TheCable

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Nigeria is looking to recruit a consultancy firm to build a strong pipeline of women and youth-led small medium enterprises (SMEs) seeking commercial capital.

According to a notice on its website, the successful firm is expected to identify high-impact SMEs and facilitate their capitalisation through active investment brokering. 

UNDP Nigeria said women and youth-led SMEs operating within renewable resources and alternative energy, food and beverage, healthcare, infrastructure, services, consumer goods, and technology and communications sectors are the focus of the project.

“Against this backdrop, UNDP in collaboration with FC4S Lagos is looking for an Intermediary Firm to carry out the identification of high-impact SMEs and facilitate their capitalisation through active investment brokering,” the notice reads.

The primary responsibilities of the selected intermediary firm will be as follows:

• Build a strong pipeline of SMEs seeking commercial and quasi-commercial capital, through active screening and sourcing, with priorities given to women and youth-led enterprises.

• Based on selected sectors, undertake investor engagements to map impact-focused investors willing to make investments in above identified enterprises, including consideration for semi-commercial opportunities, as appropriate, through UNCDF’s BUILD Fund

• Utilising identified enterprises and financial institutions, develop an investor relations plan and conduct investment brokering for select partnerships, and act as advisor to buyer and seller to develop financing structures and realise deals.

• Develop a centralised database that includes SME and Investor details (contact persons, phone numbers, email addresses, nature of investment needs and area of focus)

• Develop high-level impact measurement and management frameworks for prioritised enterprises and investors and realised deals following the approach of the SDG Impact Standards, which enterprises and investors can utilise to manage for impact over time and prepare for adoption of the SDG Impact Standards

• Support UNDP and partners to utilise potential pipeline within the broader SDG Investment Brokering Initiative, and especially direct early stage and growth stage enterprises seeking blended investments to the initiative’s first work stream, whose details will be shared with the selected intermediary firm

• Seek inputs and validation from the UNDP team

• Provide bi-monthly updates on progress and emerging findings to the UNDP team

• Provide regular feedback to UNDP and key partners on progress, SME investment needs, investor’s appetite, etc.

• Perform other tasks relevant to the SDG investment brokering initiative

“The SME pipeline developed by the Intermediary Firm will be owned by FC4S Lagos for engagements post-assignment,” the post reads.

“UNDP will be provided with visibility on investment brokering and progress with deal realisations, including types and volumes of capital deployed, excluding commercial details.”

Interested applicants can access the application portal via this link.

The deadline for applications is February 4, 2023, and necessary documents are available here.