Deadline: 4-Nov-24
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is inviting proposals from non-profit organisations (including UN agencies) to strengthen innovation and technology across West Africa, in close partnership with country Governments.
The Sankore call for proposals will support the UK government’s partnership with governments in Nigeria and Ghana on science, technology and innovation, facilitate commercialization of innovative solutions, improve innovation policy and enhance government digital service delivery.
Objectives
- The objective of this call for proposals (CfP) is to award an non-profit organisation (including UN Agencies) registered in either Ghana or Nigeria. The organisation(s) will be identified through this CfP, and will lead the delivery of the entire project (i.e. as Lead Implementing Partner). This is a non-contractual process and will follow the FCDO approach to Accountable Grants.
- The Lead Implementing Partner will be responsible for the project delivery, but is free to select their team of downstream partners. Downstream partners may be based in West Africa or internationally. As such, the Lead Implementing Partner is expected to manage and coordinate all the activities of the downstream partners, manage, and mitigate all related risks and issues, and ensure the effective delivery of project results.
Funding Information
- Funding available for this project will be up to £1.9 million.
- The project will run for 12-15 months.
Eligible Projects
- The following headings form the technical framework for the CfP:
- Support the UK Government’s partnership with Government in Ghana and Nigeria on Science, Technology and Innovation:
- The UK and Ghana have signed a bilateral MoU and strategy (executive summary included as an Annex A). They seek proposals for support to Operationalise the UK-Ghana Science Technology and Innovation Strategy. This support should include helping establish the oversight committee and supporting priority activities. Further, to provide dedicated technical support for the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation (MESTI) to deliver the Government of Ghana commitments and allocate 0.5 GNI to R&D through a Research Fund.
- Support the UK’s work in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology (FMIST) in Nigeria. This should include a review of existing UK-Nigeria partnerships, which could form the basis of a bilateral strategy. Support the Ministry’s plans to establish a National Research Fund.
- Work with MESTI and FMIST to facilitate the commercialization of innovative solutions in priority economic sectors e.g. agriculture, energy that have the potential to drive economic growth, and support value addition processes that enable the outputs to meet local, regional and international quality standards and good manufacturing practices to enable business development.
- Improving the innovation and/or technology policy and regulatory environment in Nigeria or Ghana, in partnership with FMIST and MESTI.
- Strengthen Government Digital Delivery Services in Nigeria and Ghana and enhance the capacity of public sector institutions to leverage digital technologies for efficient and transparent governance. The project will require implementing a mechanism to review existing service delivery frameworks, collaboratively design a service delivery model, and deliver a digital service delivery pilot or sandbox in collaboration with the relevant regulatory agencies and selected Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government.
- Develop a demand responsive helpdesk to support technology and innovation systems strengthening projects (between £10K-£100K) in partnership with FCDO, responding rapidly and directly to national and regional demand in Nigeria, Ghana, and capacity for French speaking countries in West Africa. This service should include flexible budgeting and ensure that work can be undertaken by the right people, without the need for waiting for procurement or contracting.
- Additional project activity within the scope of the ATIP Business Case, suggested by the organization(s) developing the proposal.
Eligibility Criteria
- They are seeking interest from organisations with:
- A lead implementing partner with the capacity to engage and coordinate
- A diverse range of downstream partners
- A lead implementing partner that is a non-profit organisation (including un agencies) based in Ghana or Nigeria and have deep understanding of local context
- A legally registered entity in Nigeria or Ghana
- Proven experience working with public and private sector stakeholders for innovation systems strengthening and national policy influencing in Ghana and Nigeria
For more information, visit FCDO.