EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY EAST AFRICAN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COMMISSION (EASTECO) REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR CONSULTANCY SERVICES TO CONDUCT REGIONAL TRAININGS ON SKILLS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS CREATIVITY AND JOB CREATION. 1.0 Background The East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO) is semi-autonomous institution of the East African Community (EAC) that was established by the fifth Extra Ordinary Summit of the EAC Heads of State on June 18, 2007. This was in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Treaty on the Establishment of the East African Community as set out in Chapter 16, Article 103 (a), where the Partner States undertook to promote co-operation in the development of science and technology within the Community s member states. EASTECO s overall objective is to promote and coordinate the development, management and application of science and technology to support regional integration and socioeconomic development. (www.easteco.org). The East African Community is an intergovernmental organization composed of six countries: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania South Sudan & Uganda - South Sudan formally acceded to the Community on 5 September, 2016. In 2010, the EAC launched its own common market for goods, labour, services and capital within the region, with the goal of creating a common currency and ultimately a full political federation. It is a member of the EAC-COMESA-SADC Tripartite Free Trade Area. The EAC has a common market of over 150million people. (www.eac.int). The promotion of Science and Technology is calling for activities related to i) the development of knowledge with the Research and Development, Training and skills development, and ii) the use of science and technology through the commercialization of R&D findings, and technology acquisition and innovation. 1
2.0 Rationale The majority of people in EAC countries live in an agrarian, often subsistence economy. Many young people grow up without opportunities to learn entrepreneurial and industrial attitudes and skills. Poverty with persistent unemployment and underemployment is the result; close to 70% of the youth in EAC are unemployed, graduates not fitting labour markets due to low practical skills development and disconnection of education system from the innovative system. The motivation is to create skills in start-ups and innovative SMEs which trigger employment and sustainable development and scale up entrepreneurship and innovation management education at Universities. Entrepreneurship is a process of bringing together creative and innovative ideas and coupling these with management and organizational skills in order to combine man, money, machineries other resources to meet an identified need and thereby create wealth. willingness to think conceptually and the capacity to see change as an opportunity. Entrepreneurship education should focus on nurturing young people's personal attitudes such as creativity, initiative, capacity to confront risk and above all being independent. Entrepreneurship education should be able to develop particular knowledge and skills associated with various economic activities to promote useful living after school. Ultimately, entrepreneurship education is expected to change the orientation of function of school education as a tool for self-reliance and national development Unemployment of university graduates is a serious threat to the individual the economy and the educational sector. Its prevalence among EAC region graduates and calls for the identification of a dimension to solve the problem. There is weak entrepreneurship education and the solution to the problems of youth unemployment lies with effective delivery of entrepreneurship education by higher learning institutions and the introduction of entrepreneurship into the curricula of senior secondary and tertiary education. An educational system embedded with entrepreneurship that will assist undergraduates and graduates to develop a focus on job creation at the early stage of their lives will produce independent and self-reliant youths. There is lack of enterprise spirit among youths which is challenge to entrepreneurship education. Encouraging enterprise spirit as against white collar job mentality among students is a pre-condition to achieving progress in employment, growth competitiveness and innovation. Such education should focus on nurturing students with personal attributes that will form strong basis of entrepreneurship such as creativity, initiative, capacity confronting or taking risks and independence. To prepare students for work as entrepreneurs, it is pertinent to design the curriculum of each level of education to be consistent with specific career options. The curriculum should revolve around leadership and organizing ability, positive thinking, strategic action competency, sound judgment and skills. Innovative students of entrepreneurship should have ideas that are unique. 2
As part of EASTECO s activities in Financial Year 2018/19, the Commission is establishing a facility for information sharing and reference on knowledge and technology development processes for selected themes and sectors of the regional (EAC) economies, to promote applied and innovative entrepreneurship skills in Science, Technology and Innovation. It is against this background that EASTECO has secured funding from AFDB to engage a consultant to conduct regional training workshops in STI based skills in entrepreneurship and creative innovation. 3.0 General objective of the consultancy To provide skills and entrepreneurship development for graduate creativity and job creation, targeting faculty and graduate students aimed at supporting applied and innovative business ideas and implementation and developing entrepreneurial competences and practical business management skills mainly targeting NMI-AIST students. Selected participants will benefit from intensive, interactive, hands-on training during which they will develop skills for project creativity and job creation. 4.0 Specific Objectives The specific objectives of the consultancy are to: i. Equip the participants with fundamental entrepreneurship skills, competences and practical business management skills; ii. Equip graduate students with skills to creatively design and develop innovative projects/ideas/products that can solve a challenge in the region; iii. Equip the graduate students on the practice of preparation of a specific, comprehensive business plan tailored to each individual s entrepreneurial graduate project; iv. Develop positive attitude towards self-employment, judicious use of material and time in class and on the field of STI; v. Equip the faculty and graduate students on project and intellectual property management (idea protection with patents, copy rights etc.); vi. Encourage the participating institutions to adopt the training to be included in their curricula for sustainability. 5.0 Expected outcomes Increased knowledge and skills for faculty and graduate Students in entrepreneurial competences and practical business management skills. Increased knowledge and skills for graduate Students in innovative projects/ideas for solving challenges in the EAC region. Increased knowledge and skills for graduate Students in project planning and intellectual property management. 6.0 Approach A highly experienced regionally recognized consultant will be selected to conduct the training. The consultant shall develop and propose the methodology to be used. He/she will be expected to employ the most effective methodology and standards to achieve results utilizing a participatory approach. The training will be conducted for 5-day at Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science and Technology. The participant shall be supported in applied and innovative business ideas and implementation and developing entrepreneurial competences and practical business management skills. 3
7.0 Tasks The following are the responsibilities of the consultant Preparation of the training materials (manuals and training notes) and submit them to EASTECO for approval Carry out hands-on training in an interactive and professional manner with current examples in the EAC region. Submit a training report 5 days after training. 8.0 Deliverables The consultant will; Provide training reports for the training Provide entrepreneurship and skills training manual with live case studies within EAC region The consultancy will be carried in 10 man days spread over one month. Time Deliverable Submission Man Contract/Letter of appointment of the days Day 1 Day 5 Consultant Inception Report which shall contain: - The understanding of assignment, comments on the TOR, a refined approach & methodology, -Training manual -Hold a five-day training workshop on entrepreneurship and skills. The report shall be submitted electronically. The report shall be submitted electronically Day 10 Final training report on the EAC Regional faculty and graduate training on entrepreneurship and skills electronic submission 9.0. Payment conditions. The EASTECO secretariat will pay the consultant following the below schedule 30% upon submission of the inception report and training materials 70% upon submission and acceptance of the final training report 10.0 Qualifications, skills and competences of the Consultant: Applications are hereby invited from suitably qualified citizens of the EAC Partner States, with the following profile: i. Academic Qualification: A Master s Degree (Entrepreneurship Skills Management or equivalent) ii. Extensive knowledge of all aspects of entrepreneurship skills iii. Professional experience: 7 years in Business Management skills and mentorship 4
iv. Detailed list of similar consultancies previously done in the past five (5) years; evidence of at least three (3) previous copies of contracts/orders of similar assignments; v. Sound work ethics, including commitment to time and meeting deadlines, as well as maintaining courtesy and trustworthiness; vi. Fluent in the English language. 12. Application All eligible and interested candidates should submit electronic copies of proposals with the following attachments: - Technical and Financial Proposals in sealed separate envelops - A letter of expression of interest; - The description of the profile of the candidate(s), with an outline of at least 3 recent assignments of similar work; - The proposed methodology/approach, the work plan and the related timeline; - The CV/resume of the candidate - 3 References The application should be addressed as below: The Executive Secretary, The East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO), 2nd Floor Telecom House, Kacyiru, KIGALI RWANDA Phone: +250 781850203 Email: easteco@eachq.org with copy to info@easteco.org The application deadline is 10 th August 2018 at 5:00PM East African Time 5