MENNONITE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATES (MEDA)
CALL FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
TO CONDUCT BUSINESS SUPPORT SERVICES FOR WOMEN AND YOUTH ENTREPRENEURS and SMALL-SCALE BUSINESSES IN BAUCHI STATE
1. BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE
Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) is an international economic development organization whose mission is to create business solutions to poverty. The Youth Entrepreneurship and
Women’s Empowerment in Northern Nigeria (Nigeria WAY) is a five-year project which seeks to assist economically active women and youth to increase their income in agro-processing in the rice, soybean and groundnuts value chains. In addition, the project works with communities and families to improve the environment where girls grow up and become economically active.
Purpose of the Expression of Interest
In pursuit of the objective of the Nigeria WAY project, MEDA Nigeria wishes to support women owned businesses and entrepreneurs in the rice, groundnuts and soybean value chains to achieve the following:
i. Increase business knowledge, skills and confidence of women and youth entrepreneurs
ii. Nurture entrepreneurial skills in enterprising women and youth through training, exposure and mentorship
iii. Strengthen the awareness and technical capacity of women and youth entrepreneurs to ensure that they benefit from business support services
iv. Support business growth and diversification while exploring options and opportunities that are embedded within the enterprise
2. The purpose of this call for expressions of interest is to identify consulting firms or consultants who can work in Bauchi state to support WAY in the development and delivery of business development services for businesses in three value chains of soybean, rice and groundnuts in Bauchi state. This business development service which Nigeria WAY seeks include any activity along the value chain that increases value of a specific commodity for a business owner or entrepreneur and are not limited to the following services;
i. Business skills, access to finances through commercial banks and MFIs;
ii. Post-harvest management including sorting, cleaning, storage, and aggregation skills;
iii. Effective storage of different primary or processed commodities;
iv. Food and health safety requirements for the processing of commodities;
v. Packaging of various commodities – groundnuts, soybean and rice;
vi. Branding and marketing of these commodities;
vii. Regulatory standardization by the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) and NAFDAC regulations; and viii. Other business development services as identified.
a. Basic business management skills
This module would constitute training in business management and marketing aimed at increasing women’s capacities in goal setting, business planning, book-keeping and accounting, costing and pricing, marketing and sales, customer relationship management, branding and packaging.
b. Entrepreneurship development training skills
Training in entrepreneurship development skills with the aim of providing women and youth with an overview of what being an entrepreneur is, how to develop a business idea and draft a business plan, as well as develop their business and interpersonal skills. This training will include concepts of business incorporations, modalities for accessing credit and similar requirement for business growth, cashflow management, calculating profits and loss, branding, packaging etc.
c. Agro-processing skills training
The consultants will conduct training with Entrepreneurs and Small-Scale Business owners on modalities and strategies of improving their agro-processing businesses along the Nigeria WAY value chains. This will include a self-assessment by the EN or SSB on the nature of their business, establishing a vision for growth of their business, training on Quality Assessment and Quality Control (QAQC), Product Standardization and Compliance, Branding and Packaging, Health Safety and Environment. Linkages to appropriate companies that can provide the above-mentioned services
d. Group Dynamics training
Training of 900 ENs in group dynamics and collective action for successful entrepreneurship, decisionmaking and management skills. The training will also promote knowledge of basic life skills among the women entrepreneurs, including critical thinking, problem-solving and conflict management skills, self-esteem, creative thinking, interpersonal relations, marketing and negotiating skills, networking and effective communication skills environmental stewardship and gender equality mainstreaming. These skills will be promoted as cross-cutting focus areas during the training and coaching.
