West Africa Competitiveness Programme (WACOMP)

The West Africa Competitiveness Programme (WACOMP) is a partnership initiative between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the European Union (EU). It has a bearing on regional economic integration and highlights a commitment to the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the EU and West Africa. The overall objective of the programme is to strengthen the competitiveness of West Africa and to enhance the countries’ integration into the regional and international trading system, including the newly established African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The WACOMP embraces the vision of the Third Industrial Development Decade for Africa (IDDA III) and is aligned to the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)’s mandate of fostering Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development (ISID).

As part of the agreed efforts to improve the performance and growth of enterprises in the ECOWAS countries and strengthen the capacity of business support organisations (BSO) in the field of entrepreneurship training under the WACOMP, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organisation (ITCILO) are collaborating to develop and deliver “a business training and coaching programme” to support BSOs working with entrepreneurs and start-ups at various stages of growth.

The purpose of this call is to identify and select business support organisations, (one per ECOWAS country plus Mauritania) which are interested in collaborating with the WACOMP programme to provide business training and coaching to potential entrepreneurs and SMEs in their country.

For the purpose of this call for proposals, we consider a BSO to be any public or private organisation legally registered in an ECOWAS country or Mauritania and providing business support services, e.g. SME development agencies, employer’s organisations, business development services providers and training institutions.

Selected BSOs will have the opportunity to participate with at least one candidate in a SIYB training of trainers (ToT) as well as to take part in other activities related to the promotion of business development and entrepreneurship (organisation of entrepreneurship awareness activities in the country, workshops and study tours, etc.)

Interested candidates institution are requested to submit their application by email to siyb.ecowas@gmail.com by 17th July 2020 midday UTC and mention: “WACOMP_BSO REINFORCEMENT PROGRAMME”.

Candidates institutions must use exclusively the annexed template documents:

• Application form duly filled
• A scanned copy of the Declaration duly signed and stamped
• Submit at least three detailed SIYB trainers application forms and curricula vitae from nominated staff/ trainers/collaborators willing to participate in the SIYB training of trainers

Download the application documents below.

• Application Form SIYB WACOMP
• Call for Proposals: Training of trainers in business and entrepreneurship
• Declaration
• Trainer Entry Form