Post on 30-Jul-2020
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Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Multi Donor Trust
Fund (YEI MDTF)
CALL FOR PROPOSALS
I. About YEI MDTF
The Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Multi Donor Trust Fund (YEI MDTF) is a key grant-
making vehicle of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB). The YEI MDTF’s objectives
align to the AfDB Ten-Year Strategy (2013-2022) to promote inclusive economic growth
including through accelerated investment in Africa’s youth. YEI MDTF is a financial instrument
of the Bank’s Jobs for Youth in Africa Strategy (JfYA 2016–2025). JfYA has three strategic
intervention areas: Integration, Innovation, and Investment. Its goal is to create 25 million jobs and
equip 50 million youth with employable skills by 2025.
Thus, to advance JfYA strategy implementation, YEI MDTF seeks to:
• Broaden economic opportunities for youth;
• Develop skills for job creation and strengthening of human capital;
• Increase inclusive employment and entrepreneurship; and
• Create durable labor markets in Africa.
Recognizing that Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are important levers for
economic transformation and job creation for youth in Africa, the YEI MDTF supports the African
entrepreneurship ecosystem through three operational focus areas:
1) Business Development Services (BDS) for youth-led start-ups and MSMEs;
2) Research Studies on the entrepreneurship ecosystem; and
3) Government Policy and Regulatory Reform to create an enabling environment for youth-led
MSMEs and start-ups to grow.
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II. Purpose of call for proposals
This call for proposals relates to the Business Development Services (BDS) operational focus area
of the YEI MDTF. In this regard, the YEI MDTF is seeking project proposals from eligible grant
recipients (see Section IV) (hereafter referred to as Enterprise Support Organizations (ESOs)) to
provide business development services to youth-led MSMEs and start-ups on the African
continent.
III. Grant amount and funding envelope
The total funding envelope available for this call for proposals is USD 5 million. YEI MDTF is
seeking project proposals for activities and programs with a minimum total budget of USD
500,000.
IV. Eligible Grant Recipients
Eligible grant recipients (ESOs) are those organizations or entities that align with the following
criteria:
• Registered in an African country as a business development services provider, financial
intermediary, philanthropic foundation, non-governmental organization (NGO), African
government institution, or research or academic institution.
• Minimum 3-year track record of providing business development services to youth-led
MSMEs and start-ups on the African continent, including through training, coaching and
mentoring services that reduce the risk of investing in them.
• Minimum previous 3-years of audited organizational financial statements.
• Demonstrably strong monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems in place.
• Fiscal accountability and transparency in operations; having a Board of Directors, a full
time finance manager and experience managing donor funded projects/programs.
• Immediate access to large number of youth-led MSMEs and start-ups with at least 50% of
these being led by women and at least 30% domiciled in countries of fragility and/or
considered economic migration hotspot countries of origin (as per the list in appendix 1).
V. Eligible Grant Beneficiaries
ESOs shall be eligible to apply to YEI MDTF grant resources in support of youth-led MSMEs and
start-ups accessible in their network. Targeted youth-led MSMEs and start-ups are defined as:
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• At least 51% owned by individuals aged between 15 and 35, in line with the JfYA Strategy
and the African Youth Charter, or entire leadership of the business within the
abovementioned age range.
• Start-ups at ideation stage with proof of concept or minimum viable product (MVP) and
business model that is promising in terms of social impact, inclusive job creation and
national, social and economic development and transformation.
• Lacking sufficient capacity and/or requisite collateral for accessing debt or equity financing
from traditional commercial financial institutions.
VI. Eligible Project Proposals
Applicants to this call for proposal may submit project proposals in accordance with the following:
Types of activities: (a) Business training; (b) Mentorship services; (c) Investment and Business
Plan Development; (d) Legal Advisory Services; (e) Financial structuring; (f) Product
Development; (g) Environmental and Social Impact Assessments; (h) Technical Support Services
(e.g. standardisation, testing of goods, certification of products, quality management systems,
environmental management systems, or information technology development), and (h) Access to
Finance (i.e. including the onward provision of technical assistance grants to the end
beneficiary(ies)).
Duration: Eligible projects or proposals must launch within 3 months of grant award signature
and be fully implemented within 12 months thereafter.
Location: Eligible projects or proposals must be implemented in more than one (1) country over
the implementation period and preferably cover at least two (2) regions in Africa.
VII. Project Proposal Selection Guiding Principles
Compliance: ESOs and project proposals shall be considered only if found in alignment with YEI
MDTF purpose and guidelines as well as the guidance provided within this call for proposals,
including ESO eligibility and proper completion of the application form template and submission
of required attachments.
Evidence-based: ESOs and project proposals shall be considered based on submitted impact
reports and demonstrable record of accomplishment of implementation of similar services in
the past. The ESO proposal should leverage on the past experience and expertise to scale-up
existing, large and impactful BDS programs for greater outreach to youth-led start-ups and
MSMEs. New programs without a strong track record of success will not be considered at this
time.
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Gender: Particular attention will be paid to gender issues, especially ensuring women’s equal
access to resources and capacity building to enhance their participation in entrepreneurial
activities.
Fragile Country: Particular prioritization will be on projects and programs focused on eligible
beneficiaries in countries in situations of fragility and/or considered economic migration
hotspots, given the YEI MDTF objective to create inclusive growth through job creation.
Sustainability: Preference will be given to grant recipients with the capacity to provide yearly
updates about program results with beneficiaries of BDS activities and long-term results (5
years) from the monitoring of beneficiaries.
Co-financing: Counterpart financing of at least 50% is strongly encouraged to demonstrate
project ownership and financial sustainability by ESO and the capacity to attract financial support
from several strategic partners.
VIII. Evaluation of Project Proposals
YEI MDTF reserves the right to reject applications that are found “non-eligible”.
Criterion Maximum
Score
Alignment with YEI MDTF (including JfYA strategy) 10
Technical and Methodological Approach of Project Proposal for Providing
Business Development Services (including description, implementation plan,
expected results and outcomes in terms of business growth, job creation, etc.)
30
Previous Track Record of Impact (including years of operation, quality, #of MSMEs
reached, #of countries covered, #of languages, impact on gender, #of SMEs still
operating/growth)
20
Experience and qualification of the ESO (including CVs/human resources, facilities,
technology/ICT, financial management and accounting tools, monitoring and evaluation
tools, etc.)
20
Co-financing & Non-Financial Partnerships 10
Quality of the Submission (including presentation and BDS innovation and creativity) 10
Total 100
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IX. Application Procedures
Interested applicants are invited to submit a project proposal to YEI MDTF using the template in
Appendix 2 of this document. Questions for clarifications may be sent via email at yei@afdb.org
with subject “ESO BDS Call for Proposals Questions”. Applications should also be submitted
electronically in PDF format to yei@afdb.org with subject “ESO BDS APPLICATION”. Project
proposals can be submitted in either French or English, no later than Friday, 25 October 2019 at
11:59pm.
Date Action
25 September 2019 Launch of call for proposals
25 October 2019 Deadline for project proposal submission
1 November 2019 Initial screening of project proposals completed by the YEI
MDTF secretariat
15 November 2019
Screening of project proposals completed by the AfDB
Technical Review Committee and/or YEI MDTF Oversight
Committee completed
By 31st of
December 2019
Notification of final decision sent to applicants
(conditionally approved or rejected)
Q1 2020 AfDB ESO due diligence mission conducted as condition
precedent to disbursement of the YEI MDTF grant
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Appendix 1: List of countries in fragility and considered hotpots of economic
migration
Fragile countries in transition
(categorization by AfDB 2017)
Economic Migration Hotspot
Countries of Origin
(categorization by AfDB 2018)
1 Burundi Benin
2 Central African Republic Burkina Faso
3 Chad Cameroon
4 Comoros Côte d’Ivoire
5 Congo Democratic Rep. Eritrea
6 Gambia Gambia
7 Guinea Ghana
8 Guinea Bissau Lesotho
9 Liberia Liberia
10 Madagascar Mozambique
11 Malawi Niger
12 Mali Nigeria
13 Niger Senegal
14 Sierra Leone
15 Somalia
16 South Sudan
17 Sudan
18 Togo
19 Zimbabwe
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Appendix 2: Project Proposal Application Form
Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Multi Donor
Trust Fund (YEI MDTF)
CALL FOR PROPOSALS
Project Proposal Application Form
Please note that this project proposal is to be completed by the Originating Entity or proposed
Grant Recipient (Enterprise Support Organization). All sections of the below project proposal
template must be filled in. Incomplete submissions will not be considered. Proponents are required
to limit the length of the completed template to a maximum of 6 pages and file size to 1MB.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Organization Name:
Legal Nature:
Type of Organization/Primary Activity:
Vision Statement/Goal of Organization:
Address:
Name of Contact Person 1: Position:
Telephone: Email:
Name of Contact Person 2: Position:
Telephone: Email:
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SECTION INSTRUCTIONS
Project Title
Provide the name of the proposed BDS activity.
Project Summary
Provide a brief, but descriptive summary of the proposed project.
Rationale and
objectives
Provide a brief needs assessment statement in support of your proposed
project and summarize the overall goals and ambitions of the activity.
Technical
Approach and
Methodology
Describe in detail the specific business development service to be delivered
in the context of the proposed project. Explain how your organisation’s
BDS model in the target country/countries will be executed to support
youth-led start-ups and MSMEs to grow into sustainable businesses.
Include the type of businesses your organization focuses on, how they are
identified and selected, and how the envisaged BDS (chose from the options
outlined in Section VI of the call for proposals) addresses the challenges
facing young entrepreneurs in this specific context. Briefly describe how
the project is innovative, transformational, and/or impactful in achieving
the desired objectives of the YEI MDTF.
Objectives and
anticipated results
Summarize the key and specific objectives of the proposed project’s
activities, indicators to measure progress and the expected benefits to the
grant beneficiaries (e.g. youth-led start ups and MSMEs). Please use the
logical framework template in Appendix 3 and add it as an Annex to the
application.
Implementation
approach
Briefly describe program implementation approach: How will it be
implemented? Who shall be responsible for implementation?
Organizational
Capacity
Briefly comment on administrative and organizational strength, that is,
your institution’s human resource capacity and management
responsibilities in the context of delivering the BDS; accounting, fiduciary
and financial management systems; supervision of start-ups and MSME
communication, monitoring and evaluation systems; information
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technology and proprietary software and any other elements which shall
assist in proper execution of the proposal project.
Clearly highlight any existing capacity for implementation of the proposed
project (e.g. past involvement in similar activities, etc.) and describe your
organization’s technical expertise and fiduciary capacity to manage and
implement the proposed project including financial resources; and
financial management, procurement and reporting procedures/standards).
Attach any impact reporting or impact assessments on previous execution
of similar projects to your application.
Implementation
Schedule
Indicate the expected activity duration, as well as major milestones. Please
use the template in appendix 4 and add it as an Annex to the application.
Project duration shall not exceed 12 months.
Budget
Provide a project budget by expense type showing the grant amount
required from YEI MDTF as well as counterpart funding from your
organization or if applicable, any other co-financing from strategic
partners.
Expenditure categories may include: Consultant/expert time; Workshops,
seminars, trainings; International/local travel (please specify purpose,
frequency and location); Communications and marketing; Supervision,
M&E activities; Administrative costs (please specify); Other (please
specify).
Provide a summary budget here and a detailed budget using the template in
appendix 5, to add as an annex to the application.
Sustainability
Describe your organization’s sustainability strategy and how BDS delivery
to grow youth-led start-ups and/or MSMEs will be ensured beyond the
duration of the YEI MDTF funding.
Supporting
Documentation
Consider attaching the following to your application:
• Impact Assessments or Impact Reports on past activities
• 2017 and 2018 financial statements
• Testimonials from beneficiaries of previous BDS projects
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Appendix 3: Logical Framework for the Assignment
Description Indicators Baseline
Target
Data
source FQY
Responsible Assumptions/Risk/Mitigation
measures
Outcome 1:
Increased access to
finance and business
survival of youth-led
MSMEs who received
BDS through the YEI
MDTF
% of youth-led start-
ups/MSMEs who
received financing as a
result of the BDS
initiative
N/A xx %
ESO Yearly Fill out
Fill out
Rate of discontinuation
of youth MSME which
benefited from business
development services
N/A xx%
Outcome 2: Direct
jobs created by youth-
led MSMEs supported
through activities of
the YEI MDTF
Number of direct jobs
created by youth-led
MSMEs receiving BDS
(financial access and
incubation support)
0 Xx direct
jobs
Fill out
Output 1.1: Capacity
building of youth-led
MSMEs through
business development
services)
a.1 Number of youth-
owned start-ups/MSMEs
benefiting from business
incubation and other
business development
services provided
through the YEI MDTF
0
xx youth-
led MSMEs
(including
at least
30% in
fragile
states and
migration
hot spot of
origin) of
whom 50%
ESO
Quarterly Fill out
Fill out
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are female-
led
a.2 Share of youth-
owned start-ups/
MSMEs benefiting from
business incubation and
other business
development services in
sectors of priority
(agriculture, ICT,
industrialization)
0
xx MSMEs
At least
60%
MSMEs of
whom 50%
are female-
led
Fill out
Activity 1.1.1 [...........................] (activity which together with activities 1.1.2 - 1.1.x leads to output 1.1)
Activity 1.1.2 [...........................]
Activity 1.1.x [...........................]
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Appendix 4: Work Plan for the Assignment
Outputs Core activities Timeline
(per activity)
Organisation
responsible
for the
execution
Procurement, if
relevant :description
(Type: works, supplies,
services, …), approx.
amount
Y1
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
Output 1 : Capacity building of youth-led MSMEs through business development services
Monitoring & Result Measurement, Project Management & Reporting
Total
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Appendix 5: Total Budget, Detailed By Cost Category
Cost category
Description
(USD)
Quantity Unit Cost
(USD)
YEI MDTF
budget request
(USD)
Co-funder
1
(USD)
Co-funder
2
(USD)
Total costs
(USD)
Links to activities
(identify activities
directly concerned by
the expenses) Number Unit
Training costs
Selection /screening/mapping
Training
Mentoring/coaching
Online platform / content
development
Other …..
Logistic
Events/training/workshops
(room rental, material, etc.)
Traveling, food, lodging for
trainees
Traveling, food, lodging for
trainers
Other….
People cost
Staff 1
Consultant 1
…
Marketing/ Communications
costs
M&E costs
Project Management costs
Other costs
TOTAL