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Tenders are invited for Terms of Reference Consultancy Services for the Development, Validation and Delivery of Climate-Smart Agriculture, Climate Risk Management and Financial Literacy Training in Benin and Burkina Faso The AECF, LLC (Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund) is a leading non-profit development organization that supports innovative enterprises in the agribusiness and renewable energy sectors, with the aim of reducing rural poverty, promoting climate-resilient communities, and creating jobs. We catalyze the private sector by surfacing and commercializing new ideas, business models and technologies designed to increase agricultural productivity, improve farmer incomes, expand access to clean energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and strengthen resilience to the effects of climate change. We finance high-risk businesses that struggle to access commercial funding; we are committed to working in frontier markets, fragile contexts, and high-risk economies where few mainstream financial institutions dare to venture. We also focus on the most vulnerable, including women, youth, and people living in fragile contexts. To date, we have supported over 698 businesses in 26 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa, improved the living conditions of more than 36 million people, and created over 38,000 direct jobs. AECF is headquartered in Kenya and has offices in Benin, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Somalia and Tanzania. 2. About Women ADAPT Women ADAPT Catalyzing Women-Focused Climate-Smart Investments through Climate Adaptation Technologies and Climate Resilience Services is a 24-month project funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and executed by AECF in Benin and Burkina Faso. The project strengthens the climate resilience of women-led enterprises, cooperatives and smallholder farmers in agricultural value chains by improving their access to climate-smart technologies, tailored financial services and climate information. It is delivered through four components: digital access to climate information and markets; capacity strengthening and knowledge generation for climate-smart agriculture (CSA); integration of climate risk management into the operations of microfinance institutions, cooperatives and MSMEs; and monitoring and strategic impact evaluation. Women ADAPT builds on AECFs Investing in Women in Benin and Burkina Faso programme (IIW-B&BF), a six-year gender transformation and economic inclusion programme funded by Global Affairs Canada, already active with women-led MSMEs, cooperatives and financial institutions in agricultural value chains. Where IIW-B&BF provides catalytic finance and general business support, Women ADAPT adds the climate adaptation layer: digital climate information, targeted CSA subsidies, and climate risk integration into the operations of financial partners. Under Component 1, the project is deploying a digital platform with a CSA knowledge hub and mobile channels (SMS, voice, app). Workshops are an important starting point, but the project also wants women to keep receiving short, regular reminders of the key CSA messages after the training. The training content developed under this assignment will therefore be integrated into the platform, and the firm will design it so that it can be turned into short digital content and periodic messages. 3. About the Assignment This assignment falls under Component 2 of Women ADAPT Capacity Strengthening and Knowledge Generation for Climate-Smart Agriculture and will deliver Outputs 2.1.1 and 2.1.2. A single qualified firm or consortium will be responsible for the full training cycle: needs assessment and curriculum design; development of practical training modules and facilitator tools; technical validation and user pre-testing; adaptation for low-literacy and digital use; and delivery of the validated training to project beneficiaries in Benin and Burkina Faso. The curriculum must be practical, field-oriented, and tailored to the agricultural value chains and business models of participating IIW enterprises and cooperatives, from production and aggregation to processing and market access. It must reflect the different agro-ecological and climate-risk contexts of Benin and Burkina Faso and be usable with mixed audiences ranging from women smallholder farmers with limited formal education to cooperative leaders, MSME staff, agronomists, extension agents and MFI officers. Indicative value chains include shea, rice, cassava, soybean, poultry and pineapple, among others represented in the IIW portfolio. AECF will provide the final list of participating enterprises, cooperatives, locations and priority value chains at inception. The firm will use this information, together with rapid training-needs and climate-risk assessment, to tailor the modules and practical examples by country, geography, value chain and participant profile. The curriculum will underpin at least eight capacity-building workshops and at least 500 direct trainees under Output 2.1.2. These direct trainees are distinct from the wider number of women expected to benefit through the projects cascade approach, participating institutions and digital platform. Completion and AECF validation of the core curriculum is a prerequisite for full training rollout. Overall Objective: To strengthen the capacity of women-led MSMEs, cooperatives, women smallholder farmers and the institutions that support them to understand climate risks, adopt and promote context-appropriate climate-smart agriculture practices and technologies, make informed financial and business decisions, and integrate climate resilience into their operations and investment choices. Specific Objectives: Develop and validate a modular, gender-responsive and field-ready training curriculum covering climate change and climate risk, locally appropriate CSA practices and technologies, climate-informed planning, financial literacy and business resilience, and relevant environmental and social safeguards. Produce facilitator manuals, participant materials, practical tools, case studies, visual aids and assessment instruments in French, and in at least one relevant local language per country, designed for low-literacy audiences and for reuse by AECF, extension services and participating institutions. Deliver at least eight intensive capacity-building workshops (minimum four per country) using the validated curriculum, reaching at least 500 direct participants in total, with at least 50% women and at least 20% youth, and establish a practical cascade mechanism to extend key messages beyond direct workshop participants. Propose and implement a sustainability and handover plan so that the curriculum continues to be used after the project ends. 4. Scope of Work This assignment is structured in two sequential steps: Step 1 is the development and technical validation of the CSA curriculum. Step 2 is the delivery of training to beneficiaries using that validated curriculum. The firm engaged under this ToR is responsible for both steps. 4.1. Target Beneficiaries and Participants Participants will be drawn primarily from the women-led MSMEs, cooperatives and women smallholder farmers already supported through AECFs Investing in Women in Benin and Burkina Faso (IIW-B&BF) programme, together with the agronomists, extension workers and MFI officers directly supporting those IIW partners. AECF will confirm the beneficiary institutions, participant lists and locations in consultation with the firm. Primary participants: women-led MSME owners/managers and relevant staff, cooperative leaders, lead farmers and women smallholder farmers linked to participating IIW enterprises and cooperatives across the targeted agricultural value chains. Secondary participants: agronomists, extension workers and officers from participating or relevant local MFIs who provide technical or financial services to the targeted IIW enterprises, cooperatives and farmers. Workshops will be organized in accessible rural hubs serving the participating IIW beneficiary clusters and, where possible, in agro-ecological zones exposed to significant climate hazards. Locations will be agreed with AECF based on the geographic distribution of IIW partners, climate vulnerability, accessibility and cost-effectiveness. The assignment is not expected to recruit beneficiaries outside the Women ADAPT/IIW target group solely to meet participant numbers. Tender Link : https://www.aecfafrica.org/about-us/opportunities/
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