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Tenders are invited for Terms of Reference for Consultancy Services to Support Business Formalization and Provide Financial Education and Entrepreneurship Training for Women Entrepreneurs in the Informal Sector in Benin and Burkina Faso 1.0 About the "Investing in Womens Entrepreneurship for a Greener Economy" Programme in Benin and Burkina Faso (IFEV- B&BF) The "Investing in Womens Entrepreneurship for a Greener Economy" programme in Benin and Burkina Faso (IFEV- B&BF) is a six-year gender-transformative and economic inclusion programme, implemented by AECF with funding from Global Affairs Canada. The programme aims to economically empower women entrepreneurs in sectors with a high positive climate impact, including technological innovation, digital technology, agriculture, production, processing, handicrafts, and trade, in order to remove the barriers that prevent them from growing their businesses. The programme aims to improve the economic participation and resilience of women entrepreneurs in a greener economy in Benin and Burkina Faso. It includes: access to finance for women-owned SMEs, womens cooperatives, and emerging entrepreneurs; capacity building for women SME owners and managers and womens cooperatives to sustainably develop the value chains in which they primarily operate, using climate-adapted approaches; as well as addressing deeply rooted social and cultural resistance hindering womens empowerment at the national, sectoral, and community levels. 2.0 About the Assignment This assignment aims to provide practical, demand-driven support to women entrepreneurs operating in the informal sector in Benin and Burkina Faso, with two integrated objectives: · Assist these women in formalizing their businesses so that they can fully participate in a greener economy. The assignment will consist of personalized support for women entrepreneurs in the administrative, fiscal, and legal procedures necessary for the registration and formalization of their businesses. This support will include advice on the most appropriate legal form (sole proprietorship, cooperative, economic interest group (GIE), limited liability company (SARL) or equivalent), tax identification, social security registration, obtaining sectoral licenses, and compliance with post-registration obligations. · Deliver financial education and entrepreneurship training to strengthen their business management skills. The assignment will design and deliver a structured programme of financial education, business management, and entrepreneurship, adapted to the literacy levels, language skills, and time constraints of women in the informal sector. In this context, AECF is seeking to recruit a highly experienced Service Provider to support business formalization and to design and deliver financial education and entrepreneurship training for women entrepreneurs in the informal sector in Benin and Burkina Faso, under the IIW-B&BF programme. 3.0 Objectives of the Assignment Overall objective: To support women entrepreneurs in the informal sector in Benin and Burkina Faso in the formalization of their businesses and to strengthen their financial and entrepreneurial capacities so that they can participate effectively and sustainably in a greener economy. Specific objectives (Expected results): · Support at least 200 women in the informal sector (at least 100 in Benin and at least 100 in Burkina Faso) in the formalization of their businesses, through advice, accompaniment, and follow-up throughout the administrative, fiscal, and legal registration procedures. · Design and implement a contextualized and gender-sensitive financial education and entrepreneurship programme for women entrepreneurs in the informal sector, adapted to literacy levels, local languages, and the realities of the informal sector. · Reach a cumulative total of at least 7,000 women entrepreneurs in the informal sector (with at least 3,500 in Benin and at least 3,500 in Burkina Faso) through financial education and entrepreneurship training. · Strengthen the practical capacity of trained women to apply financial education and business management skills in their daily operations and to access formal financial services. · Identify and document the main barriers women face in formalizing and participating in the formal economy, and generate practical lessons to inform programme adaptation and policy engagement. · Promote linkages between newly formalized women-led businesses and relevant ecosystem actors, including financial institutions, business development services, public registration authorities, and value chain buyers. 4.0 Scope of Work The assignment will be implemented through a two-phase process comprising programme design, beneficiary identification, and in-country setup, followed by the implementation of formalization support and financial education and entrepreneurship training, with continuous monitoring and post-training accompaniment. 4.1 Phase 1: Programme Design, Beneficiary Identification, and In-Country Setup Under this phase, the Service Provider will set up the assignment in both countries and prepare the tools, partnerships, and curricula required to achieve the stated objectives. The Service Provider shall: · Review relevant programme documents, prior training materials, and existing AECF cohort data on women entrepreneurs in the informal sector in Benin and Burkina Faso, to identify gaps and entry points. · Map the administrative, fiscal, and legal business formalization pathways in Benin and Burkina Faso, including the competent authorities (registration centers, tax administrations, social security bodies, sector regulators), associated costs, timelines, and post-registration obligations. · Identify and establish partnerships with grassroots structures (womens associations, cooperatives, community networks, microfinance institutions, local business development service providers) for beneficiary identification and outreach in both countries. · Profile and segment the target population of women entrepreneurs in the informal sector by sector, location, literacy level, language, business maturity, and reported barriers to formalization. · Design a modular financial education and entrepreneurship curriculum covering at a minimum: basic numeracy and bookkeeping, savings and credit, costing and pricing, business planning, market access and customer relations, digital and mobile financial services, and rights and obligations related to formalization. · Develop participant materials in English, French, and relevant local languages, with visual aids and simplified content for low-literacy participants. · Develop a Training of Trainers (ToT) curriculum and build a pool of local trainers to enable large-scale rollout in both countries. · Develop necessary monitoring and reporting tools to track participants reached, businesses formalized, training completion rates, and post-training application of skills, in line with the monitoring framework requirements of the IIW-B&BF programme. 4.2 Phase 2: Implementation of Formalization Support, Financial Education, and Entrepreneurship Training Under this phase, the Service Provider will deliver formalization support and training at scale in Benin and Burkina Faso. The Service Provider shall: · Identify, select, and onboard women entrepreneurs from the informal sector for participation in one or both components (formalization and training), using transparent eligibility criteria agreed with AECF. · Provide accompaniment to at least 200 women in Benin and Burkina Faso through the steps required to formalize their businesses, including: (a) choice of legal form, (b) preparation of registration dossiers, (c) accompaniment to registration authorities, (d) tax identification and social security affiliation where applicable, (e) specific sectoral approvals, and (f) post-registration compliance and record-keeping. · Deliver climate-smart technologies, approaches, and practices, as well as financial education and entrepreneurship training, to up to 7,000 women entrepreneurs in the informal sector over the duration of the assignment. · Deliver the agreed ToT programme to a network of local trainers and mentors in both countries to ensure scale and sustainability beyond the assignment. · Use a blended delivery model combining face-to-face training, peer learning, and (where appropriate) low-bandwidth digital channels, with sessions scheduled to accommodate the time and mobility constraints of women in the informal sector. · Provide post-training coaching and mentoring to a representative sub-sample of trained women to support the practical application of acquired skills, including record-keeping, savings discipline, and adoption of formal financial products. · Monitor and document, on an ongoing basis, participants reached, training completion rates, successfully formalized businesses, drop-off points in the formalization process, and observed changes in business practices. · Report to AECF, in writing, any substantial implementation risk, regulatory blockage, or contextual issue likely to affect the achievement of objectives. 4.3 Cross-Cutting Implementation Requirements Across both components, the Service Provider shall: · Apply gender-sensitive implementation approaches that recognize the time, mobility, literacy, and access constraints faced by women in the informal sector. · Ensure implementation is adapted to the specific contexts of Benin and Burkina Faso, including the security situation in Burkina Faso, and adapt outreach and delivery accordingly. · Deliver content in French and relevant local languages, such Tender Link : https://www.developmentaid.org/#!/tenders/search
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