Individual Consultant to Support the AFAWA on the Enabling Environment Pillar
AFDB1JP00001080
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Status
Not Applied
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Posted On
2026-04-28
Period
2026-05-01 to 2027-04-30
Job Type
Temporary Full Time
Location
CIV
Category
Business Professional
Description
1. The African Development Bank Group (the Bank) hereby invites Consultants to indicate their interest in the following Assignment: Individual Consultant to Support the AFAWA on the Enabling Environment Pillar.
2. Under the supervision of the Director of Gender, Women and Civil Society Department (AHGC) of the Bank, the main objective of the proposed assignment is to support the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) Initiative Enabling Environment.
3. The consultant will play a critical role in supporting the development of an enabling environment for women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (WSMEs). The consultant support in the design and implementation of gender responsible policy reforms and the development of capacity building programmes to increase WSMEs in accessing finance.
4. The Gender, Women and Civil Society Department (AHGC) invites Individual Consultants to apply to provide the services described above. Interested Individual Consultants must provide information on their capacity and experience demonstrating that they are qualified for the services (documentation, reference of similar services, experience in comparable assignments, proof of their knowledge of French/English, etc.).
Application Close Date
2026-04-09
Engagement Type
Individual Consultant
Job Family
2.Human Capital
A. Background Objectives
Objectives:
As part of its efforts to successfully roll out the implementation of the third pillar, the AFAWA initiative is seeking to recruit an Individual Consultant to support the implementation of its activities under the Enabling Environment. The activities particularly focus on:
1. Policy and regulatory reforms: In this area, AFAWA collaborates with strategic partners to support central banks and regulators in regional member countries (RMC) in addressing the main challenges impeding WSMEs from fully accessing finance. Technical support is provided to central banks to develop and implement gender-responsive policies and regulatory reforms to increase access to finance for WSMEs. In collaboration with its partners, AFAWA supports specific interventions including : i) Integrating gender targets into National Financial Inclusion Strategies (NFIS), including through midterm reviews; ii) Developing national roadmaps and action plans for women’s financial inclusion; iii) Establishing or strengthening movable collateral registries, credit guarantee schemes, and credit bureaus; iv) Enhancing the collection, analysis, and use of sex-disaggregated data; and v) Supporting initiatives that improve women’s financial and digital financial literacy.
2. Capacity Building and Formalization of WSMEs: AFAWA partners with Women’s Entrepreneurship Enablers and Enterprise Support Organizations (ESOs) to strengthen the capacity of women-owned SMEs. These enablers, including incubators, accelerators, and women’s business associations, play a critical role in fostering the development and growth of women-led enterprises. Also, recognizing that women-owned SMEs are disproportionately represented in the informal sector, an important barrier to accessing finance, AFAWA also supports their transition to the formal economy. This includes assisting WSMEs in obtaining the necessary legal and regulatory documentation to access finance and markets, thereby enabling sustainable business growth. Through competitive calls for proposals, more than 20 women entrepreneurship enablers have been selected to deliver capacity-building programs targeting more than 18,000 WSMEs across 25 African countries. These programs aim to enhance credit readiness, improve bankability, and facilitate the transition of WSMEs from the informal to the formal sector.
B. Scope of work
Policy and Regulatory Environment:
• Support the Task Manager (TM) in designing and executing projects that drive gender-responsive policy and regulatory reforms to improve access to finance for women-owned SMEs in regional member countries (RMCs). • Assist in tracking and assessing the progress of policy reform projects, focusing on overcoming the main barriers that prevent WSMEs from accessing finance. • Provide ongoing support in the administrative and financial management of the projects. • Work closely with colleagues across the internal ecosystem, particularly in procurement, disbursement, financial management, and legal matters, to ensure seamless project execution. • Conduct research and analysis on key reforms aimed at advancing financial inclusion for women-owned SMEs. • Proactively identify new projects and strategic partnerships that align with our goals of increasing access to finance for women-owned SMEs. • Draft memos for management on the progress of the project. • Write stories highlighting the impact and success of beneficiaries. • Contribute to donor reports, by providing insightful analysis. • Assist in organizing workshops and events. • Support the drafting of knowledge products focused on policy reforms to enhance WSMEs' access to finance. Women Entrepreneurship Enablers Program (WEEP): • Support the implementation of the Women Entrepreneurship Enablers Program (WEEP), which partners with Enterprise Support Organizations (ESOs) to strengthen women-owned SMEs’ financial and management capabilities, enhancing their access to finance. • Collaborate with the Bank’s internal teams (financial management, procurement, disbursement, and legal departments) to ensure timely approval and successful completion of projects. • Liaise with the 32+ ESOs involved in the WEEP. • Develop monitoring tools to track progress toward increasing WSMEs' access to finance. • Conduct a thorough mapping of women’s business enablers, categorizing them and identifying opportunities for direct linkages with financial institutions participating in AFAWA programs. • Facilitate connections between ESOs and partnering financial institutions. • Identify and establish strategic partnerships with ESOs to drive outcomes that improve access to finance for women-owned SMEs. • Develop case studies that showcase impactful stories of change. • Support the implementation of a community of practice for Women Entrepreneurship Enablers. • Assist in organizing capacity-building workshops for enablers. • Contribute to mapping women’s business enablers, identifying opportunities for linking them directly to financial institutions involved in AFAWA programs. • Contribute to the drafting of knowledge products related to WEEP. • Draft stories highlighting beneficiary successes. • Contribute to the annual donor reports by providing insightful analysis. • Assist in organizing workshops and events. Perform other duties as assigned by supervisor.
C. Deliverables Expected
Policy and Regulatory Environment:
• Support the Task Manager (TM) in designing and executing projects that drive gender-responsive policy and regulatory reforms to improve access to finance for women-owned SMEs in regional member countries (RMCs). • Assist in tracking and assessing the progress of policy reform projects, focusing on overcoming the main barriers that prevent WSMEs from accessing finance. • Provide ongoing support in the administrative and financial management of the projects. • Work closely with colleagues across the internal ecosystem, particularly in procurement, disbursement, financial management, and legal matters, to ensure seamless project execution. • Conduct research and analysis on key reforms aimed at advancing financial inclusion for women-owned SMEs. • Proactively identify new projects and strategic partnerships that align with our goals of increasing access to finance for women-owned SMEs. • Draft memos for management on the progress of the project. • Write stories highlighting the impact and success of beneficiaries. • Contribute to donor reports, by providing insightful analysis. • Assist in organizing workshops and events. • Support the drafting of knowledge products focused on policy reforms to enhance WSMEs' access to finance. Women Entrepreneurship Enablers Program (WEEP): • Support the implementation of the Women Entrepreneurship Enablers Program (WEEP), which partners with Enterprise Support Organizations (ESOs) to strengthen women-owned SMEs’ financial and management capabilities, enhancing their access to finance. • Collaborate with the Bank’s internal teams (financial management, procurement, disbursement, and legal departments) to ensure timely approval and successful completion of projects. • Liaise with the 32+ ESOs involved in the WEEP. • Develop monitoring tools to track progress toward increasing WSMEs' access to finance. • Conduct a thorough mapping of women’s business enablers, categorizing them and identifying opportunities for direct linkages with financial institutions participating in AFAWA programs. • Facilitate connections between ESOs and partnering financial institutions. • Identify and establish strategic partnerships with ESOs to drive outcomes that improve access to finance for women-owned SMEs. • Develop case studies that showcase impactful stories of change. • Support the implementation of a community of practice for Women Entrepreneurship Enablers. • Assist in organizing capacity-building workshops for enablers. • Contribute to mapping women’s business enablers, identifying opportunities for linking them directly to financial institutions involved in AFAWA programs. • Contribute to the drafting of knowledge products related to WEEP. • Draft stories highlighting beneficiary successes. • Contribute to the annual donor reports by providing insightful analysis. • Assist in organizing workshops and events.
D. Duration and Timetable for the Assignment
The consultancy will be for 12 months, starting from May 2026, with the possibility of renewal.
E. Bank Contribution and Institutional Arrangement
Remote
F. Duty Station
Home-Based
G. Essential Specialized Skills/Knowledge/Competencies
• A minimum of a master’s degree in public policy, Business, Economics or a related field; • A minimum of five (5) years of relevant, successful experience in supporting gender-responsive policy and regulatory reforms in public institutions, especially central banks and ministries of finance; • A minimum of five (5) years of relevant, successful experience in supporting Enterprise support organizations in strengthening the financial and management capabilities of women-owned SMEs, • Understanding of and experience in handling enabling environment programs related to financial inclusion for women and women entrepreneurs in Africa; • Relevant experience in planning and implementing technical assistance for policy reform and institutional capacity building in entrepreneurship, access to finance, access to markets and trade; • Strong skills in monitoring multiple projects; • Ability to perform successfully as a member of multiple project-related teams; • Excellent communication and writing ability; Strong computer literacy skills; • Fluency in English and French is required. • Some work experience in the private sector and in a development project environment is desirable; • Excellent Analytical Skills; • Strong project management and organizational skills; • Competence in the use of standard Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint) is required; knowledge of SAP is desirable. • A national of the Bank’s Member Country.
H. Supervisor
AFAWA Principal Enabling Environment Officer, AHGC
Consultancy Input Days
261.00
Qualifications
Qualification
Assessment
Regular Consultant
Less than 32 years old at the time of signing the contract and during contract execution
