Request for Expression of Interest-March 2024 for Gender Lens Investing Experts At Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund

1. The Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund

AECF (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 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 clean energy access, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve 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 financing institutions dare to go.

Over the course of 15 years, we have supported 425 businesses in 26 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, impacted more than 31 million lives, created over 29,000 direct jobs, and leveraged US $808 million in matching funds.

Find more about AECF on www.aecfafrica.org

1. Our Gender Lens Investing Strategy

AECF`S ambition for gender lens investing stems from its vision to create a prospering and enterprising rural Africa which is pursued through our mission to unlock the power of the private sector to positively impact the lives of the rural and marginalized communities in Africa. It is also detailed in the institutional Gender Lens Investing Strategy that outlines the approach taken to invest with a gender lens in a way that drives sustainable change for the rural poor. In the strategy, AECF commits to achieving some headline figures – at least 50% of development impact accruing to women across the investment portfolio, 35% of portfolio companies being Women-led and 40% of jobs created in these companies held by women – and to reorient the investment process to find, nurture and grow business that are providing innovative solutions to increase gender equality in rural communities at the household, business and market levels.

AECF’s strategy seeks to integrate a gender analysis throughout the investment activities and design and host inclusive investment processes that allow female entrepreneurs and businesses working for and with women equal access to finance. AECF continuously seeks to gather and share insight on its experiences mainstreaming gender to funders, partners, investees and to various ecosystems with the sectors and value chains in which we invest. AECF mainstreams attention to gender dynamics into the culture, practices, policies, and processes of the entire organization and encourages and incentivize its investees to do likewise. AECF seeks to increase its voice and leadership within the global Gender Lens Investing (GLI) field with a goal to become the premier institution for gender lens investing in Sub-Saharan Africa in line with one of our three core values which calls us to Take the Lead. The gender strategy also supports and strengthens other core values as we Think Impact and Valuing Our People in an inclusive way.

1. About the Assignment
   1. Purpose of the Assignment

AECF is seeking services of gender experts to provide a range of services and technical assistance both at regional and country level in different programs of agribusiness and renewable energy and to step up the implementation of the GLI strategy. Successful applicants will be placed on Gender Consultant Roster to be sourced for upcoming gender consultant assignments.

1. Scope of work

Service categories:

• Gender & Sector expertise: Provide technical assistance to conceptualize and operationalize gender mainstreaming in one or more of AECF`s sector programming: Renewable Energy, Agriculture and the cross-cutting themes of youth, women empowerment, and climate change. This will also include providing technical inputs to increase gender-responsiveness of sector-specific or generic toolkits, manuals, packages, standards, trainings, process guidance, programme documents, policy drafts, among others.
• Gender Reviews, Assessments & Gender Analysis: Perform gender reviews and assist with developing business models, value propositions, Theories of Change (ToC) for GLI vehicles and programmes that analyze and address gender barriers and structural challenges; provide actionable recommendations for accelerating achievement of gender equality and women empowerment.
• Gender Research and Evidence Building: Develop and conduct gender-related research, market assesments using a mix of approaches, including scoping studies and strategic research for advocacy; support efforts to narrow the gender disparities in investments.
• Advisory services: Deliver SME, MFIs, Banks focused advisory services to integrate gender inclusion in business models, credit review, due diligence of investors; support the development of systems, tools and processes to enhance adoption of gender transformative approaches; provide SMEs with investment readiness and investment facilitation specifically curated towards raising gender-linked finance across sub-Saharan Africa.
• Communication and Knowledge management: Assess the organization’s existing knowledge sharing opportunities and platforms for gender-related content. Make recommendations for improving the accessibility, relevance, and engagement of gender knowledge sharing initiatives.

Areas of expertise and skills:

• Develop impactful gender Lens Investing strategy development (institutional level)
• Design and co-develop innovative gender lens investment vehicles, contribute to the set-up, fundraising and launch of innovative vehicles.
• Design innovative financial instruments for transformative gender lens investments
• Design and implement gender transformation impact analytical frameworks.
• Contribute deep expertise on the nexus between gender inclusion and climate resilience
• Contribute deep expertise on the women economic empowerment through entrepreneurship in fragile and conflict affected markets.
• Deliver advisory services to banks, MFIs, SMEs regarding gender inclusion, mainstreaming and transformation.
• Conduct evaluation of gender lens investing programmes and funds
• Deliver deep research and market assessment testing / validating the viability and appropriateness of GLI innovative financial instruments and vehicles.
• Deliver advisory services to integrate gender inclusion in business models and product design to maximise impact and business profitability.
• Deliver SME advisory in investment readiness and investment facilitation to gender-lens investors, including promoting SMEs to a pre-existing network of investors pursuing investments with a gender-lens across the continent.
• Develop tools to improve creditworthiness of women-led MSMEs with banks / MFIs / digital credit providers
• Deliver design thinking, sensemaking and collaborative knowledge workshops or activities to generate knowledge products from AECF’s GLI funds and programmes
• Storytelling and communication product development promoting women leaders voices

Countries of experience:

• Benin, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Nigeria, South Sudan
• Sub-Saharan Africa

1. Qualifications Experience

• Advanced university degree (master’s or higher) in Social Sciences, Gender Studies, International Development, or in an area relevant to AECF’s sectoral work.
• At least 10 years of progressively responsible professional experience at international levels and demonstrated track record in gender and development/humanitarian set up.
• Strong, technical, programmatic, and research skills related to gender; along with sectoral expertise in any of the following sectors: Renewable Energy, Agri-business, Blue economy, women empowerment, youth engagement, disability, and women intersectionality’s.
• Proven understanding of theories of change and pathways from intervention to result.
• Ability to contextualize and to integrate gender into programmes and intervention approaches in complex and fragile ecosystems.
• Technical expertise in at least one of the gender areas as outlined in the TOR.
• Fluency in English; knowledge of French language is an asset.

1. Proposal submission

• Technical and Financial proposals should be submitted as separate documents.
• Financial proposal to be submitted in USD.
• As per requirements in the evaluation criteria

1. Contracting and Reporting

The Assignment will be contracted holistically with an addendum to phase 2 incorporated once the finer details around phase 2 are agreed upon. Implementation of phase 2 will be subject to satisfactory completion of phase 1 as determined by AECF, and the successful confirmation of the capacity and capabilities of the Specialist to deliver on the identified IR interventions.

1. Evaluation Criteria

An evaluation committee will be formed by the AECF and may include employees of the businesses to be supported. All members will be bound by the same standards of confidentiality. The Specialist should ensure that they fully respond to all criteria to be comprehensively evaluated.

The AECF may request and receive clarification from any Specialist when evaluating a proposal. The evaluation committee may invite some or all the Specialists to appear before the committee to clarify their proposals. In such event, the evaluation committee may consider such clarifications in evaluating proposals.

In deciding the final selection of qualified bidders for a given assignment, the technical quality of the proposal will be given a weighting of 70% based on the evaluation criteria. Only the financial proposal of those bidders who qualify technically will be opened. The financial proposal will be allocated a weighting of 30% and the proposals will be ranked in terms of total points scored.

The mandatory and desirable criteria against which proposals will be evaluated are identified in the table below.

Key Areas for Evaluation/ Assessment

Weighted Award

(A) TECHNIAL PROPOSAL

70

i) An understanding of the consultancy requirements;

15

• Demonstrate an understanding of the Assignment

5

• An in-depth understanding of Gender Lens Investing Standards and trends
• Understanding Agriculture, Renewable Energy, women economic empowerment, youth engagement, Fragile context and climate change in sub-sectors in sub-Saharan Africa will be added advantage.

10

ii) Methodology and work-plan that will deliver the best value on the Assignment:

30

• Demonstrate the strategy and capacity to deliver each of the task(s) within a realistic timeline, underpinned by value for money.

25

• Strategy that demonstrates capability to deliver a large part of this Assignment virtually.

5

iv) Relevant services undertaken by the bidder in the past engagements:

15

• Demonstrate relevant experience and recent engagements with private sector companies in Investment Readiness. Experience in supporting companies in the Agriculture and Climate smart technologies sub-sectors in sub-Saharan Africa is added advantage.

15

v) Detailed reference list indicating the scope and magnitude of similar assignments:

10

• At least 3 signed Letters of reference from past customers or associates to the Specialist, clearly indicating the Investment Readiness support provided and the value and impact on the business supported.

10

(A) FINANCIAL PROPOSAL

30

• Clarity, relevance, reality to market value/ value for money of cost for the Assignment (inclusive of any applicable tax).
• Phase 2 financial proposal can be an indicative estimate guided by the proposed methodology Investment Readiness interventions.

30

Total score

100

1. Pricing

The AECF is obliged by the Kenyan tax authorities to withhold taxes on service contract fees as well as ensure that 16% VAT, is charged where applicable. Applicants are advised to ensure that they have a clear understanding of their tax position with regards to provisions of Kenya tax legislation when developing their proposals.