Terms of Reference – Consultancy Services for the Development, Validation and Delivery of Climate-Smart Agriculture, Climate Risk Management and Financial Literacy Training in Benin and Burkina Faso

1. The Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF)

The AECF, LLC (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 climate-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 access to clean energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and strengthen 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 financial institutions dare to venture. We also focus on the most vulnerable, including women, youth, and people living in fragile contexts.

To date, we have supported over 698 businesses in 26 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa, improved the living conditions of more than 36 million people, and created over 38,000 direct jobs. AECF is headquartered in Kenya and has offices in Benin, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Somalia and Tanzania.

2. About Women ADAPT

Women ADAPT – Catalyzing Women-Focused Climate-Smart Investments through Climate Adaptation Technologies and Climate Resilience Services – is a 24-month project funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and executed by AECF in Benin and Burkina Faso.

The project strengthens the climate resilience of women-led enterprises, cooperatives and smallholder farmers in agricultural value chains by improving their access to climate-smart technologies, tailored financial services and climate information. It is delivered through four components: digital access to climate information and markets; capacity strengthening and knowledge generation for climate-smart agriculture (CSA); integration of climate risk management into the operations of microfinance institutions, cooperatives and MSMEs; and monitoring and strategic impact evaluation.

Women ADAPT builds on AECF’s Investing in Women in Benin and Burkina Faso programme (IIW-B&BF), a six-year gender transformation and economic inclusion programme funded by Global Affairs Canada, already active with women-led MSMEs, cooperatives and financial institutions in agricultural value chains. Where IIW-B&BF provides catalytic finance and general business support, Women ADAPT adds the climate adaptation layer: digital climate information, targeted CSA subsidies, and climate risk integration into the operations of financial partners.

Under Component 1, the project is deploying a digital platform with a CSA knowledge hub and mobile channels (SMS, voice, app). Workshops are an important starting point, but the project also wants women to keep receiving short, regular reminders of the key CSA messages after the training. The training content developed under this assignment will therefore be integrated into the platform, and the firm will design it so that it can be turned into short digital content and periodic messages.

3. A propos de l'affectation

This assignment falls under Component 2 of Women ADAPT – Capacity Strengthening and Knowledge Generation for Climate-Smart Agriculture – and will deliver Outputs 2.1.1 and 2.1.2. A single qualified firm or consortium will be responsible for the full training cycle: needs assessment and curriculum design; development of practical training modules and facilitator tools; technical validation and user pre-testing; adaptation for low-literacy and digital use; and delivery of the validated training to project beneficiaries in Benin and Burkina Faso.

The curriculum must be practical, field-oriented, and tailored to the agricultural value chains and business models of participating IIW enterprises and cooperatives, from production and aggregation to processing and market access. It must reflect the different agro-ecological and climate-risk contexts of Benin and Burkina Faso and be usable with mixed audiences ranging from women smallholder farmers with limited formal education to cooperative leaders, MSME staff, agronomists, extension agents and MFI officers.

Indicative value chains include shea, rice, cassava, soybean, poultry and pineapple, among others represented in the IIW portfolio. AECF will provide the final list of participating enterprises, cooperatives, locations and priority value chains at inception. The firm will use this information, together with rapid training-needs and climate-risk assessment, to tailor the modules and practical examples by country, geography, value chain and participant profile.

The curriculum will underpin at least eight capacity-building workshops and at least 500 direct trainees under Output 2.1.2. These direct trainees are distinct from the wider number of women expected to benefit through the project’s cascade approach, participating institutions and digital platform. Completion and AECF validation of the core curriculum is a prerequisite for full training rollout.

Overall Objective: To strengthen the capacity of women-led MSMEs, cooperatives, women smallholder farmers and the institutions that support them to understand climate risks, adopt and promote context-appropriate climate-smart agriculture practices and technologies, make informed financial and business decisions, and integrate climate resilience into their operations and investment choices.

Specific Objectives:

• Develop and validate a modular, gender-responsive and field-ready training curriculum covering climate change and climate risk, locally appropriate CSA practices and technologies, climate-informed planning, financial literacy and business resilience, and relevant environmental and social safeguards.
• Produce facilitator manuals, participant materials, practical tools, case studies, visual aids and assessment instruments in French, and in at least one relevant local language per country, designed for low-literacy audiences and for reuse by AECF, extension services and participating institutions.
• Deliver at least eight intensive capacity-building workshops (minimum four per country) using the validated curriculum, reaching at least 500 direct participants in total, with at least 50% women and at least 20% youth, and establish a practical cascade mechanism to extend key messages beyond direct workshop participants.
• Propose and implement a sustainability and handover plan so that the curriculum continues to be used after the project ends.

4. Champ d'application des travaux

This assignment is structured in two sequential steps:

• Step 1 is the development and technical validation of the CSA curriculum.
• Step 2 is the delivery of training to beneficiaries using that validated curriculum.

The firm engaged under this ToR is responsible for both steps.

4.1. Target Beneficiaries and Participants

Participants will be drawn primarily from the women-led MSMEs, cooperatives and women smallholder farmers already supported through AECF’s Investing in Women in Benin and Burkina Faso (IIW-B&BF) programme, together with the agronomists, extension workers and MFI officers directly supporting those IIW partners. AECF will confirm the beneficiary institutions, participant lists and locations in consultation with the firm.

Primary participants: women-led MSME owners/managers and relevant staff, cooperative leaders, lead farmers and women smallholder farmers linked to participating IIW enterprises and cooperatives across the targeted agricultural value chains.

Secondary participants: agronomists, extension workers and officers from participating or relevant local MFIs who provide technical or financial services to the targeted IIW enterprises, cooperatives and farmers.

Workshops will be organized in accessible rural hubs serving the participating IIW beneficiary clusters and, where possible, in agro-ecological zones exposed to significant climate hazards. Locations will be agreed with AECF based on the geographic distribution of IIW partners, climate vulnerability, accessibility and cost-effectiveness. The assignment is not expected to recruit beneficiaries outside the Women ADAPT/IIW target group solely to meet participant numbers.

4.2. Key Deliverables and Milestones

4.3 Curriculum Development Requirements 

4.4. Training Delivery Requirements (Step 2)

4.5. Indicators

The following indicators will be used to assess delivery under this assignment.

Step 1 – Curriculum Development (Output 2.1.1)

The firm shall deliver the following, each verified by AECF’s written validation:

• Amodular training curriculum on CSA, climate risk management and climate resilience for women-led MSMEs, cooperatives and women smallholder farmers, with differentiated guidance for supporting technical and financial actors;
• Gender and youth perspectives integrated throughout the curriculum;
• Tailored training modules on financial literacy and business resilience adapted for rural women entrepreneurs, cooperative leaders and women smallholder farmers;
• Gender-responsive guidelines for facilitators;
• Digital versions of each module and a bank of key CSA messages, uploaded or ready for upload to the CSA knowledge hub of the Women ADAPT digital platform and for periodic SMS/voice delivery through that platform;
• All training materials available in printable and digital formats, in French and in at least one relevant local language per country;
• A technical validation report prepared with input from national CSA experts, extension services and gender focal points.

Step 2 – Training Delivery (Output 2.1.2)

People reached through the cascade are reported separately from the participants trained directly.

In addition, the firm should deliver pre- and post-training assessments for every participant, and a synthesis report summarizing lessons learned, participant feedback and recommendations, including gender and youth perspectives. The firm shall also deliver a sustainability and handover plan validated by AECF, and evidence of the handover to the identified institutions.

4.6. Cross-cutting Delivery Requirements

Across both steps, the firm shall:

• Apply gender-responsive design and facilitation throughout, reflecting women’s roles and constraints in agricultural value chains, including access to land and productive assets, unpaid care and workload constraints, mobility and time limitations, and unequal access to finance, technology, climate information and decision-making.
• Use adult-learning and experiential methods appropriate to mixed literacy levels: plain language, illustrations, demonstrations, locally relevant case studies, role-play, group work, peer learning and practical action planning. Technical concepts must be translated into decisions and practices participants can apply in farms, cooperatives, enterprises and financial institutions.
• Draw on local context knowledge of both Benin and Burkina Faso, including their respective agro-ecological zones.
• Coordinate closely with AECF throughout, including on the selection of local languages and the scheduling of workshops.
• Comply with the environmental and social safeguard policies of GEF, UNIDO and AECF in all activities.

5. Duration and Institutional Arrangements

The assignment is expected to run for up to 13 months from contract signature. Months 1–3 will focus on inception, training-needs assessment, curriculum development, validation and pre-testing. Training delivery will begin once the core curriculum is validated and will be completed principally during Months 3–9, followed by consolidation, post-training support, finalization of digital/refresher materials and handover through Month 13. Bidders shall propose a realistic sequencing and level of effort consistent with the Women ADAPT implementation calendar.

6. Rapports

The firm will report to AECF’s Women ADAPT Project Management Unit (PMU), through the designated Component 2 focal point/Portfolio Officer, under the supervision of the Senior Portfolio Officer and relevant AECF technical leadership. AECF will coordinate UNIDO inputs where required. National CSA experts, extension services, gender specialists and other designated stakeholders will participate in technical review and validation. The firm remains accountable to AECF for the quality, consistency and timely delivery of all outputs.

7. Qualifications and Experience from the Firm and Team

7.1. Firm-Level Experience

The firm should demonstrate:

• At least ten (10) years of experience in curriculum design, agricultural training or adult education, with at least two comparable assignments evidenced through reports, references or client testimonials.
• Demonstrated experience designing climate-smart agriculture or agricultural extension training content in West Africa, ideally in Benin, Burkina Faso or comparable Sahelian contexts.
• Working knowledge of the agricultural value chains – or the ability to bring in technical expertise that covers them.
• Experience designing gender-responsive training content, ideally with a track record of working with women-led enterprises or cooperatives.
• Strong French language capability across the team, with working ability in at least one relevant local language in each country (Benin and Burkina Faso).
• Ability to deliver validated, field-ready material within the timeline set in this ToR, including managing a technical validation process with national experts and AECF.

7.2. Team-Level Experience

The proposal must include CVs for the following key experts:

• Climate-Smart Agriculture Technical Expert: experience in CSA technologies and practices, climate risk management, and agricultural extension content relevant to West African value chains.
• Financial Literacy and Business Development Expert: experience developing financial literacy, budgeting and business planning content for micro and small enterprises.

• Gender and Inclusive Training Expert: experience in gender-responsive training design and delivery approaches suited to women-led MSMEs, cooperatives and smallholder farmers.

• Translation and Local-language Adaptation Specialist: experience translating and adapting technical agricultural content into relevant local languages of Benin and Burkina Faso, in formats suited to low-literacy audiences.
• Illustrator / Graphic Designer: experience in layout, formatting and visual design of training manuals and handouts, including materials for low-literacy rural audiences.
• Master Trainers / Facilitators (at least two, one per country): experience delivering multi-day capacity-building workshops to mixed audiences including women-led MSMEs, cooperatives, agronomists and microfinance institution officers, using participatory and gender-responsive facilitation methods.

7.3. Added Value

The following elements are not mandatory but will be considered favorably in the technical evaluation (assessed under criteria d to f):

• Existing relationships with national agricultural extension services, agricultural research institutions or gender bodies in Benin or Burkina Faso, enabling faster technical validation of the curriculum.
• Prior experience developing training content that was subsequently adopted or referenced by national extension curricula, demonstrating potential for institutional uptake beyond the project.
• Demonstrated ability to exceed the minimum targets set out in this ToR by at least 20%, evidenced by at least one past assignment where the firm delivered above its contractual targets without quality loss, supported by client references or completion reports.
• Experience developing training-of-trainers approaches that enable local institutions to continue delivering the curriculum after the assignment ends.
• Proposed partnerships with local training institutions, women’s organizations, cooperatives or extension networks that will strengthen reach and local ownership in Benin and Burkina Faso.
• Measurable contribution to women’s economic empowerment and climate resilience beyond the standard output indicators set out in this ToR.

7.4. Proposal Submission

Consortia are eligible. The lead firm submits all mandatory documents; each member submits its registration and tax documents, and a signed consortium agreement defines each member’s role. Qualified firms are invited to submit a proposal that includes the following:

• Une compréhension des exigences en matière de consultance.
• Methodology and work plan for performing the assignment, covering both curriculum development and workshop delivery.
• A detailed reference list indicating the scope and magnitude of similar assignments completed in the past five years, preferably in Benin and Burkina Faso.
• Signed letters of reference from at least three previous clients or partners.
• Registration and other relevant statutory documents.
• CVs for all key experts listed in Section 7.2, including at least two master trainers.
• Technical and financial proposals submitted separately, in PDF format.
• The financial proposal, in USD, clearly shows the budgeted cost for each of the three budget lines (curriculum development, translation, training delivery and handover) described in Section 10.

N/B: SUBMITTING THE FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL DOCUMENTS AS ONE FILE WILL AUTOMATICALLY LEAD TO DISQUALIFICATION OF THE APPLICANT.

8. Pricing

Payments under this contract will be made in United States Dollars (USD). Tax treatment of this contract will be confirmed at the contracting stage; applicants should note that AECF, LLC is domiciled in Kenya.

9. Critères d'évaluation

Mandatory Requirements for Firms

• Profil de l'entreprise.
• Trading license or Certificate of Incorporation or Certificate of Registration and other statutory documents.
• Valid Tax Compliance Certificate (applicable to firms).
• Passport/National Identification of the lead consultant and all listed team members.

 The above documents must be valid at the time of submission through to the duration of the tender process.

N/B : LE FAIT DE NE PAS JOINDRE ET DE NE PAS RESPECTER LES EXIGENCES CI-DESSUS ENTRAÎNERA UNE DISQUALIFICATION AUTOMATIQUE.

An evaluation committee will be formed by AECF and may include relevant technical staff and external experts. All members will be bound by the same standards of confidentiality. The technical quality of the proposal carries a weighting of 80%; only the financial proposal of technically qualified bidders will be opened, carrying the remaining 20%.

10. Financial Proposal

The financial proposal shall distinguish two categories of costs:

(a) Direct costs forming the contract price, presented in three separate budget lines:

A1. Curriculum development: inception and needs assessment; curriculum and module development; technical validation and pre-testing; illustration, layout and graphic design; digital adaptation of modules and CSA message bank; coordination with the digital platform provider; editable source files and glossary.

A2. Translation: translation of all materials and key CSA messages into at least one local language per country, including native-speaker checking.

A3. Training delivery and handover: facilitation and technical delivery of the eight workshops; training assessments and analysis; cascade design and relay kits; post-training support; sustainability planning, training of trainers and handover; monitoring, reporting and finalisation. Printing required for delivery may be included where clearly quantified.

Each line shows the level of effort and the unit rates. The total of A1, A2 and A3 forms the contract price.

(b) Reimbursable costs, presented separately and reimbursed by AECF at actual approved cost against supporting documentation: workshop venues and agreed logistics; approved travel and accommodation within Benin and Burkina Faso; and approved participant transport/support. Bidders shall provide realistic indicative estimates and assumptions for reimbursables, but these amounts will not be evaluated as professional fees and do not form part of the fixed contract price unless otherwise agreed at contracting.

The first disbursement may not exceed 30% of the total contract amount. Subsequent payments will be contributing to validation of deliverables, achievement of agreed milestones, and, where relevant, on-site or remote verification.

Applicants must submit their financial proposal in USD. Payments will be made in USD, in accordance with the payment schedule defined in the contract.

11. Détails de l'application

The AECF is an equal opportunity employer. The AECF evaluates all interested candidates based on merit, without regard to race, gender, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Any questions should be sent to the email address designated for procurement: aecfprocurement@aecfafrica.org by 30^th  October 2026, at 5:00 p.m. (East African Time). The subject line of the email must be: “CLARIFICATION: Women ADAPT – CSA Curriculum Development and Training Firm.”

Interested companies or consortia are requested to submit their technical and financial proposals in French or English via the procurement portal https://procurement.aecfafrica.org/ by 13^th  November 2026 at 5:00 p.m. (East African Time). No pre-bidding conference will be held for this tender. Responses to questions will be published as an addendum on the procurement portal or via email by 5^th November 2026.

12. Clause de non-responsabilité

L'AECF se réserve le droit de déterminer la structure du processus, le nombre de participants présélectionnés, le droit de se retirer du processus de proposition, le droit de modifier ce calendrier à tout moment sans préavis, et se réserve le droit de retirer cet appel d'offres à tout moment, sans préavis et sans obligation de dédommagement et/ou de remboursement à l'égard de toute partie.

AECF does not charge an application fee for participation in the tendering process and has not appointed any agents or intermediaries to facilitate applications. Applicants are advised to reach out directly to the AECF Procurement Department.