Providing entrepreneurial skill (high level BDS) training for agri-businesses located in Somali, Afar and Oromia regions

Providing entrepreneurial skill (high level BDS) training for agri-businesses located in Somali, Afar and
Oromia regions

Introduction
Mercy Corps (MC) is an international NGO with programs in over 40 countries across the globe. Mercy Corps
has been operating in Ethiopia since 2004. In partnership with civil society organizations, private sector, and
the government, Mercy Corps Ethiopia has reached more than five million Ethiopians with interventions to
save lives and build secure livelihoods. Our programs emphasize market-driven solutions, reinforce social
bonds, and help communities build resilience to the impacts of climate change. Currently in six regional states
Afar, Gambella, Oromia, Somali, Amhara and South Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR)
Mercy Corps Ethiopia is driven by the mission to contribute the emergence of a peaceful, resilient, and
prosperous Ethiopia which is inclusive of youth and women.

Background
Mercy Corps in partnership with CARE Ethiopia is currently implementing a five-year USAID Feed the Future
funded Resilience in Pastoral areas (RIPA) North program.
RIPA North takes a system change approach to improve the resilience capacities of households, markets and
governance institutions across 22 woredas in the Somali, Afar and Oromia regions. The activity integrates four
technical components with complementary objectives and a crisis modifier intervention which is aimed at
protecting development gains against shocks and stresses. The components include: 1) Improved Disaster Risk
Management (DRM) systems and capacity; 2) Diversified and sustainable economic opportunities for people
Transitioning out of Pastoralism (ToPs) particularly youth and women; 3) Intensified and sustained pastoral and
agro-pastoral production and marketing; 4) Improved and sustained nutrition and hygiene practices; and 5)
Crisis modifier.
RIPA with its primary systems approach works with a wide range of private, public-sector actors and
government institutions to contribute to improving the resilience capacities of households, markets and
governance institutions.
Entrepreneurial skill (BDS) have the ability to increase production and marketing of livestock and agricultural
sectors as well as enhance diversified economic opportunities for pastoral and agro-pastoral HHs. Having
entrepreneurial skill is a key element that allows agro-businesses to grow and to withstand shocks and stresses.
Therefore, BDS is key in developing entrepreneurial activities and enhancing inclusive agribusiness where this
directly encourages crowding in and self replications of improved business practices and behavior as well.
Therefore, facilitating this training for the market actors is one of critical actions that need to be taken. This
high level BDS training is one of the most dynamic and effective elements of production and marketing. It
provides the most suitable environments to identify and discuss business opportunities and critical challenges
in the trade industry. This training will be facilitated simultaneously with practical experience sharing visit and
thus, participation in this training offers significant advantages to livestock/Agri-Businesses and enables them
to carry out marketing and promotional activities, to meet their existing or future customers and to develop
business relations by enabling them to share information and establish business partnerships. This can also
have potential positive externality on crowding in and self replications because the training and experience
sharing will be provided for both program partner and non partner businesses located in RIPA targeted areas.
Thus, Mercy Corps has planned to facilitate entrepreneurial skill training with the aim to create an opportunity
for Agro-Businesses to have a better knowledge, skill and attitude on how to make businesses, expand, and
grow including identifying solutions to the key issues affecting access to potential markets for the agricultural
sector in program targeted areas of Afar, Somali and Oromia regions. In line with this, Mercy Corps is looking
for a professional training provider for each region's one day training session separately (Somali, Afar and
Oromia).
Objectives of the training

General Objective:
The overall objective of the training is to develop Program Partnered and Non-partnered agri businesses
entrepreneurial competence and motivating them in endeavor to do businesses economically and technically
feasible. The different types of motivational inputs will be considered during this training that includes the wide
arrays of role plays, psychological games, and goal setting exercises.
Specific objectives:
- To encourage the existing agri businesses to expand and grow through designing more inclusive
services and products
- To help agri businesses to have better understanding of their entrepreneurial personality, changing
self concept and values with creating new practices and behavior
- To facilitate strategic decision making among agri businesses
- To make the potential entrepreneurs able to define the vision of their ventures and work in
coordination for the realization of the same.
- To make the potential entrepreneurs able to analyze the environment around them and make
suitable decisions about the product.

Detail tasks and expected deliverables from the event facilitators:
1. Lead the details of the training implementation (produce training materials, agenda setting, provide
the training and submit the training completion report ) in Modjo/Adama. The training provider needs
to speak at least one local language.
2. Lead the facilitation of Venue set up arrangement before and during the training sessions including all
items and equipments needed (stages, sound system, tables and chairs with the consultation of RIPA
Addis team). The training is a one day event that is going to be conducted in Modho/Adama separately
for Somali, Afar and Oromia participants. The planned number of Agri-businesses that will take part
in each of the three separate sessions will be in the range of 25-35.
3. Jointly, the Mercy Corps team and the selected local businesses prepare a program schedule and
presentations in English and at least one local language (assume that most of the participants are
businesspeople who speak and understand Amharic).
4. The event facilitators must have working experience and professional background in the areas of AgriBusinesses (market system development, rural development, cooperatives, and value chain
development).
5. The training facilitators expected to provide professional advice and support in developing role plays,
psychological games, and goal setting exercises.
6. The training facilitator will capture the event proceeding and submit the full report within a week
period of event completion.
Qualification and Requirement of the training facilitator:

To be part of this application, the training facilitator company or individuals needs to fulfill the following
minimum requirements.
- The company/individuals must be legally registered with a renewed business license.
(Individual applicants for freelance engagement are subject to 30% tax deduction.)
- Have ample knowledge of rural development and business development service dynamics of Ethiopia
and that of Somali, Afar and Oromia region specifically. An understanding of the pastoral and agropastoral context and business sector dynamics is highly preferred.
- Demonstrated experience in facilitating training in the regions and have an established relationship
with a wide range of market actors in the federal and regional towns with a demonstrated experience
to coordinate multiple actors from different regions.
- The team needs to have a demonstrated experience in advising and supporting businesses to business
networking and meetings.
- Include the CVs of staffs/individuals who are previously engaged and intended to be engaged in the
training activities with a wide range of skill sets
- Include references of previous similar activities
- Excellent proficiency of English language including producing quality event implementation reports
and ability to communicate in at least two of local languages (Somali, Oromiffa, Afarri or Amharic)

Reporting
The training event facilitator firm/individuals will submit a detailed report as per the details tasks and
deliverables indicated. All the reports need to be prepared in the English language.