NTF V – Calling for IT & BPO Companies – 2023

The Netherlands Trust Fund V (NTF V) program is based on a partnership agreement signed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Netherlands and the UN International Trade Centre (ITC) and runs from July 2021 till June 2025. Its ambition is to support MSMEs and their ecosystems in the digital technologies and agribusiness sectors, linking up both for synergies and business opportunities. The program covers both sectors in Ethiopia, Ghana, Senegal, and the digital technologies sector in Benin, Ivory Coast, Mali and Uganda. In the digital technology sector, activities will focus on supporting business-friendly tech ecosystems, in particular strengthening support organizations such as tech hubs, equipping MSMEs with export strategies, linking them to national and international business and investment opportunities.

We recruited a first cohort of IT & BPO companies in January 2022 and are now recruiting new IT & BPO companies to join our existing NTF V cohorts in Ethiopia, Ghana and Uganda. The project supports enterprises in each country in their international development. The selected companies will be divided into two categories: Silver and Gold. Below the introduction section is explained what each category will receive in terms of support.

Why participate

The MSMEs will benefit from the following support activities:

• Participation in IT related B2B matchmaking events and/or Trade Fairs organized in Ethiopia, Ghana, Uganda, and internationally
• Improve customer value propositions, sales approaches, service and product descriptions; possible support to certification (likely to be ISO), ideally in partnership with other stakeholders (World Bank, Private Sector Foundation among others)
• Participation in Training/Coaching activities on the development and implementation of their export marketing plan– developed under NTF IV or to be developed under NTF V
• Promotion activities through online and offline media.

Who can participate

The project will target MSMEs in Ethiopia, Ghana and Uganda active in the following segments:

1. Information Technology (IT) Companies – Enterprise Software; Mobile Applications
2. IT Enabled Services (ITES) Companies (BPO)
3. Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Companies

Applications from youth owned/led companies and women owned/led companies are highly encouraged, as well as companies who already do business internationally.

The selection process

• The submitted information will be assessed by international business-linkage experts. Applications including all company-related information and financials will be treated with STRICT CONFIDENTIALITY.
• Ethiopian, Ghanaian and Ugandan partner organizations will be involved in the promotion process of the call for applications, but not in the selection process itself, which will be handled by ITC.
• ITC will assess the applications by grading each item below on a scale of 0 to 3:
  • 0 means “does not meet criteria”
  • 1 means “partially meets criteria”
  • 2 means “adequately meets criteria”
  • 3 means “fully meets criteria”
• The review of applications and selection will be done by an internal ITC committee.
• KNOCK-OUT criteria means that the company cannot qualify for the selection, whatever results elsewhere. If inaccurate information is provided, it will lead to subsequent disqualification of the applicant, even if initially selected. ITC reserves the possibility of reconsidering these criteria in light of the numbers and quality of applications. Knock-out criteria are for example the absence of a working corporate website or your company not being legally registered as a company.

Please note that the selected beneficiary companies will be required to sign a Letter of Commitment to confirm their willingness and ability to participate in the project.

Deadline

Ghana – 4 April 2023 midnight
Ethiopia – Opens Soon
Uganda – 10 April 2023

More information

If you have questions or want to report problems with the form, please contact Ms. Milou van Bruggen (mvanbrugggen@intracen.org) or Mr. Martin Labbé (labbe@intracen.org).