TERMS OF REFERENCE: POSTHARVEST INCUBATION PROGRAM

PROJECT TITLE:
ENHANCING THE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION OF INDIGENOUS FRUITS
AND VEGETABLES TO IMPROVE DIETS IN GHANA AND MALI

LEAD INSTITUTION: UNIVERSITY OF GHANA

1. Project Background
The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture project “Enhancing the production and
consumption of African Indigenous Fruits and Vegetables to improve diets in Ghana and Mali”
– (Eco-InVeg) is a collaborative project involving academia, research institutions and the
private sector from two countries - Ghana and Mali and lead by the University of Ghana. Other
partners are the Université des Sciences, des Techniques et des Technologies de Bamako
(USTT-B), Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), Council for Scientific and
Industrial Research-Food Research Institute (FRI) Ghana and Young Professionals for
Agricultural Development (YPARD).

The overall goal of the project is to improve nutrition in Ghanaians and Malians through diet
diversification by valorizing indigenous fruits and vegetables and promoting their consumption.
In order to ensure effective implementation, monitoring and evaluation, the project has been
organized into five (5) work packages as follows:
i. Work Package 1 - Profiling of seven indigenous fruits and vegetables
ii. Work package 2 - Value chain analysis
iii. Work package 3: Improving postharvest handling and preservation of indigenous
fruits and vegetables.
iv. Work Package 4 - Creation of an Incubator where innovative ideas for promoting
consumption of indigenous horticultural produce will be generated and launched
v. Work Package 5 - Dissemination of technologies, methods, and processes
This TOR is with reference to sub-theme 4.

The main objective of the incubation programs is to create an ecosystem where women and
youth entrepreneurs, as well as key stakeholders connect, increase knowledge sharing and co-
create solutions to spur innovations and business opportunities specifically for indigenous fruits
and vegetables.

The incubator will serve as a support hub for selected participants mainly youth and women who
have existing enterprises or start-ups (between 3-5years of establishment) to nurture and grow
their businesses in high potential areas of indigenous fruits and vegetables. Through a well-
crafted mentorship, capacity building and skills development program, participants will be
equipped and resourced to strengthen their operations with innovative ideas that will enhance the
sustainability of their enterprises. Trainings will be facilitated by experts, well versed in
contemporary issues related to innovation and entrepreneurship, postharvest technology,
packaging, intellectual property, technology transfer, agribusiness management, agricultural
policies and principles of marketing. Additionally, the provision of grants complemented by
expert technical support, will help identify innovative enterprises, scale innovations and
contribute to food systems transformation.

2. Objective:

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The objective of the incubation program is to establish an incubator/innovation hub for women
and youth entrepreneurs, and key stakeholders to connect, increase knowledge sharing, and co-
create solutions to spur innovations and business opportunities for the selected indigenous fruits
and vegetables.
3. Scope:
The incubation program targets youth and women-led enterprises in all the 20 regions in Mali, in
their first three (3) years of establishment.
4. Period of assignment: The duration of the assignment is 13 months
5. Methodology
The implementation of the incubation program adopts a systematic approach where calls for
applications are designed with clear targets and activities to achieve the desired objectives.

Details of the activities are presented and further summarized in the matrix (Figure 1).

FAQ Session/ Pre- Screening of

Launch Call for Bootcamp for 10
Launch Design a applications/
applications pre- selected
Call Selection of
applicants
Candidates

Acceleration and Selection of 2 Pitching of

Incubation finalists innovative ideas

Figure 1: Process flow diagram for the Post-harvest Incubation Program

Activity 5.1: Design and open a call for innovative women and youth-led enterprises based on
indigenous vegetables and fruits- The aim of this activity is partly to create a network of
mentors and experts. The network will primarily function as private sector advisory group to
assess submitted proposals and later support the incubation and business acceleration of
successful applicants. The development of the call, communication, application materials and
assessment criteria will be guided by participatory research to ensure calls adequately respond to
context specific needs. The calls will also be appropriately designed to take into consideration
the needs of a variety of stakeholders, including women and youth.

The circulation of call for applications will be carefully done to ensure transparency and fairness
in alignment with the project’s objectives. The “Open Call for Innovative Entrepreneurs” will

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be open for 2 months, followed by evaluations, shortlisting and selection of innovative
enterprises. At the initial round, Ten (10) enterprises will be selected and subsequently screened
to Two (2) finalists. The quality and potential of the enterprises will be evaluated with special
considerations for age and gender of applicants prioritizing women and youth.

Activity 5.3: FAQ Session - Prior to the reviewing and selection of applications, the project will
have a dedicated one-month period to provide adequate information on the program. The
frequently asked questions (FAQ) sessions will deploy various social and conventional media
platforms as channels to create awareness about the various phases of the 16-month incubation
program. After this phase the call for application will be open to invite applications from the
general public with special focus on youth and women-led existing enterprises with interested in
indigenous crops.

Activity 5.4: Bootcamp for pre-selected applicants. In order to develop a program that
progressively mentors and incubates budding entrepreneurs, a bootcamp will be organized to
adequately equip the selected applicants. With the support of experts, technical, soft, or business
skills of the selected applicants will be enhanced through competency-based teaching
approaches. The capacity building, incubation, and mentorship support will be carried out for 1
month- 5 days of in person intensive interactions and training and 3 weeks virtual support and
training.

Activity 5.5: Acceleration and Incubation of selected innovative women and youth-led
enterprises. After the bootcamp, a pitch competition will be held to select the 2 finalists who
will be supported by the project. The respective enterprises will present their business models
including their budget. This will provide an entry point for funding innovative enterprises
within the selected value chains. The best 2 enterprises will be chosen to be granted ( a
maximum of USD 10,000 per project). After the acceleration phase, the finalists will present
their business plans and establish Agribusiness Learning Alliances for continued research-to-
business partnerships.

6. Key Tasks
The task involves coordinating and managing the activities of the entire incubation program
including:
a. The Consultant shall coordinate activities and engage with all relevant stakeholders to
conduct interviews and schedule trainings using appropriate training materials.
b. The Consultant shall liaise with the Eco-InVeg team for the necessary assistance and
clarifications to undertake this assignment.
c. The Consultant shall present the initial strategy and also advise on strategy for the
incubation program to the team before the launch of the call for applications.
d. The Consultant shall be responsible for Screening of applications (establishing selection
criteria)
e. The Consultant shall be responsible for coordination of the development of training
manuals for participants (competency- based)

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 f. The Consultant shall conduct pre and post training evaluations to assess the impact of the
training.
g. The Consultant shall provide monthly reports and timely feedback on the progress of the
incubation program and recommend strategies for continuous improvement.
h. The Consultant shall recruit trainers and facilitators for the training
i. The Consultant shall be responsible for scheduling all training sessions, seminars,
workshops and mentorship sessions of pre-selected participants
j. The Consultant shall be responsible for coaching finalists in managing their enterprises
after award of grants
k. The Consultant shall be responsible for monitoring and Evaluation of Incubation Program

7. Deliverables and Timelines

The Consultant shall produce the following deliverables/outputs during the period of the
consultancy:

Deliverable Timeline (months)

a. Implementation Plan/ Training strategy 1

b. Call for application / Selection criteria 2

c. Training manuals/ Resources 3

d. Training/ Coaching 1

e. Monitoring and Evaluation Instruments 4

f. Progress/ Report 1

g. Final Report 1

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8. Qualification and Experience

The consultancy firm must possess:
a. Excellent training and facilitation skills
b. Strong academic background in Business, Entrepreneurship, Agribusiness, Innovation
and Design Thinking or related fields
c. Experience in startup incubation and acceleration programs
d. Proven track record in developing and managing similar projects
e. Strong understanding of industry trends and market dynamics
f. Experience in capacity building and training

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 g. Excellent project management and communication skills
9. Reporting and Communication
a. The consultant will work in close collaboration with the Eco-InVeg team in Mali through
the Project Lead in Mali and report to the Lead (email: faziesamake@[Link]; cc:
sanatatraore21@[Link], sognandao@[Link])
b. Duty Post - The Consultant will work remotely but in close communication with the
Project lead.
c. In accordance with best practices, Eco-InVeg Team in Mali will provide the consultant
with relevant information needed, logistics and support team to effectively undertake the
assignment.
10. Quality Assurance and Performance criteria
The performance of the Consultant will be assessed based on the following criteria:
a. High quality of work
b. Adherence to timeliness of consultancy services
c. Timelines provided for key milestones
d. All ethical requirements for best practices in research must be met
e. High level of confidentiality with reference to Intellectual Property Rights (especially
with business ideas and other innovations)
11. Sponsorship:
This project is sponsored by the Feed the Future Innovation Lab and the total budget allocated to
this mission is USD 6,000.00. Disbursements and reimbursement policies of the project will be
applied
12. Approval and Sign-off
Applications for this consultancy assignment will be subject to rigorous assessment and approval
by the project team. The approved and selected applicant will be contacted for sign-off and
commencement of activities.
13. Contact Information:
For more information, contact [gessilfie@[Link]]; [faziesamake@[Link]];
[baddoorosalyne@[Link]]; and copy [sanatatraore21@[Link]],
[sognandao@[Link]]; [cachaab@[Link]] from 9h00 to 16h00 GMT.

14. Proposal Submission

Interested firms are invited to submit a proposal that includes the following:

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 ● Company profile and relevant experience
● Detailed methodology and approach for the assignment
● Work plan with timelines and deliverables
● Team composition and CVs of key personnel
● Financial proposal with a detailed budget breakdown

15. Application Procedures and Deadline

Expressions of Interest should be submitted electronically to [recruitment@[Link]] and

addressed to Dr. Aggrey Agumya, Executive Director of FARA, No 7 Flower Avenue, New
Achimota, Mile 7, Accra, Ghana, no later than December 03, 2024, at 16h00 GMT. Tel: +233
302 772823/744888.