DEADLINE: 26TH MAY, 2024
AFRICA ENTERPRISE CHALLENGE FUND (AECF)
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR CONSULTANCY FOR BUSINESS ADVISORY SERVICE INVESTING IN WOMEN IN NIGERIA PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION

The Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF) transforms lives by providing investment funding and technical assistance to commercially viable businesses that improve the lives of rural communities.  AECF mobilizes donor funding to support early and growth-stage businesses in agriculture and renewable and clean energy sectors, with a focus on improving incomes and employment for rural and marginalized groups. AECF is a non-profit organization, with headquarters in Nairobi and operational centers in Nigeria, Somalia, Tanzania, Mozambique, South Sudan, and Côte d’Ivoire.

Launched in 2008, AECF has contributed to the livelihood resilience of rural and marginalized communities by catalyzing innovative private sector business models with patient capital and growth support services across Sub-Saharan Africa. AECF has raised and deployed US$ 392 million to date, providing catalytic funding to enterprises in 26 countries in sub-Saharan Africa by investing in businesses that struggle to meet traditional risk-return standards for commercial investors.

The IIW-Nigeria Programme seeks to transform the roles of women operating in various agricultural value chains in Kano State, Nigeria, to increase incomes, improve climate resilience and transform livelihoods. The target will be businesses and cooperatives operating in the agricultural value chains that demonstrate high impact for women.

The programme seeks to:

  1. Improved business performance of climate smart, women owned/led SMEs and Cooperatives and sustainability of investees initiatives.
  2. Increased access to economic opportunities for women in climate-smart agriculture value chains in Kano state.
  3. Improved enabling environment and reduced systemic gender inequalities that women entrepreneurs and farmers face.

Scope of Work
Under the overall supervision of the Programme Manager and in close consultation with the Programme Officers, the Advisory Firm will undertake the following activities:

  • Undertake an initial eligibility screening of women cooperatives interested in joining the competition based on the eligibility criteria set by AECF and create a shortlist of a maximum of 150 cooperatives
  • Provide technical support to the women cooperatives (endorsed by AECF to proceed to the concept stage) to conceptualize their ideas and develop concept notes for their ventures and upload on to the AECF online competition portal.
  • Provide technical support to shortlisted cooperatives to prepare their detailed business plans and upload the plans on to the online competition portal.
  • Assist in educating the women cooperative groups on how to institute governance structures and frameworks to make the cooperatives viable and attractive for future grants and funding.

Proposal Submission
Qualified business advisory firms are invited to submit the following:

  1. Up to date profile of firm outlining areas of expertise/experience as outlined in the qualifications section above.
  2. Up-to-date CVs of staff /associates dedicated to the project.
  3. List of similar assignments undertaken in the past, including assignments in Kano, Nigeriawhere applicable
  4. Maximum of 2 pages outlining the proposed methodology to deliver the assignment.
  5. Copies of professional certificates for the firm or associates if applicable
  6. References from two clients served related to the outlined areas of experience.
  7. As per the Evaluation criteria
  8. Financial and Technical proposal MUST be submitted as separate documents.
  9. Finacial proposal to be submitted in USD.

Interested consultants are requested to submit their technical and financial proposal to aecfprocurement@aecfafrica.org by 26th May,2024, 5pm (EAT).

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