Deadline: September 25, 2017
Call for submission of proposal is ongoing for the UNCDF Youth and Women Economic Empowerment Programme 2017. With this call, United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) is inviting commercially viable investment project proposals in the following focus areas:
- Women’s economic empowerment: Investment projects owned or developed by women or projects with large derived benefits accruing to women, e.g. small and medium sized infrastructure projects in our areas of focus (agro-processing, manufacturing and trade, climate resilience and clean energy, and public service delivery).
- Youth Economic Empowerment and Entrepreneurship: Investment projects managed, owned or developed by youth (young women and men at the age of 15- 34 years) which address challenges faced by youth such as employment and job creation, income generation, technical business skills, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
UNCDF is part of the Youth and Women Economic Empowerment (YWEE) Programme in Kigoma, which is an area-based joint planning and implementation effort under the United Nations Development Assistance Plan (2016 – 2021) for Tanzania (UNDAP II). The programme is implemented by UNCDF in collaboration with other UN agencies: UNDP, UNWomen, ILO, UNHCR, and ITC.
Benefits
UNCDF under YWEE offers to the following to developers:
- Project Development Support
- Provide targeted technical project development and financing support to projects developers (e.g. enhanced project documentation, due diligence and financial structuring).
- Prepare project investment documents in the format acceptable to commercial banks and investors.
- Link developers to financial institutions and investors
- Support project developers in accessing funding from commercial and development finance institutions (e.g. identifying the right investor based on sector, size and type of finance required) and negotiate lending terms.
- For qualified projects, UNCDF may provide seed capital (soft loans and reimbursable grants) based on unique project requirements and investment criteria.
- Provide credit enhancements and guarantee support e.g. partial loan guarantees for qualified projects which are eligible for borrowing from domestic financial institutions.
Eligibility
- Developers whose projects are targeting and benefiting majority of youth and women throughout the Kigoma Region are encouraged to apply. Special consideration will be given to projects from the districts of Kasulu, Kibondo and Kakonko.
- Investment projects must fall within the focus areas of: Youth and Women economic empowerment, agro processing and value addition, public service delivery infrastructure, manufacturing, trading, and climate resilience and clean energy;
- The investment proposal must show how the project will generate revenue and make profits. Applications should therefore be supported by a detailed description of the cost and revenue streams associated with the project;
- Proposal must show how the project will generate benefits to the communities affected, e.g. job creation, income generation, empowerment of disadvantaged groups (including women, youth and rural communities), trade and market access for agricultural produce;
- Project development activities must have passed a pre-feasibility stage beyond a concept note, i.e. proposals should include as a minimum a completed business plan and all initial compliance steps (e.g. licenses, permits, titles, etc). Priority will be given to existing projects that are looking for expansion;
- The investment project must be promoted by either a public or private entity operating in Kigoma, Tanzania;
- Total project costs must be between USD 50,000 and USD 20 million;
- The proposal must show evidence that the proposed management team has the necessary technical and managerial skills to run the project;
- Compliance with Tanzania laws and regulations and UNCDF/UNDP Environmental & Social Performance Standards including human rights is a must.
Selection Criteria
Eligible projects will be selected for further consideration based on the following selection criteria:
- Commercial viability: Proposals that show ability to generate revenue and make profits will be given priority;
- Developmental impact: Priority will be given to proposals that show high development benefits accruing to affected communities, e.g. job creation, income generation, empowerment of disadvantaged groups including women and youth and rural populations, trade and market access for agricultural produce, etc.
Application
- Download the submission form in Word and Excel
- The two submission forms must be submitted in their original formats (Word and Excel) along with any supporting documentation to the following recipient: [email protected]. Only one application per entity and per proposal will be accepted.
The deadline for submission of investment proposals is September 25, 2017
For more information, visit UNCDF Youth and Women Economic Empowerment Programme 2017.
