Youth and Women Entrepreneurship and SME Development Lusophone Compact Facility Project (Guinea Bissau)

The project aims to enhance business enabling environment, build capacities of strategic institutions for enhanced delivery services to the private sector stakeholders, and improve access to finance for SMEs. For this Phase I, the project interventions focus on entrepreneurship skills development for youth and women, development of growth-oriented and economic viable SMEs, and establishment of a financing facility for SME’s access to finance.

The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) is an international organization that works as a solutions broker to catalyze action and support for adaptation solutions, from the international to the local, in partnership with the public and private sector, to ensure they learn from each other and work together for a climate resilient future.

Objectives

• The specific development objectives are:
  • creating an enabling environment for youth and women-owned/led businesses (start-ups and existing SMEs) to thrive,
  • enhancing youth and women entrepreneurship skills and Enterprise Support Organizations’ operational capacities for business development sustainability,
  • establishing a financing facility and a guarantee facility (seeding from the Lusophone Compact Guarantee) for access to finance and development of SMEs, and
  • easing access to markets through business to business linkages between SMEs and large size enterprises and developing a digital marketplace platform.
• Objective of the Assignment: The projects will train 2250 women and youth on entrepreneurship and business development in Guinea Bissau. They are seeking an experienced consulting firm to provide training in management and scaling up of adaptation businesses to project beneficiaries.

Scope

• The scope of services to be performed are as follows:
  • Needs Assessment: conduct a comprehensive needs assessment that can help in understanding the specific challenges and knowledge gaps faced by the youth and youth-led enterprises. This assessment can be performed by consulting with the relevant stakeholders and conducting surveys and data collection in order to identify the areas where capacity building is most required.
  • Stakeholder Engagement: Engage with youth-led enterprises, relevant Government agencies, agriculture associations, and other stakeholders to ensure that the training program is aligned with their needs and priorities.
  • Curriculum Development: Develop a comprehensive training curriculum that addresses the identified needs in the value chain. The curriculum should cover topics such as climate-smart agriculture practices, risk management, sustainable resource use, and business resilience.
  • Training Materials and Resources: Create or compile training materials, resources, and tools that will be used during the capacity-building program. Ensure that these materials are accessible and user-friendly for the target audience.
  • Trainers and Facilitators: Recruit or train experienced facilitators who can effectively deliver the training modules. These trainers should have a strong understanding of climate adaptation
  • Training: Conduct training program with targeted youth-led enterprises.
  • Monitoring and Evaluation: Implement a robust monitoring and evaluation system to track the impact of the training. Assess the knowledge and skills gained, as well as the application of learning in real-world scenarios.

Eligibility Criteria

• Qualifications (Firm):
  • At least 10 years of proven experience in conducting trainings in climate change and adaptation for youth led enterprises preferably in Guinea Bissau with a focus on climate change, adaptation, green jobs, gender inclusion, and skills for the future.
  • At least 10 years of delivering and working on impactful climate change related projects or assignments for Multi-Lateral Development Banks(MDBs), Government Agencies and International Development Institutions (IDIs).
  • Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of the Guinea Bissau market context and familiarity with the relevant policies, strategies, and frameworks.
  • The consultant should possess a deep and demonstrable expertise in the field of climate change and sustainability with a proven track record of successfully providing training that addresses climate change challenges. And also showcase a comprehensive understanding of global climate change frameworks, protocols, and agreements, including but not limited to the Paris Agreement, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and international climate policies.
  • Excellent report writing and presentation skills, and ability to produce high-quality and evidence-based outputs and deliverables, in English and Portuguese languages.
  • Strong communication and facilitation skills, and ability to engage and consult with a wide range of stakeholders, and to incorporate their feedback and inputs into the training contents.
  • High level of professionalism, integrity, and ethical standards.

For more information, visit Global Center on Adaptation.