Short-term Expert Pool for the Consulting Services (Digital SME Finance, ESG, and Gender) for a selected microfinance institution in Malawi

Background:

 

The MicroLoan Foundation Malawi (MLF Malawi) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) are embarking on a project to improve livelihoods of smallholder farmers through greater agricultural productivity and more sustainable practices of natural resource use in Malawi.

The project will work towards developing and testing an ESG-compliant loan product.
A second phase of the project, subject of a subsequent tender, will then focus on launching the developed financial loan product coupled with a savings product.

 

Project Activities/Tasks:

  1. Development and integration of an ESG framework into MLF Malawi’s operating procedures including but not limited to staff and clients training, loan assessment procedures, and effective ESG compliance monitoring.
  2. Identification of three bankable ESG compliant investment opportunities and development of business models for the demand side.
  3. Based on business models identified, development of two categories (secured and unsecured) of individual loan products.
  4. Analysis and – if necessary – strategy for adaptation of internal processes and procedures to ensure product can be rolled-out successfully.
  5. Assessment of the risk and impact of including men in the lending portfolio – recommendations on gender strategy.
  6. Training of staff in one pilot branch on ESG compliant individual loan product.
  7. Testing of ESG compliant digital individual loan product with 50 MSMEs and smallholder farmers.

 

Task:

The pool of experts shall undertake the large-scale data collection and initial field-based research required during the market research phase.

Qualifications: 
  • Education/training: university qualification in research methodology, quantitative and qualitative data collection or another relevant course of study.
  • Language: Very good language skills in major local Malawi languages (C2) and good language skills in English (C2).
  • General professional experience: lead expert with at least 10 years of research and data collection experience, and min. 5 experts or enumerators with at least 3 years of professional experience in data collection or research OR 5 experts with at least 7 years of research and data collection experience.
  • Specific professional experience: 5 years of experience in market assessments for agricultural and financial services.
  • Regional experience: 5 years of work experience in Malawi.
  • Other: evidence of at least 3 years data management experience.
  • Other: evidence of strong IT skills.
Start / Duration: 

From 15 September 2022 until 31 May 2023 (Period of assignment).

Please upload your latest CV here. Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.