Tenders Are Invited For Assessment Of Afcfta National Awareness 2022/23 Outcome

Expression of Interest for Assessment of AfCFTA National Awareness 2022/23 Outcome. Location: Kigali Deadline: Sunday, 19/07/2026 23:59 Introduction: The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is a federally owned international cooperation enterprise for sustainable development with worldwide operations. The GIZ Office in Kigali covers GIZs portfolio in Rwanda and Burundi. GIZ Rwanda/Burundi implements projects on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the European Union and other commissioning authorities in the following priority areas: Sustainable Economic Development; Good Governance; Climate, Energy and Sustainable Urban Development; Digitalization and Digital Economy; and regional projects in the Great Lakes Region. 1. Context The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is a federally owned international cooperation enterprise for sustainable development with worldwide operations. GIZ has worked in Rwanda for over 30 years. The primary objectives between the Government of Rwanda and the Federal Republic of Germany are poverty reduction and the promotion of sustainable development. To achieve these objectives, GIZ Rwanda is active in the sectors of Decentralization and Good Governance, Economic Development and Employment Promotion, Energy, and ICT (Information and Communications Technology). Through the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Germany currently provides technical support to the African Union Commission (AUC), specifically to the Department of Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry and Minerals (ETTIM) and the AfCFTA Secretariat, with its project African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The projects main objective is to strengthen the framework conditions for intra-African trade. Besides the outstanding topics of AfCFTA Phase I on Trade in Goods and Trade in Services, phase II and III issues, such as Investment, competition policy, Intellectual Property Rights, and digital trade are supported. Furthermore, the involvement of the private sector and civil society is supported. To this end, the project pursues a multi-level approach on the continental level working with the AUC DTI and AfCFTA Secretariat, at the regional level supporting Regional Economic Communities (RECs), and the national level, specifically in the project focus countries, like Rwanda. Rationale Since the launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Rwanda has undertaken several awareness-raising and capacity-building initiatives aimed at increasing understanding and utilization of AfCFTA opportunities among public institutions, private sector actors, academic institutions, manufacturers, producers, and business associations. Between 2022 and the end of 2023, nationwide AfCFTA awareness and training interventions were implemented across all provinces of Rwanda, reaching approximately 5,600 participants. These interventions sought to increase awareness of the AfCFTA Agreement, its benefits, trading opportunities, implementation instruments, and implications for businesses and institutions. As Rwanda advances the implementation of the AfCFTA, there is a need to assess the effectiveness, outcomes, and impact of these awareness and capacity-building interventions. The assessment will evaluate the extent to which beneficiaries have improved their understanding of AfCFTA provisions, applied acquired knowledge in their professional activities, and utilized opportunities arising from the Agreement. The findings will generate evidence on the effectiveness of previous interventions and provide recommendations to inform future awareness campaigns, targeted capacity-building initiatives, and broader AfCFTA implementation efforts in Rwanda. Geographical Coverage and Target Groups The AfCFTA awareness and capacity-building interventions implemented between 2022 and 2023 were conducted nationwide, covering all provinces of Rwanda, namely the City of Kigali, Eastern Province, Western Province, Northern Province, and Southern Province. The impact assessment shall therefore adopt a nationally representative approach that adequately reflects the geographical scope of the original interventions. The contractor shall develop a sampling framework that captures beneficiaries from the different provinces and districts where awareness activities were conducted. The assessment shall target, among others: Public sector institutions involved in trade, investment, industrial development, and economic planning; Private sector actors, including Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs); Manufacturers and producers across priority sectors; Business associations and chambers of commerce; Women-led and youth-led enterprises; Academic and research institutions; Other beneficiaries who participated in AfCFTA awareness and capacity-building activities implemented between 2022 and 2023. The contractor shall ensure that the assessment captures regional variations in awareness, understanding, utilization of AfCFTA opportunities, and institutional preparedness, thereby providing a comprehensive picture of the outcomes and impact of the interventions across Rwanda. Objectives of the Assignment Overall Objective: To assess the outcomes and impact of AfCFTA awareness and capacity-building interventions implemented in Rwanda between 2022 and 2023 and generate evidence-based recommendations to strengthen future AfCFTA implementation efforts. Specific Objectives Assess changes in knowledge, awareness, and understanding of AfCFTA provisions among beneficiaries of previous interventions. Evaluate the extent to which participants have applied AfCFTA-related knowledge and opportunities in business operations, trade activities, policymaking, and institutional decision-making. Identify gaps in awareness, institutional preparedness, and access to AfCFTA implementation tools and instruments. Assess sector-specific outcomes among public institutions, private sector actors, manufacturers, producers, and academic institutions. Determine factors that have facilitated or constrained the uptake and utilization of AfCFTA opportunities. Generate evidence-based recommendations to inform future AfCFTA awareness and capacity-building initiatives. 2. Tasks to be performed by the contractor The contractor is responsible for providing the following services: Develop an inception report outlining the assessment methodology, work plan, sampling strategy, and data collection approach. Develop a nationally representative sampling framework covering beneficiaries from all provinces and selected districts where AfCFTA awareness and capacity-building interventions were implemented. Design quantitative and qualitative data collection tools. Conduct surveys, key informant interviews (KIIs), focus group discussions (FGDs), and institutional assessments. Undertake field data collection among beneficiaries of AfCFTA awareness interventions conducted between 2022 and 2023. Conduct sector-specific analysis across public institutions, private sector organizations, manufacturers, producers, and academic institutions. Assess the effectiveness, relevance, efficiency, and sustainability of the awareness interventions. Identify success stories, lessons learned, challenges, and opportunities for improvement. Analyse findings and prepare evidence-based recommendations. Facilitate a validation workshop with key stakeholders. Produce a comprehensive final assessment report. There is a need to assess the outcomes of previous awareness and capacity-building interventions related to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Between 2022 and end of 2023, Rwanda implemented nationwide AfCFTA awareness and training initiatives targeting public institutions, private sector actors, academic communities, manufacturers, and producers, reaching approximately 5,600 participants. Assessing the effectiveness of these interventions is important for informing future awareness strategies, targeted capacity-building approaches, and evidence-based AfCFTA implementation. The consultancy will therefore combine technical training on Trade in Services statistics with an impact assessment of AfCFTA awareness interventions implemented from 20222023. 3. Concept In the tender, the tenderer is required to show how the objectives defined in Chapter 2 (Tasks to be performed) are to be achieved, if applicable under consideration of further method-related requirements (technical-methodological concept). In addition, the tenderer must describe the project management system for service provision. Note: The numbers in parentheses correspond to the lines of the technical assessment grid. Technical-methodological concept Strategy (1.1): The tenderer is required to consider the tasks to be performed with reference to the objectives of the services put out to tender (see Chapter 1 Context) (1.1.1). Following this, the tenderer presents and justifies the explicit strategy with which it intends to provide the services for which it is responsible (see Chapter 2 Tasks to be performed) (1.1.2). The tenderer is required to present the actors relevant for the services for which it is responsible and describe the cooperation (1.2) with them. The tenderer is required to present and explain its approach to steering the measures with the project partners (1.3.1) and its contribution to the results-based monitoring system (1.3.2). The tenderer is required to describe the key processes for the services for which it is responsible and create an operational plan or schedule (1.4.1) that describes how the services according to Chapter 2 (Tasks to be performed by the contractor) are to be provided. In particular, the tenderer is required to describe the necessary work steps and, if applicable, Tender Link : https://www.jobinrwanda.com/job/expression-interest-eoi-assessment-afcfta-national-awareness-202223-outcome