Deadline: 1-Mar-21
The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) has announced a call for proposals for the Capacity Building Services for Entrepreneurship in Sierra Leone.
UNCDF is looking for a registered entities in Sierra Leone to provide enterpreunerial, financial literacy, business management training services to 10,000 enterpreneurs and aspiring enterpreneurs, of which 80% women and 50% youth in Western Region of Sierra Leone, notably the capital Freetown (Western Urban Area), surrounding communities (Western Rural Area) and the three border districts of Kambia, Kailahun, and Peujuhun.
Specifically, the project seeks to support women and youth owned MSMEs with a suite of skills and knowledge to increase their access to financial services and ultimately bring them into the formal economy.
Outcomes
The selected grantee will work together with UNCDF to define a training model and then a set of training modules that can contribute to attain the three outcomes listed below:
- Increased resilience and sustainable income of young (aspiring) women and youth entrepreneurs and their families;
- Increased employability of young women in sustainable and resilient economic sectors
- Increased autonomy, self-reliance and self-confidence of women and youths
Deliverables
The selected applicant or consortium of applicants is expected to be engaged in the activities and attain the deliverables as listed below:
- Designing a training syllabus, manual, modules, and relevant templates that focus on the following topics:
- How to create a business (market assessment, business model canvas, business plan, budget);
- Access to finance. Basics of budgeting, savings and banking, access to loans, guarantees, leasing and other financial instruments;
- Financial management and financial statements;
- Business formalization (developing memorandum and articles of association (M&A), meeting other requirements and registration);
- Provide training, mentoring services and support to 10,000 entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs, out of which at least 80% shall be women and at least 50% youth.
Funding Information
- UNCDF contribution may range up to US$ 100,000.
- The selected projects is expected to have a 12-month duration. Activities are expected to start by April 2021. Final and assessment report will have to be submitted no later 31 March 2022.
Eligibility Criteria
- Entity registration
- The lead applicant must be an entity duly registered and incorporated in Sierra Leone.
- Applicants shall have fullfilled all the obligations relating to the payment of social security contributions or obligations relating to the payment of taxes in accordance with legal provisions in force in the country of incorporation.
- Relevant operation licenses (when applicable)
- The lead applicant must have at least two years of operations in Sierra Leone.
- The lead applicant must have audited financial statements/ financial report for at least the past two years (2019, 2018)
- Consortiums
- Applicants may apply only once under this RFA, whether independently or in a consortium.
- Joint applications between market players in Sierra Leone are encouraged if the solution proposed will expand delivery network of the training services and promote rural and/or other last-mile access to youth entrepreneurs
- The lead applicant’ partners must be registered entities with at least one year of operations.
For more information, visit https://www.uncdf.org/article/6485/rfa-capacity-building-services-for-enterpreneurship-in-sierra-leone