UNDP-SDN-00499,1 - “International Consultancy Firm for Design and Delivery of a Gender-Responsive S - UNDP - SUDAN

Description

Introduction Request for Proposal (RFP)- “International Consultancy Firm for Design and Delivery of a Gender-Responsive Solar Technical Training for Rural Women - "Solar Sister Programme” 1. Background 1.1 The Africa Minigrids Program (AMP) The Africa Minigrids Program (AMP) is a country-led regional technical assistance program for minigrids, active in an initial 21 African countries. It is led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with funding primarily from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented together with Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and the African Development Bank (AfDB). AMP's overall objective is to increase access to electricity by improving the financial viability and promoting scaled-up commercial investment in renewable energy minigrids. 1.2 The AMP National Project in Sudan The AMP national project in Sudan, implemented by the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum (MoEP) with UNDP and GEF support, aims to scale up commercial investments in renewable energy minigrids to enhance rural electrification. The project focuses on hybridizing existing diesel-based minigrids with solar PV systems. The following pilot sites have been confirmed for the Solar Sister programme: Priority Site State Coordinates High Priority Hamashkoreeb Kassala 17.1222°N, 36.7441°E High Priority Owsif Red Sea 21.7708°N, 36.8619°E Combined Site Mohamed Qol + Dungunab Red Sea 20.906° N, 37.156° E Training will be structured in 3 Lots drawing participants from these confirmed sites and surrounding communities. Trained women are expected to integrate into three post-training pathways that position them as active participants in the mini-grid operation and maintenance (O&M) ecosystem, the productive use value chain, and the emerging local energy market around AMP Sudan pilot sites: (i) community solar technicians providing O&M services to the pilot mini-grid and household solar systems under service agreements with the Sudanese Thermal Generation Company (STGC) or community energy committees; (ii) solar entrepreneurs assembling, selling, and maintaining solar home systems, lanterns, and solar products at village level; and (iii) active participants in community energy governance structures, including mini-grid management committees and tariff collection systems. These pathways make the Solar Sisters integral to the long-term sustainability of the pilot mini-grids. 1.3 Gender and Capacity Building under AMP Sudan Technical solar training directly and strategically addresses these barriers. By equipping women with market-relevant, income-generating skills in the fastest-growing energy sub-sector in rural Sudan, the Solar Sister Programme creates a clear, evidence-based empowerment pathway: trained women acquire practical technical competencies, enabling them to deliver repair, maintenance, and assembly services, which allows them to generate independent income, leading to greater financial autonomy and improved social standing within their communities. This virtuous cycle of energy access, income generation, and women's empowerment is the strategic rationale underpinning the programme and aligns directly with the AMP Sudan Gender Action Plan, UNDP's Gender Equality Strategy, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 5 — Gender Equality; SDG 7 — Affordable and Clean Energy; SDG 8 — Decent Work and Economic Growth). 2 Objectives 2.1 Overall Objective To design and deliver a comprehensive, gender-responsive, hands-on training programme delivered in 3 Lots of 20 participants each that equips 60 rural women from the AMP Sudan pilot communities (Hamashkoreeb, Owsif, Mohamed Qol/Dungunab, and surrounding areas) with practical skills to fabricate, assemble, install, maintain, and repair solar home systems and other solar technologies; and to build their capacity as either (a) community solar technicians providing repair and maintenance services, or (b) solar entrepreneurs assembling and selling solar products to rural and remote