SNV is a not-for-profit international development organisation that applies practical know-how to make a lasting difference in the lives of people living in poverty. We use our extensive and long-term in-country presence to apply and adapt our top-notch expertise in agriculture, energy and WASH to local contexts. SNV has an annual turnover of €130 million, over 1,250 staff in more than 25 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. We are proud to be a not-for-profit organisation that uses project financing to implement our mission. This requires us to work efficiently and to invest in operational excellence.

SNV currently aims more explicitly for systems change during project preparation and implementation – by strengthening institutions and kick-starting markets that help many more to escape poverty beyond our projects. We continue to position ourselves as a premium organisation, with decentralised management. Our Global Support Unit (70 staff) backstops our teams around the world.

For more information on SNV, visit our website: www.snv.org

1. Overview and background

The Boosting Green Employment and Enterprise Opportunities in Ghana (GrEEn) project is a four-year action from the European Union, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ghana, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF). The project aims at creating greater economic and employment opportunities for youth, women and returning migrants by promoting and supporting sustainable, green businesses in two selected regions in Ghana: Ashanti and Western.

GrEEn is implemented under the European Union Emergency Trust Fund (EUTF) for Africa.

GrEEn focuses on three specific objectives:

• To support the transition of local economies to green and climate resilient development.
• To improve the employability and entrepreneurship capabilities of selected people by matching them with market opportunities and mentoring into (self) employment and enterprise development, with a focus on green and climate resilient local economies.
• To create and strengthen local ecosystems that support youth (self-)employment and the growth of Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs)

SNV’s targets within the GrEEn project are the following:

• At least 5,000 people trained and coached for employability and entrepreneurship;
• At least 3,500 people have created or developed self-employment opportunities;
• At least 100 M/SMEs have been incubated or accelerated to expand their business;
• At least 1,500 decent and sustainable jobs created by M/SMEs.

SNV’s intervention are focused on three core sectors: Agriculture, Renewable Energy and

WASH. In terms of target groups, SNV will work with the following:

• Youth, defined as men and women between the ages of 18 and 35: 60% to 80% of all beneficiaries,
• Women, including those above the age of 35: 40% to 60%,
• Returning migrants: 5-10 %.

Visit https://snv.org/project/green-boosting-green-employment-and-enterpriseopportunities-ghana for more information.

GrEEn requires the services of enterprise development and sector experts to support the SMEs in its Incubation and Acceleration Programmes.

2. Objectives of the mentor network

• Provide strategic direction to the SMEs
• Sharing skills and experiences to support the personal development of the SMEs
• Help mentees develop the skills, resources and tools needed in a very practical way in order to achieve all the milestones towards becoming investment ready
• Make recommendations for customising the incubation/acceleration support for the SMEs
• Exchange with the hubs and other mentors on the GrEEn incubation/acceleration programmes

3. Tasks to be performed

• Assess the baseline of competence and preparedness of each company against programme objectives
• Highlight the training and capacity building needs of each SME in collaboration with the hubs
• Develop a customised action plan for training during the 6-month incubation/ acceleration programme for each company
• Oversee execution of the action plan
• Exchange with the hubs and other mentors on the GrEEn incubation/acceleration programmes; provide recommendations to the GrEEn team on improvements to its incubation/acceleration programmes

4. Timeline and estimated level of effort

The mentor relationship is expected to last for at least a month period and coincides with the Incubation and Acceleration Programmes. Assignment of mentors will be by needs of the SME. Applications will therefore be on a rolling basis.

The mentor is expected to have at least 24 one on one (virtual and/or physical) sessions with each SME, including at least 2 site visits to the SME.

5. Deliverables

• Needs assessment exercise to diagnose the SMEs and form the basis for the intervention
• Co-create an action plan outlining the training and capacity building needs of each SME (based on the Needs Assessment)
• Determine milestones to be achieved by SMEs by the end of the incubation programme
• Complete an activity report documenting the mentoring sessions
• Final report after the mentoring programme detailing the progress of the SME and achievements made.

6. Compensation modalities

In order to ensure that the mentor-mentee relationship is a lasting one beyond the scope of the GrEEn project, the mentoring services are expected to be offered on a pro bono basis.

GrEEn will however compensate an amount of 50 EUR per session for each SME the mentor engages with during the programme. This fee will also cover any travel related expenses to the SME during the programme.

Payments would be done in three tranches:

• Initial payment of 400 EUR per SME assigned to the mentor against the needs assessment and initial action plan for each SME
• Second payment of up to 400 EUR against submission of activity reports after 14 sessions.
• Third and final payment of up to 400 EUR per SME against a final report on each SMEs development over the engagement period.

The exact amount of the second and third payments will be determined by the number of mentoring sessions held.