Deadline: 30 April 2020
The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) is seeking applications for Innovative digital solutions for the resilience of MSMEs under COVID 19 context in Ghana.
The current Request for Application is framed under the workstream “inclusive innovation” and focuses on the six categories of digital services: (i) finance, (ii) agriculture, (iii) energy, (iv) education, (v) health and (vi) transport. Under this workstream, UNCDF will support local entrepreneurs and MSMEs to build inclusive digital services for the local economy, making sure that the value offered by digital services improves the livelihoods of those living within the market and is not spirited away by global platform providers.
In the COVID-19 context, and times of uncertainty about the duration and extent of confinement measures, UNCDF is looking forward to collaborating with private sector actors in Ghana, leveraging the power of digital technologies (applied to finance or not) to help MSMEs to:
- streamline their existing distribution channels,
- optimize their stock management,
- build online and home delivery distribution channels,
- integrate digital payments, and
- leverage other digital solutions and apps for better efficiency and revenue generation.
Those solutions will allow MSMEs to sustain lower levels of activity during the confinement period and prepare them to better exploit opportunities in the “post-COVID 19 digital economies”.
The non-exhaustive following list of solutions would fit the objective of this CFA:
- Online shops for MSMEs (transition to e-commerce)
- Home delivery pack services for MSMEs
- Digital platform to provide instant credit lines to DFS agents, super agents and merchants
- Home Cash-in/cash-out services
- Pre-sales e-vouchers for MSMEs
- Assistance to MSMEs to transit to e-money acceptance (transition to DFS merchants)
- Income protection mobile insurance for MSMEs
- Salary payments via electronic means
UNCDF intends to select 1 to 3 solution providers that can prove their abilities to quickly scaleup their solutions to address a significant number of formal or informal MSMEs, achieve short term results, and document their achievements.
Funding Information
The available budget can range from US$ 10,000 to US$ 200,000 depending on the maturity of the solutions, the innovativeness of the solution proposed, the potential impact on number of MSMEs improved, the capacity of the applicant to manage the grant and/or the technical assistance.
- UNCDF will provide a contribution between US$ 10,000 to US$ 30,000 in grant and/or technical assistance services to the selected applicants that have completed a Market Size/Competitive Analysis (Total Available Market, Serviceable Available Market, Serviceable Obtainable Market Study), have terminated the analysis of the problem statement and validated the potential solution through market researches, consumer test and low-fidelity minimum viable products.
- UNCDF will provide a contribution between US$ 30,000 to US$ 50,000 in grant and/or technical assistance services to the selected applicants that have already tested and validated the MVP and or services and they are validating their revenue models.
- UNCDF will provide a contribution between US$ 30,000 to US$ 200,000 in grant and/or technical assistance services to the selected applicants that have completed a Market Size/Competitive Analysis (TAM, SAM, SOM Study), have prototyped High-Fidelity Minimum Viable Product, Validated Value Delivery (Left Side of Canvas), identify and Validate Metrics That Matter.
Duration
The maximum date for the full project completion is December 31st, 2020.
Language
The products to be delivered, as well as all related correspondence exchanged by the organization and UNCDF, must be written in English.
Eligibility Criteria
- In accordance with the focus area of application, the applicant shall be properly constituted and registered in Ghana;
- The applicant must operate in Ghana for at least one year;
- The applicants must have at least a minimum viable product (MVP) or a full-fledged product in the market that addresses the problem statement;
- The candidate must have audited financial statements for at least the last year;
- Do not be in state of repair or have been the subject of a bankruptcy, liquidation, a legal settlement, a backup, a cessation of activity or any other similar situation arising a similar procedure;
- Do not be on the UN financial sanctions list, particularly in the fight against the financing of terrorism and against the threats to peace and international security;
- Having fulfilled 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 Ghana.
For more information, visit https://www.uncdf.org/article/5561/rfa-innovative-digital-solutions-for-the-resilience-of-msmes-under-covid-19-context-in-ghana