- Organization: International Executive Service Corps (IESC)
- Country: Tanzania
- City: Dar es Salaam
- Office: IESC Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Position Description
Gender Equality and Social Inclusion for Agri-Finance Consultant
Location Tanzania
Department Programs
Employment Type Consultant
GENDER EQUALITY AND SOCIAL INCLUSION CONSULTANT IN THE TANZANIA AGRI-FINANCE SECTOR
Title: G ender Equality and Social Inclusion for Agri-Finance Consultant
Location of Assignment: Tanzania
Proposed Level of Effort: Up to 20 days
Anticipated Start Date: November 2023
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this assignment is to assess women, youth, and marginalized population’s participation in the agri -finance ecosystem in Tanzania, and identify opportunities for the USAID-Tanzania Agri-Finance Activity (TAFA) to strengthen access to finance for these target groups .
BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
Improving Economies for Sustainable Communities (IESC) is a US-based nonprofit that creates and expands economic opportunities, helping to lift those we support, out of poverty. We believe that helping enterprises to grow is the most sustainable way for communities to have access to jobs and for families and people to have opportunities for a better quality of life. We have helped businesses in a variety of sectors, including agriculture, to create or save more than 1.5 million jobs in 137 countries across the world. Our major funders today are the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), among others.
The three-year USAID Tanzania Agri-Finance Activity (TAFA) implemented by IESC will improve access to finance for smallholders, women, youth, and micro, small, medium (including large) enterprises ( MSMiLs ) in Tanzania by improving the agrifinance ecosystem and strengthening the capacity of borrowers and lenders. With a particular emphasis on priority technologies, including climate-smart technologies, the Recipient will create more inclusive agricultural finance ecosystems, enable expanded and sustained lending and investment, and increase productivity and incomes.
APPROACH: The focus of this assessment is to highlight the roles and responsibilities of women, youth, and marginalized populations in the agriculture sector in different steps of the value chain (production, input supply, aggregation, transport, processing, marketing, and consumption) and to identify opportunities to expand their profitable business opportunities and to increase access to finance . T h e assessment will also consult financial institution s to understand the challenges in providing credit and financial services to women, youth, and marginalized populations, and identify opportunities for TAFA to further the inclusion of these populations in the provision of financial services. The assessment should draw on both qualitative and quantitative data, through primary data collection as well as secondary desk research review.
The consultant will be expected to examine the following areas:
- Intrahousehold power dynamics, roles, a nd resou r ce allocation /control decisions within households involved in agriculture
- Interhousehold and community dynamics, including community formal and in formal sources of finance for women, youth, and marginalized populations. Gender and age dynamics in agricultural production, entrepreneurship, and agri-enterprise operations, including an understanding of women and youth access to property and other forms of colla teral that may impact bankability and access to formal financial channels.
- Enabling environment factors in Tanzania (laws, policies, etc) influencing women, youth, and marginalized populations’ access to finance
- Availability of specialized financial products and services that meet the needs of women, youth, and marginalized populations in the agriculture sector ; and identification of the required product terms/structure to expand opportunities for these target groups ( ie ; alternative collateral mechanisms such as digital transaction history, etc )
- Financial institutions’ perception of risks and opportunities of lending to women, youth, and marginalized populations in the agriculture sector
A consultant will be contracted to conduct this GESI analysis. The consultant will review relevant existing studies, data and information on the gender context in Tanzania, specifically within the finance and agricultural sectors. The consultant will also collect primary data by interviewing local stakeholders in Tanzania such as financial institutions (FIs) , farmer groups , women groups, youth groups, and relevant agri-enterprises to discuss the current roles and opportunities for women in the agricultural finance sector, and to identify the bottlenecks faced by women, youth, and other marginalized populations to access agricultural financial services in Tanzania , including access to collateral, productive resources, knowledge, and other factors to be determined.
The consultant will then analyze the data and information gathered in order to identify the roles and contribution of women, youth, and marginalized populations in the agricultural and finance sectors in Tanzania, the gaps and challenges faced by them; and to propose recommendations for how the program can address gender gaps and assist women, youth, and marginalized populations in accessing finance and growing their businesses in their future work . The analysis will identify specialized needs and effective strategies for engaging target populations including specific financial product and service design and operational im provements with financial institutions , a nd knowledge/capacity strengthening requirements among potential borrowers .
The GESI Analysis will also propose specific targets pertaining to gender, youth, and the inclusion of marginalized populations in the agriculture and finance sectors to be integrated into the TAFA Activity Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan (AMELP) .
TASKS:
- Develop an implementation schedule for the assignment in consultation with IESC team;
- Review , assess , and summarize relevant desk research prior to travel to Tanzania
- Develop interview questions for each stakeholder type to be visited , including both supply-side financial institutions, and demand-side institutions ( e.g. cooperatives, farmer groups, youth groups, women’s groups, agribusinesses, etc.) in the access to finance ecosystem in Tanzania
- Visit with stakeholders and other projects in Tanza nia working on gender-specific activities in the agricultural finance sector;
- Visit with youth, women, and marginalized populations engaged in agricultural production and/or agri-preneurship to understand their activities, specifically with regards to managing operations , finances, decision-making, and future development plans. Visits may include discussions at the household level, including separate and combined interviews with adult members of the family.
- Review and analyze relevant data and information gathered;
- Identify and document the challenges and opportunities faced by women , youth and marginalized populations in agriculture ;
- Develop a list of recommendations for how the program can further assist women , youth and marginalized populations in improving access to finance and bankabilit y, including specialized needs and effective strategies to engage the target populations
- Submit a report on the findings ( including gaps/challenges , recommendations , specific targets and outcomes pertaining to gender, youth, and the inclusion of marginalized populations in the agriculture and finance sectors. )
* All written products need to be in Microsoft Word format.
DELIVERABLES:
- Literature review: summary of findings prior to field study
- Interview questions by stakeholder type
- Assessment report on findings, including recommendations; and
- A list of stakeholder interviews conducted.
ADMINISTRATION AND LOGISTICS: The consultant will be responsible for the assessment and final report.
IESC will provide hotel accommodations and transport.
The consultant is required to have their own computer.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Post-graduate or undergraduate university degree in gender studies or related fields;
- 5 or more years of experience conducting gender assessments in developing countries, ideally in the field of agri-business and/or agri -finance ;
- Self-motivated, proactive, detail-oriented, mature, professional team player with excellent interpersonal and communication skills;
- Ability to address issues, challenges, questions, and concerns in a professional, respectful, logical, and timely manner;
- Ability to work effectively in cross-cultural contexts;
- Prior experience of working in developing country contexts – especially in Tanzania and /or East Africa – will be helpful; and
- Excellent written and spoken communication skills in English.
International travel is anticipated for this assignment. All deliverables will be in English.
