Consultancy Capacity Building on Export Readiness of Rwanda Manufacturers to African Market Under AfCFTA
Expression of Interest (EoI)
Cosoft: 83404741
Introduction
The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is a federally owned international cooperation enterprise for sustainable development with worldwide operations. GIZ has worked in Rwanda for over 30 years. The primary objectives between the Government of Rwanda and the Federal Republic of Germany are poverty reduction and promotion of sustainable development. To achieve these objectives, GIZ Rwanda is active in the sectors of Decentralization and Good Governance, Economic Development and Employment Promotion, Energy, and ICT (Information and Communications Technology).

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Context
After only 3,5 years of free trade negotiations amongst all 55 African countries, the African Continental Free Trade Area, in brief, AfCFTA, was established. The AfCFTA was operationalised on 30th May 2019, 30 days after Sierra Leone and Sahara Republic deposited the last two necessary ratifications with the African Union (AU) for the AfCFTA to legally come into force for the ratifying countries. This landmark agreement offers significant promise for the continent’s transformation. The number of countries that have signed the Agreement currently stands at fifty-four (54) and as at 6th February 2022, forty-one (41) countries had deposited their instruments of ratification.

Through the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Germany currently provides technical support to the African Union Commission (AUC), specifically to the Economic Development, Trade, Tourism Industry, Minerals (ETTIM)) and the AfCFTA Secretariat, with its project “African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)”. The project’s main objective is that “the framework conditions for intra-African trade have been strengthened”. Besides the outstanding topics of AfCFTA Phase I on Trade in Goods and Trade in Services and phase II negotiations such as Investment, competition policy or digital trade are supported. Furthermore, involvement of the private sector and civil society are supported.
To this end, the project pursues a multi-level approach on the continental level working with the AUC ETTIM and AfCFTA Secretariat, the regional level supporting Regional Economic Communities (RECs), and also the national level, specifically in the projects focus countries, like Rwanda.

The Republic of Rwanda like many African member states currently needs capacities to successfully realize the AfCFTA. The specific roles to be played by the government, private sector, and civil society are currently not fully supported with requisite knowledge and skills for each to implement the commitments under the AfCFTA. Although responsibilities have been defined in the framework agreement, the specific working methods still need to be established in Rwanda through the National Strategy for Implementation of AfCFTA. This requires building the capacity of all the key stakeholders in specific matters of trade in goods and services among others, trade in services as well as awareness raising and strengthening the necessary institutional and legal frameworks for realizing the AfCFTA at a National level.

Background on Rwanda
Rwanda has achieved a strong economic recovery in 2021. Gross domestic product (GDP) increased in the first nine months of the year by 11.1% reflecting a broad-based recovery from the 2020 recession. Industrial production expanded by 16.5 percent, favorable weather led to a 6.8 percent rise in agricultural output, and the easing of mobility restrictions contributed to a 11.1% rise in services. Receipts from Rwanda’s main exports which are traditional goods—coffee, tea, cassiterite, wolfram, and coltan—increased by about 35% in the first nine months of 2021 compared to the same period in 2020 and exceeded the pre-crisis level of 2019. Whereas the price outlook for Rwanda’s major crop exports, such as coffee and tea, looks positive over the next two years, this would not be enough to offset the projected acceleration in imports due to expanding domestic demand and rising international oil prices.
The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Rwanda was worth 10.33 billion US dollars in 2020, according to official data from the World Bank. GDP from the Manufacturing sector in Rwanda decreased to 198 RWF Billion in the first quarter of 2021 from 207 RWF Billion in the fourth quarter of 2020. Although Rwanda’s liberalized economy has exposed locally manufactured products to stiff competition from imports, compliance with required international standards gives them an upper hand.

Manufacturers in Rwanda are grouped in Rwanda Association of Manufacturers (RAM) as an organization focused on enhancing business opportunities and environment for Rwandan manufacturers. This is dedicated to ensuring that members take advantage of business locally, regionally, and internationally and that their voices are heard and represented in all spheres of influence.
Therefore, GIZ through the GIZ AfCFTA support Program to the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MINICOM) organized the first capacity building on Exporting to African Market Under AfCFTA for Rwanda Manufacturers in July 2021 but also training on rules of origin under AfCFTA from 6 to 10 December 2021. However more of these trainings were highly recommended by the participants and other stakeholders to increase awareness among many other Rwanda manufacturers. In this regard, a second Training is planned for 2022 with the main objectives and specific topics as indicated below.

The Objective of the proposed training Programme
The main objective of the training is to strengthen the technical capacity of the members of Rwanda Association of Manufacturers to ensure their readiness to on African Market.
Specific objectives
• Raise awareness of the benefits and developments brought about by the AfCFTA (Intra African trade opportunities) for Rwandan owned SMEs in manufacturing sector. This should include the highlight of the potential market for the Rwandan products specifically for trade in goods under AFCFTA in line with the quality and International standards of TiGs.
• Awareness on the rules of origin, tariff concessions, critical trading documents, and other relevant documents for different manufactured products in the context of the AfCFTA.
• Developing skills to export within Africa in the context of the AfCFTA, i.e. Skills and technologies on how to penetrate and compete in the African market with more emphasis put on the following: Export readiness, market research, market development, market access conditions and requirements, trade finance, international logistics and all relevant topics as per RAM’s targeted needs. All which will be key to equipping Rwandan-owned SMEs to overcome the challenges and seize the opportunities provided by this agreement.
• Improve exports skills of Rwandan-owned SME Exporters
• The workshop itself will follow an “action learning” approach, which will involve active participation in practical exercises, including the creation of an export action plan.
• Participating SMEs will have to complete this component successfully to be invited to the week face-to-face workshop within or outside Kigali.
Specific tasks
GIZ AfCFTA is seeking a Consultant company or individual to develop content for a face-to-face workshop including the facilitation of the workshop in Rwanda for the “How to Export to other AfCFTA State Parties training Programme for Rwanda Manufacturers.” Successful applicants must be familiar with the AfCFTA and the African international trade environment and must have expertise in trade facilitation, trade finance, international logistics and Rwanda Manufacturing Sector. Some of the specific tasks include;
• Conceptualizing the delivery of the face-to-face workshops.
• Developing training manual on export readiness to AfCFTA
• Developing the content for the face-to-face training with all relevant topics; more emphasis put on the following: Export readiness, comparative advantage, market research, market development, market access conditions, market requirement, trade finance, international logistics, skill needed, and all relevant topics as per RAM’s specific needs. The content must to be customized for Rwandan manufacturers (with consultation and approval of Rwanda manufacturers Association, Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Rwanda Revenue Authority, Customs Services).
• Design the content, which will be used in building the workshop activities and the ToT manual.
• Involve relevant public institutions that deal with International Trade in the trainings These institutions include the following: Ministry of Trade and Industry, Rwanda Revenue Authority, Rwanda Foods and Drugs Authority, Rwanda Inspectorate Competition and Consumer Protection Authority, Rwanda Standard Board, Rwanda Development Board among others. The representatives from these institutions will have to attend the trainings to add more value to the training.
• Delivering two 2-days trainings in Rwanda.

The minimum requirements:
• Knowledge of the AfCFTA and familiarity with African, international trade environment with a strong familiarity with Rwandan manufacturing environment and its export requirement.
• Areas of expertise: trade facilitation, trade finance, and international transport.
• Minimum of 5 years as a trainer in international trade.
• Minimum of 5 years as a training module developer in international trade.
• Experience in assisting businesses in various export issues faced by the African SMEs with a strong understanding and experience in assisting Rwandan companies to access African market.
• Ability to draft, review and edit technical with accuracy.
• Good written and oral skills.
• Ability to deliver tasks within deadlines
• Master’s degree in business, international development, international trade, economics international law, or another related field.
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Kinyarwanda

Output and deliverables:
The purpose of the consultancy training is to work with the main actors and stakeholders of the African Continental Free Trade Area to equip the Rwandan manufacturers with knowledge on exporting to African market under AfCFTA. The consultancy contains the following outputs.
• Preparation of inception report
• Preparation and facilitation of with up to 120 participants from Rwanda Association of Manufacturers.
• Handover of the training manual (training syllabus and materials)
• Reporting: documentation of training results
• Training report for up to 120 people trained, detailing challenges, recommendations, and statistics of attendance
• Final report of the training which contains feedback from participants

Duration and Timeframe
The consultancy contract is planned for up to 22 expert days starting from 1st May to 30th June 2022.  The timeframe of this training is very important, and it is essential that the results will be delivered on time.
Proposed Workplan
Deliverable Activity Working days
I Kick off meeting 1
II Inception report development and approval 3
II Module preparation (including the development of the training manual) and approval (meetings with RMA/GIZ) 12
III Facilitation of training 4
IV Documentation and reporting 2
Total expert workdays (up to) 22
Costing requirements
This consultancy will be costed on man days worked on this assignment.
The contractor will facilitate the organization of the different activities related but the expenditures related to those activities will be fully covered by GIZ/AfCFTA Country component.

Inputs of GIZ or other actors
GIZ AfCFTA Rwanda Country component is expected to make the following available:
Training logistics.
Submission of the EoI
EoI will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
• Company/Individual profile,
• Relevant experience,
• Your strategies to assure agility, flexibility and responsiveness,
• Personnel offer
• Financial offer.

The EoI should contain the following:
• For Technical Proposal:
o A Cover letter expressing interest in this assignment.
o Technical Proposal with a brief description of why you would be considered as the most suitable for the assignment, relevant expertise, and a detailed clear methodology, on how will be your approach and complete the assignment. It should be formatted, font type ARIAL, fond size 11, and should be clearly formulated. The offer should be drawn up in English language.
o The CVs shall not exceed 4 pages.
o Business /company registration certificate
o VAT registration certificate
o Tax clearance certificate
• References and recommendations of similar works executed in Rwanda or elsewhere outside of Rwanda.

For the Financial Proposal:
The Financial Proposal indicates the all-inclusive total contract price, supported by a breakdown of all costs. The cost must be in Rwf and VAT excluded.
Please submit electronically your EoI (technical & Financial offer) in 2 separated PDF files to this email: RW_Quotation@giz.de until latest 28th March 2022
Please you must write in your email subject this sentence:
EOI number 83404741 - submission of technical& financial offer, without this sentence your offer may not be considered
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