Developing an Enabling Financial Policy and Regulatory Environment for Women SMEs in Africa 

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST – FIRM CONSULTANT

Provision of Professional Consultancy Service for the Development of a Digital Awareness Guide for Rural Women Entrepreneurs in Morocco

Women Small and Medium Enterprise (WSME) Sector

Project ID No.: G-Z1-ID0-ZZZ-028

This is a Request for Expression of Interest (REOI) on behalf of AfDB towards the below scope.

The Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI) has received financing from the African Development Bank toward the cost of the Developing an Enabling Financial Policy and Regulatory Environment for Women SMEs in Africa, and intends to apply part of the agreed amount for this grant to payments under the contract to develop a Digital Awareness Guide for Rural Women Entrepreneurs in Morocco.

This project aims to develop a Digital Awareness Guide for Rural Women Entrepreneurs to support financial education and promote financial inclusion for women-owned and led MSMEs (WMSMEs) in Morocco. The services and requirements for this project are stipulated in the Terms of Reference (ToR) at Appendix section of this REOI document.

The AFI now invites eligible consultants to indicate their interest in providing these services. Interested consultants must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services (profile, description of similar assignments, experience in similar conditions, availability of appropriate skills among staff, etc.). Consultants may constitute joint-ventures to enhance their chances of qualification.

Eligibility criteria, establishment of the short-list and the selection procedure shall be in accordance with the African Development Bank’s “Procurement Policy for Bank Group Funded Operations” October 2015 which is available on the Bank’s website at http://www.afdb.org.

Appendix – Terms of Reference (ToR)

1. Background

Bank Al-Maghrib (BAM), in collaboration with stakeholders, is leading a national initiative to empower rural women through economic and financial inclusion. Rural women, who represent nearly 20% of Morocco’s population, face significant challenges in accessing financial resources and economic opportunities. Recent diagnostic study on “Increasing women’s financial inclusion and closing the women’s SME credit gap in Morocco through enabling financial policy and regulation,” conducted in partnership with AFI and the African Development Bank (AfDB) Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) project established that Moroccan WMSMEs lack the opportunity to develop the self-confidence needed to apply for banking loans and they often are not aware of how financial services can serve their businesses, or their personal lives. The case study recommended establishment of initiatives to improve the financial capacity of women MSMEs by developing specific financial education programs and conducting awareness-raising activities to strengthen SMEs’ governance, cash management and capitalization. In response to the recommendations, BAM seeks to develop a digital awareness guide aimed at rural women entrepreneurs. This guide will provide simplified, practical information on available financial services and ecosystem players to enhance decision-making and financial literacy.

2. Objective(s) of the Assignment

The objective of this consultancy is to develop a digital awareness guide tailored to the needs of rural women entrepreneurs in Morocco. The guide will serve as a practical tool, helping women navigate the financial ecosystem, access resources, and make informed financial decisions that support their entrepreneurial activities.

3. Scope of Services, Tasks (Components) and Expected Deliverables

The consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:

i.  Engagement and Inception Phase  

• Conduct an inception meeting with BAM and key stakeholders to understand the project objectives, scope, and expectations. 

ii.  Conduct an in-depth mapping of ecosystem players

• Identify key institutions, financial service providers (FSPs), and stakeholders offering relevant services to rural women entrepreneurs.

iii.  Develop content for the awareness guide

• Identify key institutions, financial service providers (FSPs), and stakeholders offering relevant services to rural women entrepreneurs.

iv.  Facilitate stakeholder engagement

• Organize meetings and interviews with key ecosystem players to gather insights and validate the relevance of the guide’s content.

v.  Draft the digital awareness  guide

• Prepare a draft guide that incorporates stakeholder feedback and aligns with the needs of rural women entrepreneurs.

vi.  Conduct a validation workshop

• Organize a virtual workshop to present the draft guide to stakeholders for validation and final adjustments.

vii.  Finalize the digital format of the guide

• Revise the guide based on feedback and deliver the final digital version, ready for dissemination to the target audience. 

*Kindly refer REOI_ToR document for Deliverables and Timeline, Team Composition requirements and more information related to the project request.

How to Apply

Interested applicants may follow this revert by email to AFI’s Procurement & Contracts Office at Procurement@afi-global.org and RFP3.1.4@afi-global.org by 10 January 2025 at 1700 hours, Côte d’Ivoire local time and mentioned “REOI 10_ToR – Digital Awareness Guide BAM Morocco“.