1. Background

Programme Overview

The United States Government developed a Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Policy (2023) providing the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with the vision to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment around the world. The Gender Policy identifies four strategic objectives that USAID will advance through investments across all sectors in which it works:

1. Reduce gender disparities in who accesses, controls, and benefits from economic, social, political, legal, educational, health, and cultural resources, as well as wealth, opportunities, and services.
2. Strive to eliminate GBV and mitigate its harmful effects on individuals and communities, so all people can live free from violence.
3. Increase the capability of women and girls to fully exercise their rights, determine their life outcomes, assume leadership roles, and influence decision-making in households, communities, and societies.
4. Advance structural changes that address the root causes of gender inequality and promote equitable gender norms.

The USAID Africa Trade and Investment (ATI) activity is designed to bolster the U.S. Government’s ability to boost trade and investment to, from, and within the African continent. The continent-wide activity is USAID’s flagship effort in support of the Prosper Africa initiative and will expand and accelerate two-way trade and investment between African nations and the United States. The activity will complement the U.S. Government’s trade and investment tools through customized services – from business consulting and transaction facilitation to targeted policy interventions. The activity, which runs through 2026, will generate thousands of jobs across the African continent and within the United States, deliver billions in exports and investments, mobilize private sector driven solutions, help create healthy business environments, and spur economic opportunities for women and youth.

The activity allows USAID to work closely with the private sector to shape activities that unlock business opportunities, particularly those that drive trade and investment into and out of African markets. We do this through a range of services that advance Prosper Africa and beyond, including:

● Market intelligence, assessments, and feasibility studies

● Market linkages and trade services

● Fund and financial instrument design and structuring

● Financial advisory services

● Capacity building services

● Policy and regulatory services.

Enhancing sustainable apparel value chains

The textile and clothing sector is the second largest sector in the developing world with revenues of over $1.5 trillion. It is dominated by a workforce of women between 60%-80%. The apparel manufacturing industry in West Africa is however not in a position to meet the growing global apparel demand. There is a great knowledge and technical capacity gap when compared with apparel manufacturers in Asia, especially China, which dominates this supply chain with an output of $531.6 billion – 57% of the world’s textile industry total output. Challenges impeding the region’s ability to take advantage of opportunities available within this sector include lack of well-trained human resources, small manufacturing capacity, poor commercial viability as exporters, and limited understanding of the product development and quality control processes needed to ensure a successful apparel sector. Furthermore, the youth bulge in West Africa, where over 70% of the population are considered youth (under 40), presents another challenge related to job creation and social stability. The lack of economic opportunity, especially for young women, presents a threat to inclusive development and could lead to greater instability in the region.

Research shows that a dedicated training program in a very competitive global apparel industry improves productivity and efficiency of factories and makes them more competitive. Through the USAID Africa Trade and Investment mechanism, USAID West Africa seeks to create a robust apparel manufacturing and export hub in West Africa by increasing two-way trade and investment between the United States and West Africa with the aim of promoting entrepreneurship and job creation.

Ethical Apparel Africa has received a USAID Gender Equity and Equality Action (GEEA) grant through ATI to implement a Cluster Strategy activity that seeks to build the capacity of nine (9) SMEs in Ghana, Togo, and Benin to reach export readiness, aiming to quickly grow exports and create sustainable jobs. By leveraging lessons learned from a successful Model Factory pilot, this activity will enhance the export capabilities of local factories, advance private sector-led trade, and investment, and strengthen the overall apparel industry ecosystem, with a strong focus on women’s economic empowerment. To do this ATI will provide a grant to Ethical Apparel Africa to conduct SME technical and compliance assessments, capacity building, market linkage development, product development and merchandising support, technical support for export execution, order financing, and gender and youth-focused capacity building for equity and empowerment, in order to strengthen the apparel sector in Ghana, Benin and Togo. US buyer interest in sourcing apparel from West Africa is growing exponentially, but SMEs are not yet ready to meet this demand. In response, ATI would work with Ethical Apparel to build the capacity of these 9 SMEs to be export ready.

Ethical Apparel Africa (EAA), a UK registered company with a Ghana branch office is a women-founded and -led sourcing and manufacturing company that has an 8+ year track record in the apparel manufacturing sector in West Africa and has strong expertise in the full garment value chain to attract and execute on international apparel contracts.

1. Overview and Scope of Work

Consistent with the Women’s Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment Act of 2018, the Gender Policy outlines steps USAID will take to strengthen its systems, tools, and resources, including expanding its gender technical expertise; consistently identifying and addressing gender inequalities across strategies and activities; demonstrating how it is investing in gender equality; and tracking gender equality results.

Conscious of broader contextual risks of gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) that may compound within USAID/ATI projects across the partner value chains, USAID/ATI, and its partners must comply with a do-no-harm policy across all its interventions. USAID/ ATI aims to understand and address, more effectively, key drivers that contribute to the incidence and risks of GBV and SEA with main project partners but also across their value chains and partner SMEs to prevent and respond to potential or existing risks. The project aims to assess the risks and/or key drivers of GBV and SEA across the apparel value chain and pre-selected SMEs in partnership with the Association of Ghana Apparel Manufacturers (AGAM), through a gender-based-violence risk assessment. The assessment would inform and recommend appropriate prevention and mitigation measures to be integrated into project design and to be monitored throughout project implementation.

The assessment will aim to achieve the following:

1. Identify the extent to which integrating women (and men) into the global apparel value chain exposes them to GBV in the workplace, at home and in their communities.
2. Identify the specific types of GBV that workers risk experiencing due to the apparel value chain business operations.
3. Assess the capacity of the business to respond to GBV incidents safely and ethically through systems, sensitization, and grievance redress mechanisms.
4. Identify how the program can prevent and mitigate GBV and SEA risks within the value chains and strengthen compliance and do-no-harm policy principles of USAID/ATI.
5. Design recommendations of standards against GBV/SEA in the apparel value chain.
6. Share best practices for GBV SEA mitigation in apparel value chains globally (particularly in West Africa Africa).
7. Guide on response measures, tools, and opportunities for businesses to support GBV/SEA prevention in their areas of operation.

NB: This assessment will consider both internal and external risk factors for GBV while ensuring the safety of individuals who may disclose violence occurring in their homes, communities, or workplaces. The questionnaire must be designed to ensure strict confidentiality and should also assess the potential impact of GBV in the home or community on the risk of GBV in the workplace.

The assessment would ensure businesses understand the specific risks of violence and harassment that their business operations pose to employees and people in affected communities with training and tools for stronger anti-GBV/SEA policies and ethical and safe investigations. Through improving GBV prevention and response practices, businesses across the value chain can benefit from improved worker performance and commitment, stronger community relations, increased employment opportunities for vulnerable people, and improved reputation among investors and in local communities.

3. Approach & Methodology

The assessment should help:

1. Provide a situational analysis of the firms with existing policies and compliance systems to prevent and address GBV/SEA risks.
2. Indicate key staff’s level of awareness of GBV/SEA risks within their companies.
3. Identify specific GBV and SEA risks created by and that pose a risk to business operations.
4. Identify opportunities to enhance internal skills and systems to respond to these risks (prevention and grievance redress mechanisms).

The Consultant:

• And his/her team are expected to propose a methodology and best sampling design to conduct the gender analysis and GBV risk assessment in the 9 firms using the model Maa Grace Factory as the baseline– The SMEs have an average of 75 workers (from 50 to 120+). The methodology should be able to respond to the objectives and should specify mechanisms to avoid bias.
• Will propose an appropriate mix of qualitative, quantitative data collection with key informants and focus group discussions, tools, work plan, and budget for assessment.
• Will conduct a desk review of key project documents related to the assessment such as USAID gender framework terms and reference etc.

Assessment

The assessment will be max 20-page draft and the final assessment report to consist of the following structure:

1. Executive Summary (maximum 2 pages)
2. Introduction
3. Methodology, including sampling and limitations
4. Analysis and findings of the assessment.
5. Address concerns, lessons learned, and recommendations
6. Quotes from respondents (given the sensitivity of the subject, respondents information should be anonymized)
7. Conclusions for each of the objectives
8. Recommendations for future projects
9. Annexes:

● Bibliography of consulted secondary sources

● Finalized data collection tools

● List of interviewees with accompanying informed consent forms

4. Deliverables/Responsibilities

The Consultant is expected to lead, accomplish, and submit the following deliverables within the agreed timeframe and budget:

• Deliverable 1: Submit an inception report, that will tackle the following:
  • Literature review of GBV/SEA risks and measures in global value chains and apparel sector in particular
  • Research methodology, tools including sample size
  • Data sources
  • Schedule of activities and travel (timeline)
  • Budget
• Deliverable 2: Submit a draft assessment report following the interviews and field visits conducted to be reviewed by the project team and a final assessment report
• Deliverable 3: Based on findings from the assessment, put together and submit a GBV/SEA risk mitigation implementation plan

5. Reporting and Supervision of Consultancy

The GBV Assessment will report to West Africa Regional Director.

Note: The ATI Activity team and Ethical Apparel Africa shall avail relevant references, project materials, and key contacts for the assessment.

6. Qualifications

The GBV Assessment Consultant should have the following qualifications and experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Gender Studies or Social Science. An advanced degree in Gender Studies or social science is preferred.
• Knowledge in trade and value chains development.
• Experience with cooperatives and engaging local communities.
• Experience in apparel industry is preferred.
• At least 8 years’ experience in development, management and /or monitoring Gender programs.
• Experience in conducting research and gender analyses.
• Demonstrable experience in developing and implementing gender-sensitive integrated programs.
• Experience in supporting behavioural change and prevention work in the promotion of social change, a specific focus on ending gender-based violence considered an asset.
• Ability to critically assess the review(ed) activities and results.
• Demonstrated capacity to deliver in the timeline outlined.
• Fluency in written and spoken English. Language in the study’s area (e.g. French in Francophone locales) is preferable.
• Strong communication skills.

7. Timelines, Location and Duration of Service

This assignment will be 40 working days which includes home-based work, travel for field visits, and conducting interviews. The final assessment report must be submitted by Wednesday, January 22, 2025.

Note: ATI Activity will provide economy class ticket, meals, incidentals, and accommodation and will reimburse visa fees and ground transport on submission of receipts.

Please refer to the application link for more details.