Terms of Reference to conduct a Market and Value Chains Analysis for the Women Empowerment and Micro Small Enterprises Support
Introduction

We Effect is a Swedish development organisation with a regional office in Southern Africa and country offices in Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. It supports development powered by people who themselves live in poverty and works with local organisations. We Effect’s vision is a sustainable and just world free of poverty. To succeed, it must start by changing the situation for the most vulnerable – women and youth, who constitute 70% of those living in poverty.

We Effect in Southern Africa believes that the most effective and sustainable approach to addressing the root causes of poverty is by taking a holistic and multi-levelled gender transformative approach. This means together with our different partner organizations, we will work at different levels to contribute to the overall programme: at personal, social, material, organizational and structural levels. We Effect has global and regional strategies, whose focus is being Stronger Together and prescribes gender equality as the core of all We Effect work.

We work in the thematic fields of sustainable rural development and adequate housing. We apply a human rights-based approach in our programmes, assisting people living in poverty to secure their rights and entitlement to adequate living conditions and broad empowerment. We Effect targets women in partner organisations to secure them the same rights and entitlements as men, especially to own and control land and access to financial resources. Partner organizations include farmer organizations, housing cooperatives, and savings and credit associations. The core strategy is to strengthen cooperatives of women and men living in poverty through membership-based democracy, long-term economic thinking, social responsibility, and transparency.

We Effect is inviting consultancy companies or individual consultants to undertake a Market Analysis and Value Chains study for the Women Empowerment and Micro Small Enterprises Support project implemented in eight greater Lusaka areas namely Mutendere East; Chainda; John Howard; Chawama; Nkoloma; Garden; Mandevu and Ngwerere. The consultant(s) will work closely with We Effect Project team and their regional advisors, the project partners and community stakeholders.

Project Background

We Effect Zambia and its partners ChildFund and Civic Forum for Housing and Habitat Zambia (CFHHZ) with funding support from the European Union through the European Commission’s Lusaka Transmission Distribution Rehabilitation Project (LTDRP)- Low Voltage Distribution Network are implementing the Women Empowerment and Micro Small Enterprises Support project starting in June 2023. The project will end in May 2026. It is being implemented in eight greater Lusaka areas namely Matendere East; Chainda; John Howard; Chawama; Nkoloma; Garden; Mandevu and Ngwerere.

The overall objective of the project is to contribute to the increased access to complimentary services including business management/entrepreneurial skills and credit facilities among women benefiting from the subsidized Lusaka Transmission Distribution Rehabilitation Project (LTDRP) electricity connections in the target areas of Lusaka.

The project specific objectives are:

1.      To build or strengthen resilient and profitable women and youth owned business that ensure continuous delivery of quality empowerment services to vulnerable women, and youth in the target areas.

2.     To promote gender coordinated transformative, sustainable, and rights-based empowerment services that foster women and youth’s entrepreneurship in the target areas.

Market and Value Chain Analysis Objectives

Due to the nature of the Project, there is need to understand the market status and the value chains that women, men and youth engage in. It is also important to understand the potential opportunities available for women, men and youth entrepreneurs. This market and value chain analysis with a gender lens will therefore be conducted with the following main objectives:

1.      To map and profile the existing value chains, both on farm and off farm, in the target townships to identify feasible and most effective value chains for women, men and youth entrepreneurs;

2.      Recommend the most profitable, adaptable and technically feasible value chains for women, men and youth in each target areas.

3.      Assess the recommended value chains and provide detailed analysis on how the target groups can be engaged in the identified value chains in different roles (supplier of input, producer, processor, transporter and traders, among others);

4.      Assess prevailing market system supporting environment (services, policies and rules regulations, infrastructure), and market constraints for women, men and youth in the target areas;

5.      Assess the training gaps of the women, men and youth that can hinder their participation in the value chains at different levels roles (supplier of input, producer, processor, transporter and traders, among others);

6.      Describe skills training needs related to potential roles in the value chain.

Methodology, Data Collection and Analysis

The methodology applied should include the following activities:

Desk review of the secondary data.
Key informant interviews with relevant stakeholders in the value chain or others including micro, small, and medium businesses, government ministries/departments and local government;
Focus group discussions with target beneficiaries (women and youth) in selected communities/townships:
Market-based meetings to map value chains and market analysis linked to local markets
Deliverables

1.      Inception Report – The inception report shall include; detailed methodology, including draft sampling methodology and sample size, data collection techniques including tools and timeline. The inception report should be submitted and presented to the We Effect Procurement Committee for review.

2.     Field work report: Presentation of the field work processes including secondary data collection any challenges and incomplete tasks.

3.     Draft Report – To be submitted and presented to We Effect and partners highlighting main preliminary findings, including:

i.           Detailed analysis from the desk review on the current status of women, men and youth participation in the value chains – With a specific Gender Focus as it relates to women’s access to and control over productive resources.

ii.          key issues identified in line with Market and value Chain Analysis from a women’s perspective.

iii.          Proposed conclusions and recommendations for the training gaps , selected market systems ( services , policies and infrastructure )

4.     Final Report – To be submitted to We Effect;

5.     Cleaned data set (e.g. Excel, SPSS, Solstice), transcripts of qualitative data, syntax/ code books.

Duration and Timing

The whole duration of the assignment will be for 30 days from the day of signing and beginning the assignment.

Qualifications and Experience of the Consultant(s)

1.       An advanced degree in social sciences, business, economics, statistics, gender, development studies, agricultural economics, or any other relevant qualification;

2.      At least 7 years’ experience in conducting complex country programme evaluations/gender evaluations in the field of development or other international organisations with experience in leading evaluations;

3.      Expertise and knowledge of the thematic areas relevant to the Women Empowerment and Micro Small Enterprise Support. The baseline team should preferably be conducted by a team comprised of expertise in women economic empowerment, gender-based violence, governance/women leadership, agricultural and other value chains, business development/cooperative development/women led organisations, among others;

4.      Experience in value chain analysis or labour market studies;

5.      Technical expertise in assessing issues of labour market demand and supply;

6.      Excellent analytical, writing and communication skills;

7.      Excellent written and spoken English.

Remuneration, logistics and duration of the contract

The consultants will be paid an agreed daily rate based on qualification and experience. Workdays will be distributed between the date of contract signature and end date of the study.

Payment fees will be based on the delivery of outputs, as follows:

§  40% of the remaining amount on the assignment upon submission of the final report.

§  40% Upon delivery and submission of the first draft report

§  20% Upon deliver and submission of the approved final report

Application Procedures

Applications consisting of:

§  A cover letter summarizing suitability and qualifications for this assignment;

§  List of relevant similar assignments or actual outputs from these assignments.

§  CVs of the team members.

§  Technical and financial proposal with indicative work plan showing consultant’s planned approach to the assignment.

§  Company profile and compliance to the Laws of the Republic of Zambia, if registered as a company;

§  Any other support documents.

Documents indicating “Women Empowerment and Micro Small Enterprise Support Market and value chain analysis” should be sent before close of business on 30th May 2025.  to procurement.zambia@weeffect.org or physically submitted to:

The Country Representative;

We Effect Zambia,

Plot No. 93 Kudu Road Kabulonga,

Lusaka