Consultant, Namibia Youth Credit Initiative (NYCI)

Reference: G/CWG/0413
Location: Windhoek, Namibia
Duration: 180 days over 18 months
Closing Date: 7 Jul 2011

Background and Introduction

The Government of Namibia entered into a partnership arrangement with the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Youth Affairs Division, Commonwealth Youth Programme Africa Centre, with technical assistance from the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation (CFTC), to develop a Youth Credit program, using the Commonwealth Youth Credit Initiatives (CYCI) model. The programme has now been in operation since 2006 with a measure of success. The Namibian Government has further approached Comsec to support development of a strategic plan and integration of mentoring and business development components into the programme.

Namibia is situated in south-western Africa, bordered in the west by the Atlantic Ocean, in the east by Botswana and Zimbabwe, in the south by South Africa and in the North by Angola. The census carried out in 2001 found that there are 1.9 million people with a growth rate of 2.6% and a population density of 2.3 persons per square kilometer. Most of the country is arid and semi-arid. However, Namibia is endowed with rich natural resources and well-developed physical infrastructure. It has an area of 824,296 square kilometers.

At independence in 1990, Namibia inherited a well-functioning physical infrastructure and strong institutions. While the country’s per capita income, though not indicative of differentials within the economy, is relatively higher than in other regional countries. This however must be seen in the context of Namibia as one of the most dualistic country in the world. This is well demonstrated by the following figures:

In 1993, the richest 7,000 Namibians were estimated to spend as much as the poorest 800,000 people.
Close to 70% of the population live in seven northern regions, located within 200 kilometers of the country. This compares with the overall size of Namibia, which is 824,296 square kilometers, that is mainly arid and semi-arid.
Virtually all of Namibia’s higher income earners live in the central and Southern parts of the country, many hundreds of kilometers away from the impoverished north.
A household survey conducted in 1993/94 found 47% of the country to be poor, with over two-thirds of them living in the northern parts of the country.
These disparities continue to-date although the government has made concerted efforts to address them.
Diamond mining and export contribute a large share of the economy of Namibia.

In response to these challenges, the Government of Namibia has developed specific policies, strategies and programs. A bold articulation of this is contained in “Namibia Vision 2030”. In recognition of the challenge of unemployment among the youth, the Government approached the Commonwealth Secretariat for technical support in designing a youth credit program under the umbrella of the Commonwealth Youth Credit Initiative (CYCI).

The CYCI and the Namibian Youth Credit Scheme (NYCS)

CYCI is an integrated package of micro-credit, enterprise training and business support targeted at young women and men (18-35) with the potential for self-employment. The CYCI is designed to encourage youth employment and alleviate poverty among young people of the Commonwealth through the promotion of youth entrepreneurship.

As well as providing loans the CYCI also provides training, education and business support to entrepreneurs. After it was piloted in Guyana, India, Solomon Islands and Zambia, the initiative has since been replicated in a further 12 countries. In India alone, more than 1,000 businesses have been set up as a result of loans from this initiative, while in Lesotho over 1,200 young entrepreneurs have benefited.

In Africa, the programme has previously been adapted and implemented in Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia and Swaziland, from which numerous lessons have been learned. Each country has adapted the model to fit its own context. Through this initiative Governments are supported to develop an integrated package of training and credit for the youth to enable them to start and grow their enterprises in order to create jobs and, thereby, reduce poverty.

The CYCI has the following features:

The target beneficiaries are youth (18-35 years);
Training in business management skills and development of business plans;
Provision of credit through groups and individuals;
Low interest rates with minimum or no collateral requirements;
Follow-up training and follow-up on business performance.

Namibia has done a remarkable job of up-scaling their CYCI programme. Now called the Namibia Youth Credit Scheme (NYCS), four more provinces have been brought on board to start the programme. A new Management Advisory Board (MAB) is in place and the Project Co-ordination Unit (PCU) has been beefed up with more staff. Since inception to end of 2009, 2611 trained youth have been assisted with loans to successfully set up their enterprises with a 90% loan repayment rate. The programme is also currently looking forward to designing and implementing a Business Development Services (BDS) module for assisted clients/young entrepreneurs.

The successful implementation of NYCS and other CYCI projects has clearly demonstrated that:

Young people are bankable and respond positively and responsibly as long as they are provided with opportunities and resources;
Young people want access to opportunities and in particular a nurturing programme or dedicated service where they can develop entrepreneurial skills and gain confidence to start up businesses;
Access to credit can be used as a powerful tool to create employment among the youth and increase household incomes as it is able to transform the youth from being dependants to income earning members of the household. The income earned is used to acquire assets, expand the business and supplement income earned by parents;
Youth in business and other youth need access to training in life coping skills, individual wellness and wellbeing (emotional, mental, physical) and personal development;
Training, monitoring and support are essential requirements for such credit schemes;
Continuous monitoring of the implementation is required to ensure any problems arising are addressed immediately;
It’s imperative for the correct institutional framework to be in place for CYCI to be successfully implemented, with clear roles and responsibilities of the different stakeholders in the program being well defined and communicated;
Capacity building should be an integral aspect of the program to ensure all stakeholders are well equipped to effectively play their role.

In developing the Namibia programme to develop to the next level, a review of the current programme is ongoing, which will inform the development of strategic plan and development of a mentorship and business development services component.

Specific tasks for the consultant(s)

The following are the specific tasks to be undertaken by the Consultant:

Development of a strategic plan for institutionalising the Namibia Youth Credit Programme;

Undertake a validation exercise of the mid-term review findings and a desk review of the NYCS programme;
Study the appropriate organisational model and legal requirements for upgrading the NYCS to its successor, the Namibia Youth Enterprise Programme (NYEP);
Facilitate consultations with key stakeholders on the necessary institutional arrangements that needs to be put in place;
Identify appropriate institutional structures for the successor programme;
Review and determine the appropriate level of resources (human, financial and material) to effectively roll out the programme for 3 to 5 years;
Jointly with key stakeholders, develop a road map for implementation of these recommendations;
Submit a plan for consideration by the Ministry of Youth, the NYCS/MAB and other stake holders.

Develop Business Development Services (BDS) and introduce Mentorship components into NYCS;

Conduct a situational assessment to identify BDS needs of youth entrepreneurs;
Identify a set of mentees to support the mentoring component;
Develop a criteria for selection of successful entrepreneurs who have benefited from the NYCS project for BDS and mentorship;
Select and train mentors including successful young entrepreneurs themselves to become peer mentors;
Support the initial training programme of peer mentors for the NYCS.

4. Professional skills/qualifications

This assignment can be undertaken either by a one consultant or a consultancy firm that provides experts with relevant expertise.

All the experts should have minimum of Bachelors Degree in Social Sciences
A masters degree in Economics, Social sciences or Business administration will be a definite advantage
At least seven (7) years experience in Small & Micro Enterprise programmes
Good liaison and communication skills in a multi-cultural setting
Strong background in IT applications for business
Good report-writing and editing skills with ability to produce high quality work independently

Proposals and Budget

Interested Consultants/consultancy firms are required to submit a proposal which should include the following:

Company profile, if applicable;
CV of consultant(s);
Proposed methodology and plan of action;
Budget and time lines

The Secretariat will pay for up to five (5) economy class tickets and UNDSA to cover food and accommodation, while directly covering any costs for dissemination of workshops which may be organized as part of this consultancy.

Reporting

While in post, the Consultant(s) will work with a designated counterpart staff in the Ministry of Youth and Sports in Namibia and Report to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry. The expert will prepare mission reports, periodic reports and final report and submit it to the Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP) and the GIDD TC & SRG project manager.

Submission of Proposal

For information regarding this consultancy or to submit the proposal and the Company Consultancy Form/Personal History Form* (as applicable), please contact:

Mrs Puja D Sharma
HR (CFTC)
Commonwealth Secretariat
Pall Mall
London UK
SW1Y 5HX
Email: p.sharma@commonwealth.int
Phone: + 44 207 747 6531
Fax: + 44 20 7747 6520

*The Company Consultancy Form may be downloaded from the Secretariat Website on the Employment / Vacancy / Consultancy Company Assignments page. The Personal History Form may be downloaded from the Secretariat Website on the Employment / Vacancies / Short term Assignments (overseas) page. The forms are available only in PDF format.

The proposal and the form should be forwarded to the contact officer as an attachment to an email or by post / fax.

Please Note: This invitation is open to consulting companies registered in Commonwealth member countries and independent consultants who are nationals of Commonwealth member countries.

Download the Terms of Reference