Announcements

Integrated Farmer Training for up to 15,000 Cashew Farmers
PN: 15.2218.4-001.00
Programme Context
The German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development is cooperating through the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS) for many years in order to reduce and manage unemployment in the Sierra Leone. MLSS and GIZ are partnering in policy and strategy development as well as capacity building of Ministry staff and infrastructure support.
Currently, the Employment Promotion Programme III will be implemented for four years (August 2016 – July 2020). During the implementation, the following objectives will be achieved:
A: Capacity support for development partners -There has been sustainable improvement in the processes for implementing the National Employment Policy and Action Plan (NEPAP).
B: Capacity building of young people - Young people’s basic skills for employment in the target districts have improved
C: Agricultural value chain development - Young people increase production in the selected value chains
D: PSD Capacity building of MSM entrepreneurs - The management skills of rural small and micro businesses have improved
E: PSD Facility for innovation - New business ideas generated by young people are rated as eligible for F4I support.
This Terms of Reference of this EOI will be dealing with Module C.
Module Objective
Young people’s income and employment situation in agricultural and MSM businesses has sustainably improved.
Broad Objective
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) development objective is to enhance increase in agricultural production and productivity, promote value addition and commercialization.
Since the promotion of cashew cultivation is one of the priorities of the Ministry, sensitization of the rural population in this respect and to further education in plantation management and marketing is key. To this end, MAF in collaboration with other development partners have identified about 15,000 farmers in 7 districts consisting of 10,000 existing cashew farmers and 5,000 new farmers that are interested in the cultivation of cashew.
Therefore, GIZ in cooperation with MAF is looking for a consultant company to carry out the trainings according to the Integrated Farmer Training (IFT) concept in the assigned districts with farmers identified by MAF.
GIZ is expecting a turnkey service including the provision of trainers, implementation of the respective seven cashew training modules including the logistics and necessary presence in the respective districts as well as monitoring of the training success. GIZ will provide the training contents (7 cashew modules) and train the trainers of the winning bidder.
Integrated Farmer Training (IFT)
- IFT supports farmers through the entire annual production cycle of different crops (curricula for cashew, coffee, cocoa and rice are already in place).
- Minimized time investment for farmers by assigning all training contents to a sequence of modules lasting 6 hours each and conducted in villages.
- Each facilitator trains 5 groups of 25 farmers each in one assigned cluster.
- Divers and attractive training scheme: general schedule is in the morning = GAP with demonstration in farms; noon = tools for farming as business; afternoon = soft skills and attitudes development.
- Each training module is complemented by one follow-up meeting with smaller groups for exercises of new techniques and to support their application by individual farmers.
- Training is conducted in local languages Kono, Kissi, Mende
- Posters are used to present contents with drawings.
- Handouts in English are brief and use drawings, overviews and simple tools.
- Training is participatory, uses individual work, group work, plenary discussions, games.
- Training is suitable for illiterate and literate people.
- Implementer is providing simple lunch to farmers, but no sitting allowances, no transport allowances etc.
- IFT is easily adaptable: the technical part can be exchanged with material for every other agricultural produce.
Tasks of Consultancy
1. Provision of more than 50 candidates for Training of Trainers for IFT cashew (present cashew master trainers must be incorporated)
2. Registration and clustering of farmers groups (600 groups of 25 farmers in clusters and superclusters) in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry until respective deadlines.
3. Provision and deployment of 50 successful graduates from IFT Cashew TOT organised by GIZ EPPIII
4. Establishment of the training logistics for 15000 farmers in 7 districts.
5. Conducting the trainings in three batches (5000 farmers each) until April 2020. In total 8,400 contacts training days.
6. Providing evidence of conducted trainings and reporting.
Duration of Assignment
The Consultancy is expected to run from November 2018 until July 2020
Location of Assignment
Bombali, Kambia, Port Loko, Koinadugu, Tonkolili, Kono and Kailahun
Key Deliverables
Batch 1:
- 5000 registered active cashew farmers in Bombali Kambia Port Loko Koinadugu Tonkolili until end of September 2018
- 5000 farmers trained on 7 cashew modules each in Bombali Kambia Port Loko Koinadugu Tonkolili until end of June 2019
Batch 2:
- 5000 registered active cashew farmers in Bombali Kambia Port Loko Koinadugu Tonkolili until end of March 2019
- 5000 farmers trained on 7 cashew modules each in Bombali Kambia Port Loko Koinadugu Tonkolili until end of February 2020
Batch 3:
- 5000 registered new cashew farmers in Bombali Kambia Port Loko Koinadugu Tonkolili, Kono and Kailahun until end of June 2019
- 5000 farmers trained on 7 cashew modules each in Bombali Kambia Port Loko Koinadugu Tonkolili, Kono and Kailahun until end of March 2020
Eligibility/Expertise/Documents to be submitted
In order to be eligible for a consultancy contract according these tasks, the candidate should possess the following:
- The Service Provider gives poof of good standing, commercial qualification, payment of taxes and social benefits: Clearance Certificate of NRA and NASSIT
- The Service Provider is based and registered in Sierra Leone: Certificate of Business Registration
- The Service Provider should provide proof of experience in the outlined tasks and in particular proof of experience in training of large and complex groups: A brief company profile that details the experience in delivering similar tasks, with concise CVs of proposed experts to be attached to the consultancy
Submission of Expressions of Interest
Eligible experts, consulting firms and/or institutions should submit their “Expression of Interest” in a plain sealed envelope in the Tender Box situated at the GIZ Country Office Reception –32d Wilkinson Road, Freetown or via Email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. not later than 15th October 2018, 5:00 PM local time, clearly marked with “EoI Integrated Farmer Training for up to 15,000 Cashew Farmers”
Only prequalified bidders will be contacted with detailed Terms of Reference and tender documentation for submission of technical and financial bids.