Avis d’appel d’offre pour le projet de développement du contenu et lancement de l’atelier de formation à l’entreprenariat de l’Action financière positive pour les femmes en Afrique, Côte d’Ivoire

Avis d’appel d’offre pour le projet de développement du contenu et lancement de l’atelier de formation à l’entreprenariat de l’Action financière positive pour les femmes en Afrique, Côte d’Ivoire

 

Request for Expression of Interest

AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK GROUP

Avenue Joseph Anoma, 01 BP 1387 Abidjan 01, Côte d’Ivoire

AFFIRMATIVE FINANCE ACTION FOR WOMEN IN AFRICA (AFAWA)

Consultancy services : AFAWA Entrepreneurship Bootcamp

1. The African Development Bank Group (the Bank) hereby invites Consulting Firms to indicate their interest in the following assignment: Content Development and Launch of the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) Entrepreneurship Bootcamp henceforth “the assignment” ;

2. AFAWA¹ is a pan African Initiative deployed across the African continent to enhance gender inclusive financing and unlock the entrepreneurial potential of women. Through AFAWA, the Bank Group aims to bridge the $42 billion financing gap facing women businesses by developing different types of financing mechanisms to increase the profile and bankability of women entrepreneurs on the continent ;

3. In rolling out this Initiative, AFAWA plans to enhance demystify the process of entrepreneurship and the process to access financing. AFAWA will also through the process promote female entrepreneurs role models for inspiring future generation across the continent and fighting against cultural stereotypes. Indeed, raising the visibility of women in every economic sector is vital to empowering women and achieving gender parity. Hearing success stories of women entrepreneurs and growing their businesses can embolden other women to be bold and more daring when it comes to tackling the world of finance. When women see other women confidently embracing their strengths and defying stereotypes, and more importantly accessing finance it encourages them to dare and to embark on the journey to formally establishing themselves and to scaling up ;

4. As AFAWA changes the narrative, there is a need to promote female businesses benefiting from the Initiative as well as partner financial institutions that are contributing to shape and change Africa’s future. The annual AFAWA Entrepreneurship Bootcamp (the Bootcamp) aims to strengthen the African women entrepreneur ecosystem by telling their stories, create more role models, inspire young generation and showcase the power of financial institutions in the growth and sustainability of Women SMEs. The Bootcamp will reflect the impact of the AFAWA Initiative on beneficiaries and showcase how the African banking sector is adapting to changing times, paving the road ahead to unlock even more entrepreneurial talents and financial support for women businesses in Africa ;

5. During the Bootcamp, women entrepreneurs will engage with experts, share with successful female entrepreneurs and learn how to grow their businesses. The AFAWA partner financial institutions will be closely engaged in the selection process of the women entrepreneurs and contribute to the success of the Bootcamp through their involvement in the training. This is an opportunity to create a strong AFAWA community with the AFAWA partner financial AFAWA aims to unlock USD 5 billion of financing for women entrepreneurs in Africa by 2026 through 3 pillars: boosting access to finance, providing technical assistance to financial institutions and women business owners; and improving the enabling environment for women’s SMEs. For more information : https://www.afdb.org/en/topics-and-sectors/initiatives-partnerships/afawa-affirmative-finance-action-women-africa institutions and female entrepreneurs across the continent as key actors uniquely positioned to advise other women entrepreneurs on their entrepreneurship journey, widely communicate on the Initiative and spread the entrepreneurial spirit among communities ;

6. The AFAWA Entrepreneurship Bootcamp will consist of an intense 5-day training to support women entrepreneurs to access the relevant set of skills to successfully positioned themselves for a potential loan/investment which will enable them to take their business to the next level. Partner financial institutions will also participate in the training with the objective to hear from women entrepreneurs, their challenges and explore opportunities to improve their services to women SMEs. The content of the Bootcamp will be tailored to the African context and developed in close collaboration with the AFAWA team, the African Guarantee Fund and field experts to meet the needs of women entrepreneurs ;

7. The Bootcamp will end with a high-level international conference on women’s access to finance to celebrate AFAWA women entrepreneurs, AFAWA partners and gather key stakeholders across the continent. The height of the conference will the award ceremony to reveal the top AFAWA Women Entrepreneurs of the Year as a result of the bootcamp and finance competition ;
8. All AFAWA partners, especially the African Guarantee Fund (AGF) and partner financial institutions, will be mobilized to ensure appropriate participation and applications of women entrepreneurs. Partnerships will be developed to support the organization of the bootcamp and the conference with the identification of co-hosting partners and others ;

9. The assignment is expected to include the following activities :

• Content development of the AFAWA Entrepreneurship Bootcamp : The firm will develop the content of the Bootcamp that should be innovative, interactive, hands-on and tailored made for AFAWA women entrepreneurs. The content should be adapted to the AFAWA Initiative and include the participation of the AFAWA partner financial institutions. The firm will also propose an action plan to develop, coordinate and manage an ‘AFAWA Community’, an interactive network that includes the AFAWA women entrepreneurs awarded by the Bootcamp, AFAWA partner financial institutions and relevant key stakeholders ;

• Communication : A communication campaign will be launched starting May/June 2022 to boost the visibility of the Bootcamp, ensure participation of women entrepreneurs and attract key media outlets. The firm will also suggest the development of communication material to ensure appropriate engagement ;

• Call for applications : The firm, in close collaboration with the AFAWA team and the AFAWA partner financial institutions, will shape the call for applications to select women entrepreneurs participating in the Bootcamp. Criteria for selection will be established. Geographical and sectoral coverage will be taken into consideration in the selection of women entrepreneurs ;

• Organization of the Bootcamp and the International Conference: The firm will ensure the organization of the Bootcamp, including the award ceremony, and the international conference on women access to finance, in close collaboration with the AFAWA team.

10. The Bootcamp will take place in Q4 2022 in a hybrid format, depending on the global health situation. The table below presents the proposed timeline for the activities :

May to August 2022	Launch of the communication campaign on the AFAWA
	Entrepreneurship Bootcamp
5th September 2022	Launch of the call for applications
30th September 2022	Deadline for applications
7th November 2022	Announced of the selected women entrepreneurs
5th – 9th December 2022	AFAWA Entrepreneurship Bootcamp (5 days)
8th – 9th December 2022	International Conference on Women Access to Finance
9th December 2022	Award Ceremony

11. AFAWA will provide guidance and ensure adherence to standards and quality control at all stages of the assessment and will also be involved in missions where possible. AFAWA will work with other departments within the Bank to review the work submitted by the firm. It is anticipated that a Request for Proposals (RfP) will be issued in March 2022, with contracting of the Firm and commencement of activities in April 2022. A detailed timeframe for the assessment highlighting the activities and completion dates will be included in the RfP ;

12. AFAWA invites consulting firms to indicate their interest in providing the required services. Interested consulting firms shall provide information on their qualifications and experience demonstrating their ability to provide the services (documentation, references for similar services, experience in comparable assignments, availability of qualified staff including CVs of proposed team members, etc.). Eligible firms shall be shortlisted and invited to submit proposals for final consideration ;

13. The firm should be able to bring together a range of expertise relevant for the assignment– including robust Gender and subject matter specialists – and providing an experienced assessment Team Leader, preferably one who is conversant with working in English and French. Details of the profiles of the firm, the team leader and other assessment team members will be outlined in the expression of interest. Firms should also note that the Bank covers the whole continent and therefore, constitute teams that can work in English or French primarily, but also other associated languages for RMCs involved in the assessment, in particular the case studies ;

14. The eligibility criteria, the establishment of a short-list and the selection procedure shall be in conformity with the Bank’s Rules and Procedure for the Use of Consultants available on the Bank Website at http://www.afdb.org. Please note that interest expressed by a Consulting Firm does not imply any obligation on the part of the Bank to include it in the shortlist. AFAWA reserves the right to adjust the scope and details of the assignment described here, in the Request for Proposals ;

15. The estimated duration of services is 9 (nine) months, and the estimated starting date will be in April 2022 with a completion date in December 2022 ;

16. Interested consultants may obtain further information at the address below during the Bank’s working hours (09:00 to 17:00) ;

17. Expressions of interest must be received at the address below no later than on Friday 25 March 2022 and specifically mention: AFAWA Entrepreneurship Bootcamp ;

18. Expressions of interest should be written in either English or French. For the attention of: Mrs. Roseline Sanon, Team Assistant (r.sanon@afdb.org) and Mrs. Morgane Breuil, Senior Program Officer, Gender, Women empowerment, and Civil society Department, (m.breuil@afdb.org), African Development Bank Group, 01 BP 1387 Abidjan 01, Abidjan Côte d’Ivoire.