Deadline: 20-Mar-23
The European Commission (EC) is offering grants to support the creation, expansion and diversification of formal enterprises in the regions of Niamey, Maradi and Agadez.
This program is the first implementation action of the TEI 2 # NigerGénérationsFutures . It aims to create opportunities for all young people (women and men) who are growing in number, especially girls and women, through a program combining investment in human capital and skills development (through primary education , secondary and technical and vocational education); access to credit (guarantees, lines of credit dedicated to key themes); and targeted investments in poles with growth potential and promising agricultural value chains, including in terms of nutrition, as part of the green, inclusive and sustainable agri-food systems approach. Finally, the modern agricultural sector is very underdeveloped, despite the potential of a number of sectors.
This call for proposals has the general objective of: Contributing to the development of an economic fabric, formal and decent employment in areas of opportunity, particularly in growth economic sectors
This call for proposals has the following specific objectives :
- OS 1: Support the creation, expansion and diversification of formal businesses and decent jobs in promising and sustainable business sectors of Very Small, Small and Medium Enterprises ( VSEs , SMEs )
- SO 2: Support and strengthen the skills and development in Niger of support structures for the Nigerien private sector
Priorities
- This call for proposals has the following priority(ies):
- Strengthen the entrepreneurial and management capacities of existing and emerging VSMEs in the regions of Niamey, Maradi and Agadez
- Strengthen the professional, economic and technical capacities of existing and emerging VSMEs in growth sectors (construction, green energy, the processing industry, agro – sylvo -pastoral sectors (agri-food / cosmetics / parapharmacy), new jobs information and communication technologies, digital, private education and the green and circular economy) in the regions of Niamey, Maradi and Agadez
- Improved access to financing for VSMEs including seed funds
- Strengthen the skills of private sector support structures in Niger, including their role in structuring the interests of VSMEs on themes related to improving the business climate and growth sectors in the regions of Niamey, Maradi and Agadez.
Funding Information
- The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 8,000,000. The Contracting Authority reserves the right not to allocate all available funds.
- Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
- Minimum amount: EUR 2 million
- Maximum amount: EUR 4m
- Duration: The initial planned duration of an action may not be less than 36 months nor exceed 70 months.
Eligibility Criteria
- To be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
- Be a legal person and
- Belong to one of the following categories of organizations: association, non-governmental organization, public institution, private sector operator, and
- Be established in the Republic of Niger for at least four years on the date of submission of the proposal or be established in a Member State of the European Union, the countries of the European Economic Area, the beneficiary countries of IPA II , developing countries and territories (on the OECD DAC list of ODA recipients) that are not members of the G20, overseas countries and territories (OCTs) covered by the Council Decision 2013/755/EU of 25 November 2013 on the association of the overseas countries and territories with the European Union, the Member States of the OECD; on the sole condition of an application with co-applicants established in the Republic of Niger for at least three years at the date of submission of the proposal; and
- Be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and the affiliated entity or entities, and not act as an intermediary; and
- This obligation does not apply to international organizations and
- Be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and the affiliated entity or entities, and not act as an intermediary
- Co-applicant(s)
- Co-applicants take part in drawing up and implementing the action, and the costs they incur are eligible in the same way as those borne by the lead applicant.
- Co-applicants must meet the same eligibility criteria as apply to the lead applicant itself.
- Co-applicants must sign the mandate.
- If the grant contract is awarded to them, any co-applicants become beneficiaries within the framework of the action (together with the coordinator).
- In addition, please note that contracts cannot be awarded to or signed with applicants on the EU restrictive measures lists.
- Affiliated Entities
- The lead applicant and its co-applicant(s) may act with one or more affiliated entities. Only the following entities can be considered affiliated to the lead applicant and/or co-applicant(s):
- Only entities that have a structural link with the applicants (the lead applicant or a co-applicant), in particular a legal or capital link.
- This structural link mainly encompasses two notions:
- Auditing, within the meaning of Directive 2013/34/EU on annual financial statements, consolidated financial statements and related reports of certain types of undertakings:
- Entities affiliated with an applicant can therefore be:
- Controlled directly or indirectly by the applicant (subsidiaries or first-tier subsidiaries) or controlled by an entity itself controlled by the applicant (sub-subsidiaries or second-tier subsidiaries). The is valid for the other control levels;
- Entities directly or indirectly controlling the applicant (parent companies) . Similarly, they may be entities controlling an entity controlling the applicant;
- With the same level of direct or indirect control as the applicant (sister companies).
- Membership, i.e. the applicant is legally defined as, for example, a network, federation or association of which the proposed affiliated entities are members, or the applicant is a member of the same entity (for example, a network, federation or association) that the proposed affiliated entities.
- The lead applicant and its co-applicant(s) may act with one or more affiliated entities. Only the following entities can be considered affiliated to the lead applicant and/or co-applicant(s):
For more information, visit EC.