The Growth Acceleration Program (GAP) is designed to address the key challenges that growing businesses face in their journey to accelerate growth. This program aims to bridge critical gaps in market access, coaching and mentorship, strategic procurement, risk management, and investor readiness. By participating in GAP, businesses will have a unique opportunity to enhance their knowledge and capacity to access regional and global markets, strengthen their procurement processes and gain access to funding opportunities to scale their businesses.

Key Objectives

• To drive sustainable growth through viable linkages for enterprise growth and competitiveness.
• To provide a structured approach to scaling-up businesses across all value chains.
• To demonstrate the socio-economic impact of scale-up and celebrate success via case studies of the jobs created and jobs supported.
• To connect HGBs with local SMEs to elevate the quality standards of the products/services.

Program Modules

The program consists of five modules, each comprising four to five sessions covering a wide range of topics crucial to business growth. These modules include:

1. Access to Markets: Strategies and tactics to penetrate new markets, expand the customer base, and build long-term relationships.
2. Coaching and Mentorship: Guidance and support from industry experts to refine business strategies, improve operations, and enhance leadership skills.
3. Strategic Procurement: Techniques and best practices to optimize procurement processes, negotiate favorable contracts, and establish robust supplier relationships.
4. Risk Management: Comprehensive approaches to identify, assess, and mitigate risks across various business functions, ensuring sustainable growth.
5. Investor Readiness: Insights and tools to attract and secure investment, refine financial management practices, and position businesses for sustainable growth.

Methods of Implementation

The program will be implemented through various approaches depending on the expected impact. The approaches are as defined below:

Masterclasses

• Train program beneficiaries on the different business growth acceleration focus areas, inclusive of the areas mapped in the table.
• Equip the program beneficiaries with tools, templates, and other relevant materials to support their business scaling practices.
• Empower the participants on how to leverage the practices and tools provided to scale their businesses to the regional/global markets.
• Empower the participants to create effective strategies around market entry and risk management.

Coaching

• Set the expectations of the coaching process through a Coaching kick-off session.
• Support the project beneficiaries to successfully develop business strategies through one-onone and group coaching.
• Support the program beneficiaries to successfully develop pitch decks through one-on-one and group coaching.
• Provide data and information to support IIA learning to support future programs, as well as showcase the success and impact of the project.

Match Making Events

• To provide a platform for businesses to network and establish connections with potential partners, clients, suppliers, or investors.
• To help businesses expand their reach into new markets by providing opportunities to meet with key stakeholders and gain insights into market dynamics.

Corporate tours

• To provide an opportunity for coaching and mentorship by the big corporates to the growing business on the dynamics of market expansion and risk management.
• To provide businesses with insights on the quality and standards required to be part of the supply chain of the corporates.
• To provide a platform for businesses to network and establish connections with potential clients.

Additional Information

The Project Consultants will report to the Program Manager; Invest in Africa (IIA) and work closely with the Projects & SME Engagement Executives, with structured project reporting.

Duty Station

The project will cover SMEs within Nairobi and its environs. Most of the sessions will be held virtually with the support of the IIA Kenya Team in setting up and coordinating the sessions. Administration Arrangements IIA will cover the agreed administrative costs. Consultants are expected to use their laptops, internet connection, and telephone.

Duration

The assignments will take place from July 2023 to October 2023 in adherence to the program module timelines.

Payment

The expected daily /per session billing rate should be indicated clearly in the Expressions of Interest. Payment will be based on the signed contract, the agreed number of days/sessions, and the rate per day/session of work done. Consultants will be expected to provide time sheets for work done. Key Consultants/Experts For the implementation of the project, the consulting firms are expected to provide CVs for the team of key experts as submitted in the Consultants’ Expression of Interest (EOI).

Language

All deliverables shall be in the English language. Therefore, excellent English communication skills (oral, written, and presentation) are essential.

For more information please download the Expression of Interest document (PDF)