Mapping Financial Institutions and Funding Opportunities for Agri-food MSMEs-Hivos Tunisia Retour vers les opportunités

Mapping Financial Institutions and Funding
Opportunities for Agri-food MSMEs

Call for Applications

Introduction :

Hivos Tunisia is seeking proposals from qualified experts and consultants to conduct a comprehensive mapping of financial institutions engaged in funding agri-food MSMEs ( Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) in the city of Tunis. This includes identifying available funding opportunities, financial products, and innovative financing models that facilitate access to capital for these businesses. The insights gained will contribute to co-creating inclusive financial mechanisms that enhance the sustainability and scalability of agri-food MSMEs.

Overview on AfriFOODlinks Project :

Transforming Africa’s Urban Food Environments through Strengthening Linkages between Food Systems Stakeholders in Cities across the Continent and Europe.

AfriFOODlinks aims to address the systemic underpinnings of food insecurity and environmental impact, to lead to real transformation. AfriFOODlinks views urban food environments as the key arena for improving nutrition and reducing environmental impact in African cities. This is because food environments are where residents make the choices about the food they eat and it is where the food security priorities of food availability, access, agency, utilization and stability manifest. AfriFOODlinks proposes to influence three key drivers of food environment
form, function, and dynamics. These are Infrastructure Investment, Social and Cultural Preference & Business Innovation.

AfriFOODlinks aims to improve food and nutrition security while delivering positive outcomes for climate and the environment, and building socio-ecological resilience in 65+ cities.

It will do so through 6 work packages:

● Knowledge validation, amplification, creation and uptake
● Strengthening multi-stakeholder governance processes
● Promoting inclusive and circular agribusiness & innovation
● Improving food environments through experimentation

● Building lasting Africa-Europe partnerships
● Mutual learning, exchange communications & outreach

AfriFOODlinks invests in direct food system change in 5 African Hub Cities and invites 10 African and 5 European Sharing Cities to join them on a mutual-learning journey, to share their innovative food systems work and to co-design pilot projects for implementation in each Sharing City. Through a diverse set of AfriFOODlinks interventions, these cities will become beacons of inspiration for urban food systems transitions across the continent. Novel practices, methodological guides, and public awareness toolkits will be developed and shared with 45+ Network Cities in Africa, Europe, and Global South regions, who can adopt, adapt and replicate outcomes.

More details on: https://afrifoodlinks.org/fr/

Work package 3: Business Innovation :

Business innovation plays a critical role in driving economic development in cities, both in formal and informal sectors. It helps enhance the local availability of diverse and improved food products, reducing reliance on imported processed foods. Business innovation also promotes environmentally sustainable practices such as bio-based packaging, utilizing less desirable produce, and increasing access to nutritious foods. Through business innovation, infrastructure investment, and cultural transformation, AfriFOODlinks, through the implementation of the WP3 with its different tasks, seeks to create fair, healthy, and environmentally sustainable urban food systems from production to consumption.

Objective of the Call :

Work Package 3 and specifically Task 3.3 aims to conduct a comprehensive mapping of financial institutions engaged in funding agri-food MSMEs. This includes identifying available funding opportunities, financial products, and innovative financing models that facilitate access to capital for these businesses. The findings will help identify the possibility of collaboration to co-create 3 accessible financing models for agri-food MSMEs;

Scope of the Task :

This task will involve:

● Identifying financial institutions in Tunis city for agri-food MSMEs.
● Identifying financial models and financial products proposed by the financial institutions (both current and forecasted)
● Identifying financial models adopted by agri-food MSMEs
● Prospects of collaboration and co-creation of financial models.

Eligibility Criteria :

Applications are open to organizations, research institutions, financial analysts, and consultants with experience in agri-food financing or relevant sectors. Eligible applicants must:

● Have expertise in financial research, economic analysis, or agri-food finance.
● Demonstrate knowledge of the financial landscape in Tunisia.
● Show experience in working with MSMEs and financial institutions.
● Be able to produce a detailed financial mapping report with actionable recommendations.

Application Process :

● The call for applications will be open for a minimum of 15 days .
● Interested applicants must submit a proposal detailing their methodology, experience, and expected outcomes.
● The Work package lead will review applications based on predefined criteria.
● The selected parties will be promptly informed and contracted.

Expected Deliverables :

● A comprehensive report of financial institutions supporting agri-food MSMEs.
● An analysis of available funding mechanisms and innovative financial models and products for or relevant to agri-food MSMEs.
● Recommendations for co-creating innovative financial models with interested financial institutions.

Timeline :

● Application Deadline: 21/03/2025
● Duration of intervention: to be determined with the selected parties