Deadline: 20-Sep-20
The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) has announced a call for proposals for innovative digital solutions for MSME resilience in the context of COVID 19 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In line with the coordinated United Nations efforts to address the COVID-19 pandemic, UNCDF supports Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and other countries in need through its core mandate of building stable local economies and resilient. Through a range of technical skills and investment instruments, the agency aims to reduce and limit the economic and social difficulties of the poorest communities.
The following non-exhaustive list of solutions corresponds to the objective of this call for applications:
- Online shops for MSMEs (transition to e-commerce);
- Home delivery package services for MSMEs;
- Digital platform to provide instant lines of credit to DFS agents, super agents and merchants;
- Home withdrawal / withdrawal services;
- Electronic pre-sales vouchers for MSMEs;
- Assistance to MSMEs to switch to acceptance of electronic money (transition to DFS traders);
- Mobile income protection insurance for MSMEs;
- Electronic salary payments.
Funding Information
- Financial assistance will reach a maximum of USD 100,000.
In the context of COVID-19, and in times of uncertainty as to the duration and extent of the duration of this unprecedented health crisis and the need to comply with the barrier measures recommended by the WHO to break the chain of contamination, UNCDF and UNDP DRC are collaborating with private sector actors in Congo, leveraging digital technologies to help MSMEs to:
- Streamline their existing distribution channels;
- Optimize their inventory management;
- Create online and home distribution channels;
- Integrate digital payments; and
- Leverage other digital solutions and applications for greater efficiency and revenue generation.
These solutions will allow MSMEs to maintain their activities during / and after the period of crisis and prepare them to better exploit the opportunities in the “post-COVID-19 digital economies”.
Eligibility Criteria
- In accordance with the priority area of application, the applicant must be properly constituted and registered in the Democratic Republic of Congo;
- The applicant must operate in the Democratic Republic of Congo for at least one year;
- Applicants must have at least a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) or a fully fledged product on the market that solves the problem statement;
- The candidate must have audited financial statements for at least the last year;
- Not to be in a state of repair or to have been the subject of bankruptcy, liquidation, settlement judicial, safeguard, cessation of activity or any other similar situation resulting from a similar procedure;
- Not appearing on the UN financial sanctions list, particularly in the fight against financing of terrorism and against threats to international peace and security;
- Have fulfilled obligations relating to the payment of social security contributions or obligations relating to the payment of taxes in accordance with the legal provisions in force in the Republic Democratic of the Congo;
For more information, visit https://bit.ly/3kmPJvv