Expression of Interest for Mastercard Young Africa Works Dialogue Series Technical Partner 2025

The Mastercard Foundation is seeking a technical partner (or consortium of partners) to support the rollout of the next editions of the Young Africa Works Dialogue Series during 2025. The objective is to onboard a partnership that can provide technical, operational and implementation expertise in knowledge mobilization, stakeholder engagement, hosting youth-led intergenerational dialogue, event management, and post-event outputs to ensure the successful execution of the dialogue series.

The Young Africa Works Dialogue Series is the Mastercard Foundation’s evidence-to-action dialogue model that offers a youth-led space for action-oriented intergenerational dialogue between young entrepreneurs and key public and private sector leaders. Together, they examine dignified work access barriers, co-create solutions, and galvanize ecosystem commitments, investments and policy shifts to especially enable youth-led entrepreneurship as a pathway to sustainable dignified and fulfilling work. Following a successful inaugural edition of the Dialogue Series in Ghana in 2024, the Foundation is looking to execute additional editions in 2025, in the runup to the Young Africa Summit in 2026.

Scope of Work of Young Africa Works

The partner will be responsible for supporting the Mastercard Foundation in the following strands:

Strand 1: Pre-convening – Knowledge and Stakeholder Mobilization

• Country Contextual Concept Note Development: Collaborate on developing a country-specific concept note for each dialogue edition.
• Youth-led Focus Group Discussions: Conduct focus group discussions with relevant young people and youth-led organizations for each dialogue edition.
• Knowledge Product/Synthesis: Develop a synthesis knowledge dossier on the subject or topical focus of each dialogue edition.
• In-country Preparatory Workshop: Organize and facilitate an in-country preparatory workshop for each dialogue edition.
• Agenda Development and Facilitation Approach: Develop agendas and facilitation approach and resources. This will include sourcing skilled facilitators or mentors for youth moderators and onboard them.
• External Guest Lists: Create lists of relevant external guests, including ecosystem players outside the Foundation’s partner network.
• Selection and Pre-convening Preparations for Young People: Develop selection criteria, select and prepare participating young people and youth-led organizations for their participation.
• Pre-convening Preparations of Anchor Partners and Ecosystem Actors: Prepare the Foundation’s anchor partners and ecosystem actors with updates, requirements, guidance, and tips on best engagement practices with young people.

Strand 2: Pre-convening – Logistics and Event Management

• Scope of Work for Event Management Agency: Develop and manage scope of work for the event management agency.
• Scope of Work for Documentation and Reporting: Define and manage the scope of work for documenting and reporting on each dialogue edition.
• Compensation Plan for Young People: Plan for compensation for young people participating in each dialogue edition.
• Event Budget Drafting: Draft the budget for each dialogue edition based on country context.
• Venue Booking and Suitability Check: Book and inspect venues for suitability for each dialogue edition.
• Press Packet Development: Develop a press packet for each dialogue edition.

Strand 3: Execute the Convening

• Ensure High Quality Event Execution: Oversee the execution of the dialogue together with an events agency.
• Visual and Video Assets: Create visual and video assets for each edition, for use before, during and after the event.
• Narrative, Visual, Photographic, and Video Report: Submit a narrative, visual, photographic, and video report by the agency after each edition.

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Eligibility for Young Africa Works

• Open to an African-led firm or organization experienced in youth-led dialogue design or youth engagement in the policy space.
• Have familiarity with African public and private sector ecosystem players and possess prior experience and ability in bringing them together for dialogue with young people.
• Submissions that include strong youth-led partnerships or alliances with relevant youth-led organizations are highly encouraged.
• Youth enabling firms/organizations and youth-led organizations and entities with the outlined expertise are particularly encouraged to apply.
• Qualifying partners are encouraged to identify and demonstrate how they plan to collaborate with other service providers that are needed to bolster their capacity for key responsibilities under each work strand.

Key selection considerations include:

• Strong Track Record in Youth-Led Dialogue Design: Familiarity with youth engagement and enablement, youth voice and agency, especially in policy, business/entrepreneurship development.
• Ecosystem Stakeholder and Knowledge Mobilization and Engagement: Expertise in knowledge mobilization, African public and private sector dynamics, ecosystem stakeholder engagement, and the ability to facilitate dialogue between these actors and young people for policy influencing.
• Expertise in Policy Analysis and Synthesis: Experience conducting high quality policy analysis and translating evidence into concise knowledge products and insights.
• Youth Partnerships, Outreach, and Engagement: Experience working with youth-led organizations and engaging young people especially in trade and economic or entrepreneurship enablement policy and programmatic discussions across the continent and relevant themes.
• Experience in Event Management: Proven experience in managing large-scale events, particularly those involving diverse stakeholders.
• Logistical Oversight Capabilities: Strong logistical capabilities, including venue management, budgeting, documentation, and payment handling.

Evaluation Criteria

• Organizational relevancy, experience, appropriateness, expertise, and experience of proposed team (10%)
• Experience in youth-led dialogue design and youth partnerships integration for the assignment (30%)
• Quality of proposed methodology and approach to implement each work strand (30%)
• Public/private sector ecosystem stakeholder and knowledge mobilization, policy analysis and synthesis. (20%)
• The suitability and feasibility of the proposed budget (10%)

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Application

Application materials include:

• A brief (1 page) institutional profile outlining the organization’s relevant experience and qualifications.
• A detailed methodology proposal outlining how the organization will deliver on the key tasks described under each strand, including internal and external resources needed and how the organization will integrate youth-led partnerships and outreach.
• Profiles and CVs (max 2 pages) of key team members who will be involved in the project.
• Proposed line budget.

Expressions of interest should be submitted electronically to [email protected] copy [email protected] by 23:59 on October 18, 2024. The subject line of the email should include “Expression of Interest for Young Africa Works Dialogue Series Technical Partner”.

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