with one compilation of 60–90 seconds, delivered in the same formats as the soundbite series.
• Short-form cut-downs - A highlights version of 3–5 minutes and teasers of 30 and 60 seconds for partner communication channels.
• Consent Form – Secure duly completed consent form from all persons featured on the documentary, authorizing the Ministry, ADEA, in-country institution, and ADEA’s partners to use the contents of the task for non-commercial promotions, advocacy and engagements. 
• Stills – Intending Service Provider is expected to capture still images from sessions shot at field locations such as schools, and institutions of learning. Images should show action activities, like learning taking place or policy activities such as data collection, information sharing or training activities.
• Final master files - Clean masters for web, social media and event screening, with textless versions and separate subtitle files.
• Interview archive - An organised archive of all interviews with transcripts, for future ADEA communications and replication.
• Launch copy - Basic launch copy aligned with the core message: From Data and Evidence to Decisions and Change.
• Raw material - The handover shall include all raw and unedited footage and the project files, not only the edited output.
• Metadata - Each asset delivered, including each archived interview and each clip, shall be tagged with country, sub-national, institution or location, date, thematic category, description, keywords, copyright line and consent reference number.
• Organised digital library - All deliverables, raw footage, transcripts and consent documentation shall be delivered organised by deliverable, location and contributor, with a master index or catalogue, on an external hard drive and on a cloud-based digital platform.

5. Technical Specifications and Quality Assurance

Video shall be filmed at a minimum of 1080p, with 4K preferred, and delivered clean and graded, without watermarks, in a broadcast-standard master format (for example ProRes or H.264 master). Audio shall be clean, with interviews recorded to a professional standard. Drone imagery is permitted only where locally authorised and disclosed to ADEA in advance.

ADEA reserves the right to review all delivered materials against the technical, ethical and consent requirements of these Terms of Reference before final acceptance and payment. Any footage or file that fails the technical specifications in this Section, lacks valid consent documentation under Section 6, or does not meet professional quality standards may be rejected.

The Service Provider shall remedy rejected items, by re-edit, re-delivery or reshoot where a reshoot is still feasible within the contract period, at no additional cost to ADEA. Final payment under Section 10 is contingent on ADEA’s written acceptance of the complete, quality-assured delivery.

6. Ethical Considerations, Consent, Safeguarding and Warranties

• The Service Provider shall obtain authorization from the Ministry, working closely with the in-country partner.
• You shall lso obtain free, prior and informed consent from every identifiable individual and institution depicted. Consent shall be documented by a signed release, translated into Kinyarwanda where necessary, confirming that the individual voluntarily agreed, without coercion or inducement, to be filmed and recorded and to have their likeness and voice used by ADEA for non-commercial purposes.
• The Service Provider warrants, for every file submitted, that (a) consent was freely given and accurately explained; (b) the Service Provider holds full copyright and moral rights clearance to transfer the material to ADEA; and (c) no third-party rights, including other organisations’ logos, trademarks or copyrighted material visible in frame, are infringed.
• The Service Provider shall indemnify and hold the Ministry of Education, ADEA and the in-country partner fully harmless against any claim, liability, cost or damage arising from breach of the warranties in the clause above, including claims of non-consent, misrepresentation or third-party rights infringement. This indemnity survives completion of the contract.
• Signed consent and release documentation is a mandatory deliverable and shall be cross-referenced to the consent reference number in the metadata. Final payment will be withheld until this documentation is verified as complete.
• The Service Provider shall avoid capturing partisan political symbols, third-party organisational branding or any content that could compromise Government integrity or ADEA’s institutional neutrality.
• The Service Provider shall adhere to national child protection policies in force, ensure dignified and non-stereotypical representation, and promote gender equality and inclusion throughout.
• All final products and footage shall be strictly exclusive to ADEA and the Ministry of Education, with full usage rights transferred to ADEA, and no third party shall have access or rights to the same material.

7. Methodology and Delivery Model (Mandatory in Proposal)

Given the timeline in Section 9, each proposal shall include the creative approach and treatment; a production plan and work plan covering pre-production, the shooting days, editing and approvals; the crew composition; the consent and safeguarding procedure; the post-production and quality-assurance workflow; and a week-by-week schedule from contract signature to final delivery.

Each proposal shall also disclose the delivery model: direct production by the lead agency’s own team, delivery through a country-based local producer, crew or network of contributors, or a hybrid. Where a local producer or network is proposed, the Service Provider shall describe how contributors will be sourced and vetted, and how consistent visual style and technical quality will be enforced across all contributors, for example through a shared shot list, a style guide and centralised review and quality assurance before submission to ADEA.

ADEA contracts with, and holds liable, only the lead agency. The lead agency remains fully accountable for the vetting, quality and contractual compliance of all consortium members, subcontractors and local contributors, and not the individual members of any network.

8. Competencies and Eligibility

Applications are invited from legally registered creative agencies, production companies, or consortia led by one lead agency. The requirements in this Section apply to the lead agency holding the contract.

• Documentary and impact storytelling. A track record of human-centred, evidence-driven films for development, education or policy audiences.
• Multi-format production. Experience delivering a long-form film alongside short-form social content in vertical, square and landscape formats from one shoot.
• Field production in institutional settings. Ability to film in ministries, district offices and schools using observational and interview techniques, with clean audio and consistent framing.
• Safeguarding, consent and data protection. Proven practice in securing consent, featuring minors only observationally, and keeping personal data off screen.
• Language and local capacity. Ability to operate in Rwanda, with English and Kinyarwanda interviewing capacity, French translation and subtitling, and Rwandan crew or a local producer.
• Post-production. Capacity for editing, motion graphics, sound mixing, colour grading and subtitling, with proficiency in professional video editing software.
• A minimum of seven (7) years’ professional experience in documentary or development film production, demonstrated experience in African contexts, and a strong portfolio in education, development or humanitarian settings. Prior education-sector experience is desirable but not mandatory.
• Indicative team. A producer/director (lead), a director of photography and second camera operator, a vox pop operator, a sound recordist, an editor, a motion graphics designer, and a translator/subtitler. Applicants may propose a different structure if it better serves the brief. Intending Service Providers who have a crew member who is bilingual, holds an advantage.

9. Duration and Timeline

ADEA intends to contract the Service Provider in November 2026 so that filming can take place in late November ad early December 2026. The engagement runs from contract signature to final delivery in January 2027.

The indicative schedule is as follows:

• Call for applications launched on 25th October 2026;
• Deadline for clarification questions on 5th November 2026;
• Application deadline on 15th November 2026;
• Selection and contracting on 30th November, 2026;
• Concept validation and preparation, including selection of contributors and vox pop sites, between 1st and 15th December 2026, led by ADEA with in-country partner input;
• Filming in Rwanda in December 2026 – January 2027 (proposed 8–10 shooting days), carried out by the Service Provider with support from ADEA and in-country partners;
• Editing and approval in early to mid-January 2027; and final delivery and launch preparation in late Janauary to early February 2027.

Applicants may propose alternative phasing within the overall period. The Service Provider may consider filming simultaneously in both locations. The proposed timelines will remain flexible, in the face of stakeholder availability and other competing priorites.

10. Budget and Payment

Applicants shall submit a fully costed and itemised financial proposal in United States Dollars (USD), broken down by phase (pre-production, production, post-production, subtitling and contingency). It must take into account the outlined deliverables. It shall cover personnel, equipment, travel and logistics in Rwanda and any local fixer costs, and shall state whether taxes are included.

Where a local producer or network is used, the financial proposal shall separate core-team travel and logistics costs from local contributor fees, so that proposals using different delivery models can be compared like for like.

To manage delivery quality risks, ADEA is adopting a two-tranche payment structure for this opportunity. This includes a 20% upfront payment following contract signature, submission, review, and alignment on a duly accepted work plan, and 80% balance upon final delivery and ADEA’s written acceptance of the complete package, including verified consent documentation. Intending Service Providers who are unable to work with this payment approach need not apply.

11. Intellectual Property, Ownership and Usage Rights

All deliverables, including final films and clips, raw and unedited files, project files, the interview archive, transcripts and metadata, become the sole property of ADEA and the Ministry of Education Rwanda, upon final payment. The Service Provider retains credit as producer where practical, but transfers full, irrevocable rights to use, reproduce, adapt, distribute and archive the material for non-commercial purposes, in perpetuity, without further compensation.

• “Non-commercial purposes” covers publications, advocacy, digital and social platforms, reports, events and exhibitions, donor and fundraising materials, and internal knowledge products. It excludes resale of the footage itself as a standalone product by either party.
• The Service Provider shall not use, share, license, sell, sub-license or otherwise distribute the delivered material, or substantially similar footage captured during this assignment, to any third party, including stock agencies, other organisations or media outlets, without ADEA’s prior written consent.
• Raw and unedited footage is included in the handover and is subject to the same transfer of rights as the edited output.
• The Service Provider bears full liability for any breach of the warranties in Section 6. This clause and the indemnity in clause 6.5 operate together and are non-severable.
• Where the Service Provider uses subcontractors, a local producer or other contributors, it is responsible for securing consent, warranties and transfer of rights from each of them on terms equivalent to Section 6, and remains fully liable under clause 6.5 for their work as if it were its own.

12. Selection Criteria

The scoring criteria below will guide the identification of a substantive vendor. Applicants are encouraged to address all scoring criteria.:

• Understanding of the brief and creative approach (25 points). A clear, original treatment that responds to the narrative arc, the three-product structure and the tone, with credible ideas for observational scenes, graphics and vox pops.
• Relevant experience and portfolio (20 points). At least three comparable productions, with links, showing storytelling quality, authentic voices and technical craft, supported by relevant client references.
• Team Composition (15 points). The skills, seniority and relevance of the proposed team, including bilingual language capacity.
• Work plan, delivery model, risk and safeguarding (10 points). A realistic plan against the timeline and the 8–10 shooting days; a credible delivery model with quality control, particularly where a local network is used; and the approach to consent, safeguarding, data protection and approvals.
• Financial proposal (30 points). A clear, itemised budget offering value for money against the deliverables. 

13. How to Apply

Applications shall be in English and submitted as one PDF package, or a download link, containing:

1. A cover letter of one page with the company profile, legal registration details and a named contact;
2. A technical proposal of no more than [6] pages covering the matters in Section 7, including the creative approach and treatment responding to the Creative Brief, the production and work plan, the approach to the soundbite and vox pop series, and the approach to consent, safeguarding and data protection;
3. A portfolio with links to at least three comparable productions and a line on the applicant’s role in each;
4. The names, roles and one-page CVs of key personnel and, where applicable, a summary of the credentials of any local producer or network;
5. The financial proposal required by Section 10; and
6. Contact details for three professional references.

Applications shall be emailed to adea-applications@afdb.org by midnight GMT 15th November, 2026, using the subject line “ESDC Impact Video – Application – [Service Provider Name]”. Proposals received after this date will be automatically screened out.

Clarification questions shall be sent to adea@afdb.org by 5th November, 2026. Answers may be shared with all applicants. Incomplete applications will not be considered. ADEA reserves the right to accept or reject any application, or to cancel this call, without liability.