Background:
UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.
Women's economic empowerment is a flagship priority for UN Women, recognizing that women's full and equal participation in the economic life is essential for achieving inclusive economic growth, poverty reduction, social justice, and the sustainable development Goals (SDGs). Through its Women and the World of Work portfolio, UN Women supports governments and partners to create an enabling ecosystem in which women entrepreneurs can start, sustain, grow, innovate, and compete in local, regional, and global markets. Rwanda has made significant progress in advancing gender equality and promoting women's participation in economic development. Women constitute a substantial share of entrepreneurs, particularly in the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector, which plays a critical role in employment creation and economic transformation. However, women-owned enterprises continue to face persistent structural and systemic constraints that limit their productivity, resilience and competitiveness. These challenges include limited access to affordable finance and investment, business development services, innovation ecosystems, digital technologies, formal business networks, mentorship and coaching, market information and linkages as well as opportunities to participate in high-value supply chains. In addition, the disproportionate burden of unpaid care and domestic responsibilities continues to constrain women’s time, mobility and ability to invest in business growth and enterprise development.
These challenges are particularly evident in emerging sectors such as agribusiness, climate-smart agriculture, health technology, the care economy, creative industries, and digital entrepreneurship sectors that offer significant opportunities for employment creation, innovation, and economic transformation but where women remain underrepresented.
To address these challenges, UN Women Rwanda is implementing the WE-Collabo Hub Project (Women Entrepreneurs Collaboration Hub), an innovative pilot initiative designed to strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem for women-led MSMEs by enhancing their access to entrepreneurship skills, business development support, mentorship, innovation, networking opportunities, financial inclusion, and market linkages. The project seeks to equip women entrepreneurs with practical knowledge and tools that enable them to build resilient, competitive, and growth-oriented enterprises capable of creating employment and contributing to Rwanda's inclusive economic development.
As part of the project implementation, UN Women intends to organize an Entrepreneurship Capacity Building Training targeting women entrepreneurs participating in the WE-Collabo Hub. The training will strengthen participants' entrepreneurial competencies, business management skills, financial literacy, innovation and digital capabilities, business formalization, marketing, and growth strategies while fostering peer learning and networking. To facilitate this training, UN Women seeks to engage a qualified Facilitator with demonstrated expertise in entrepreneurship development, adult learning methodologies, and women-led enterprise development to design and deliver a high-quality, interactive, and results-oriented training programme.
The WE-Collabo Hub will support 30 women entrepreneurs selected from high-growth and strategic sectors with significant potential to contribute to inclusive and sustainable economic development, including:
Beyond supporting individual entrepreneurs, the WE-Collabo Hub seeks to generate evidence, lessons learned, and good practices to inform the development of a scalable and sustainable national model for women-centred entrepreneurship hubs across Rwanda. The initiative is expected to contribute to strengthening the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem for women while informing future policy and programming on women's economic empowerment.
To support the successful implementation of this component, UN Women seeks the service of an experienced Facilitator for Entrepreneurship Capacity Building Training to design and facilitate a comprehensive, participatory, and results-oriented entrepreneurship capacity building and business acceleration programme tailored to the needs of the selected women entrepreneurs.
Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work.
The purpose of this consultancy is to strengthen the entrepreneurial, business management, digital, leadership, and investment readiness capacities of 30 women-led MSMEs participating in the WE-Collabo Hub project. The consultant will design and facilitate a comprehensive and practical entrepreneurship acceleration program that combines training, coaching, mentorship, and business advisory support to address the specific needs of women entrepreneurs. The consultancy aims to equip participants with the knowledge, skills, tools and networks to improve business performance, access markets and investment opportunities including finance, adopt digital solutions, and develop investment-ready enterprises, contributing to the growth of sustainable women-led businesses. The consultant will facilitate practical, market-oriented, and interactive training sessions that enable participants to improve business performance, access new markets and finance, embrace digital technologies, and develop bankable business growth plans.
The consultant will specifically:
The consultant shall undertake the following key tasks:
Phase I: Inception and Programme Design
The consultant will:
Phase II: Delivery of Entrepreneurship Acceleration Programme
The consultant shall facilitate interactive training sessions using adult learning methodologies, case studies, simulations, peer learning, practical assignments, and group coaching.
Training modules should include, but not be limited to:
Module 1: Women Entrepreneurship and Entrepreneurial Mindset across women’s entrepreneurs’ sectors
Module 2: Business Planning and Strategic Growth
Module 3: Financial Literacy (Budgeting, Costing, Pricing, Cash flow, Bookkeeping and Financial statements)
Module 4: Access to Finance (Commercial loans, Grants, Equity financing, Venture capital, Blended finance and existing
Module 5: Digital Transformation (AI tools for entrepreneurs, Digital productivity tools, E-commerce, Digital payments, Online customer engagement and social media marketing).
Module 6: Business Formalization and Regulatory Compliance (Tax compliance, Regulatory requirements, Standards and certification, etc.)
Module 7: Gender-Responsive Business Growth and Women's Leadership
Phase III: Individual Business Coaching
The consultant will provide individualized coaching sessions for all 30 entrepreneurs.
Coaching should include:
Each participant should receive personalized feedback and recommendations.
Phase IV: Investment Readiness Support
Support each entrepreneur to develop:
Organize mock pitching sessions and provide constructive feedback.
Phase V: Documentation and Reporting
Prepare a comprehensive consultancy report including:
Deliverables
| Deliverable | Timeline |
| Inception Report including methodology and workplan | Two working days |
| Training Needs Assessment and Business Diagnostic Report | Five working days |
| Entrepreneurship Curriculum, Training Manual and Facilitation Toolkit | Five days before the commencement of the training |
| Delivery training for Entrepreneurship Acceleration Programme for 30 women entrepreneurs | Fourteen working days |
| Coaching and Mentorship Reports | Ten days, throughout the duration of the assignment |
| Investment Readiness Toolkit and Business Pitch Decks for participants | One day before Demo Day. |
| Final Consultancy Report with lessons learned and recommendations | Three days after completion of the assignment |
Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel
This is a home-based consultancy. No travel is required outside the assignment area of Kigali.
Competencies :
Core Values:
Core Competencies:
Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework:
Functional Competencies:
IV. Required Qualifications
Education
Experience
Languages:
How to apply
Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents:
Statements :
In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.
Diversity and inclusion:
At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.
If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.
UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)
Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.
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