African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) Call for MSME-LED Digital Solutions

Deadline: 31 August 2022

This African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) Call for MSME-LED Digital Solutions is looking for MSMEs that provide digital solutions which support trade and/or green infrastructure. Through this call, we are looking to provide business development support to MSMEs in the green infrastructure and trade sectors. If your business is looking for support to launch or scale a digital solution for green infrastructure and/or trade, please consider applying

The African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) in collaboration with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), announces this African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) Call for MSME-LED Digital Solutions for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

The call is part of ae MSME support programme within the Economic Integration division of AUDA-NEPAD supported by GIZ Programme Green Infrastructure Corridor for Intra-Africa Trade (PIDA). The programme is part of AUDA-NEPAD’s umbrella programme 100,000 MSMEs Initiative. Through our previous Call for Proposals, we supported four MSMEs..

Benefits

• The main purpose of this support programme is to empower MSMEs by helping them develop sustainable businesses. As such, we do not give funding directly but rather assist with the preparation of robust business plans, financial models and pitch decks that demonstrate the business case and aligned to what investors look for. We focus on helping MSMEs develop a more holistic view of their business’s financial trajectory and to understand how to mobilise funding themselves and achieve their business outcomes.
• Digital technologies drive innovation, economic growth and job creation across a multiplicity of economic sectors, and foster increased African interconnectivity. Hence, this call for solutions focuses on African business offering digital/tech-based solutions to their customers.
• We are looking to select 10 MSMEs to receive tailored technical assistance. Once selected, MSMEs will work closely with our team to design and deliver a customised technical assistance programme carried out in 2023 to support your company’s specific growth needs across three key areas:

Investment readiness support          

• Business plan development
• Financial modelling
• Market research
• Investor pitch support and coaching
• Finance mobilisation

Business-specific advisory

• Contracting / legal support (e.g., off-take agreements)
• Compliance / quality management (e.g., alignment with industry-specific regulations / standards)
• B2B matchmaking
• Regulatory, procurement and trade (e.g., to meet procurement requirements)
• Digitalisation support (e.g., data centre migration, digitalisation of existing services)       

Capacity building

• Training on business plans
• Business strategy and development
• Investor pitch
• Various topics, based on identified MSME needs

Eligibility

To have your application considered, your business/project will have to meet the following criterias.

Youth and Women-led MSMEs strongly encouraged to apply.

At least be an early-stage business        

• Be registered as a for-profit entity. Applications from Non-profit organisations (NPOs) / non-governmental organisations (NGOs) / non-profit company (NPCs) will not be considered.
• Must have a team of at least three (3) people.
• Proof of concept must have been established either by the MSME’s pilot or by similar, pre-existing projects elsewhere.

Your business idea must have a digital / tech focus        

• Digital / tech must be central to the business strategy/value proposition.

You focus on trade and/or green infrastructure                      

Your digital solution must address at least one of the two below (the digital solution can address both):

• The digital solution must have a demonstrable climate change adaptation (increasing resilience) or mitigation (reducing greenhouse gas emissions) impact; or the digital solution must a beneficial environmental impact (e.g., clearing invasive species, reducing plastic waste, repurposing hazardous waste).
• The digital solution must be able to demonstrate its impact on trade and/or trade-related activities esp. across national border (within a country is acceptable).

You must be African      

• Be based in (i.e., registered) an African Union Member State.
• The business must be Africa-focused i.e., it has its largest market (>75% turnover) and employment base (>75% of personnel) in Africa.

Application

• All eligible applications will be reviewed. While we endeavour to contact both successful and unsuccessful applicants with the outcome of their applications, we cannot guarantee this. Keep an eye on our social media (and this website) for updates.
• Shortlisted applicants will progress to a virtual training session. We expect this training to take place sometime in November 2022. It may take up to 5 consecutive days.
• At the end of this training, applicants will be invited to pitch their projects to our internal evaluation committee for final selection. We expect these to take place between from late November to early December 2022.
• The evaluation committee will select the final applicants that will receive the tailored technical assistance. We expect to announce winners by 16 December 2022.

Visit official webpage for further information