Recruitment - study on the potential of the agro-ecology and eco-tourism sectors in Uganda

Introduction

The non-governmental cooperation program of the Embassy of France in Uganda entitled “Solidarity Fund for Innovative Projects” (herein after referred to as FSPI) funds initiatives in the areas of democratic governance, culture, French language, higher education, research and sustainable development.

The project “African Entrepreneurs’ Network - Supporting women and youth entrepreneurs in the agro-ecology and eco-tourism sectors in Uganda” aims at supporting the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Uganda, particularly in the areas of agro-ecology and eco-tourism, by providing visibility and building capacity for ‘Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises’ (MSMEs) to network, including with international actors. In the long term, the project aims at supporting MSMEs, especially those led by youth and women, to develop sustainably and create jobs in a competitive national and international market by supporting them in scaling up.

This project will provide training, business trips and networking opportunities for the 100 MSMEs selected. Half of them will come from the agro-ecology sector and 50 will come from the eco-tourism sector. Several sizes of enterprises will be selected : enterprises that are only at the development stage medium-sized enterprises and enterprises that already have a solid structure. Each company will be given a personalized follow-up according to its size and needs.

With the aim of adapting its programming to the needs of the sectors, SBIL, in partnership with the Embassy of France in Uganda , is seeking a senior consultant/ consulting firm to conduct a study establishing the status of the eco-tourism and agro-ecology industries in Uganda.

Objectives

The main objective is to develop a study on the potential for growth of the agro-ecology and eco-tourism sectors in Uganda.

The first part of the study should be descriptive :

• It should describe the environment around these two sectors : public policies, previous or on-going projects to foster the sectors, attitude of the local and national authorities, attitude of investors, attitude of the consumers toward agro-ecology and eco-tourism. It should capture recent evolutions, especially a potential change of dynamics with the covid-19 crisis ;
• It should include a clear actors mapping of the strategic organisations (public, private, donors, civil-society led) and individuals that could be influential and key in leveraging the sectors, as well as a description of their role, the size of the MSMEs of the sector and the main challenges that they face. If networks exist in these sectors (at the local, national or regional level) they should be identified ;
• It should depict the agro-ecology and eco-tourism landscape in major regions of Uganda with concrete focus on capacities, networks and collaborations that exist independently or inter dependently within the two sectors. It should pay a specific attention to the potential of the Northern region, especially the Karamoja.

Based on this assessment, the second part of the study should develop concrete recommendations :

• It should gather key lessons learned from previous projects implemented in these sectors ;
• It should suggest concrete measures for the implementing partners to put in place the promotion of agro-ecology and eco-tourism in Uganda based on current existing measures that are identified in the ecosystem mapping. This part should include : i) strategies to respond to the challenges faced by entrepreneurs in these sectors, based on the methodology adopted by the projects (networking, training, mentoring), ii) strategies for the implementation partners to maintain the interest in the two networks created, especially on the ways to interlink the agro-ecology and eco-tourism entrepreneurs, iii) strategies to include vulnerable groups in this project, iv) strategies for coordination with other entities such as the public authorities ;
• It should identify key areas for development (e.g. cultural tourism, adventure tourism, backpacking tourism) and its main consumer targets, depending on the regional potential ;
• It should gather advocacy points that would allow for the creation of an enabling environment for the two sectors to thrive in the country (infrastructures, public policies, networking of actors etc.).

Scope

All 5 major regions of Uganda, with a specific emphasis on the Northern region :

• Central ;
• Eastern ;
• Western ;
• Northern ;
• West-Nile.

Target group

• Agriculture practitioners and/or farmers and/or agribusiness owners ;
• Tourism industry operations and operators ;
• Networks and organized authorities.

Methodology

• Desk research ;
• Survey, both qualitative and quantitative ;
• Stakeholders mapping and interviews (Key Informant Interviews - KIIs) ;
• Geographic mapping of regional potential ;
• Visualization shall be used in the study whenever possible and useful.

Content

• Executive summary.
• Introduction : relevance of the topic, objective and methodology of the study.
• Literature review and background of eco-tourism and eco agriculture ; detailing the overview of chapters
• Agro-ecology : this is part of the two main chapters of the study that depicts the results of the ecosystem mapping, including its methodology. The mapping shall be conducted as guided by the contracting company, it shall depict and evaluate existing and potential actors, frameworks, conditions and ongoing initiatives and present a swot analysis of current situation. Results shall be shown in visualizations whenever it is possible and adequate.
• Eco-tourism : this is part of the two main chapter of the study that depicts the results of the ecosystem mapping, including its methodology. The mapping shall be conducted as guided by the contracting company, it shall depict and evaluate existing and potential actors, frameworks, conditions and ongoing initiatives and present a swot analysis of current situation. Results shall be shown in visualizations whenever it is possible and adequate. Following the previous chapter, it shall also depict existing structures and their relation to the current eco system.
• Case studies at least 2 per region, identifying key model players who have built exemplary agro-ecology or eco-tourism models, how they did it, key challenges and what made them succeed.
• Recommendations : The consultant shall develop recommendations on how to foster the ecosystem and activate the networks of the actors involved.

Deliverables

• Presentation of preliminary results in an internal meeting, including the members of the Project Steering Committee ;
• Completed study in English (maximum 40 pages) ;
• PPT presentation of results based on study ;
• Presentation of final results to the Steering and Advisory Committees of the project ;
• Potential participation to a reception at the Residence of France to present the results of the study (to be confirmed based on the sanitary situation).

Timeline

If you are interested in applying to this consultancy, please send an email to claire.leduc@diplomatie.gouv.fr by Wednesday 26 May. The details regarding the application process and supporting documents needed will be shared with you by email on Wednesday 26 May. The deadline for the application will be Friday 4 June. The consultancy should last for about 20 to 30 days starting on Thursday 10 June.

N.B. : Please note that only agencies -excluding independent individuals- can be considered for this call.