1. Background and Rationale
The East African Community (EAC), under the Common Market Protocol (CMP), has committed to liberalizing trade in services across key sectors including business, communication, finance, tourism, education, and transport. At the same time, the services sector contributes over 50% of GDP in most EAC Partner States and presents significant opportunities for job creation, foreign exchange earnings, and inclusive growth, particularly for women and youth.
However, translating these commitments into actual export growth requires strengthened institutional capacity among Trade and Investment Support Institutions (TISIs). These institutions, including export promotion agencies, investment authorities, chambers of commerce, and sectoral associations play a critical intermediary role between policy frameworks and private sector actors.
Despite their importance, TISIs face several constraints:
- Limited technical tools and expertise in trade in services and export promotion
- Weak inter-institutional coordination mechanisms across Partner States
- Limited use of market intelligence and digital trade tools
- Insufficient understanding of emerging frameworks such as AfCFTA
- Limited capacity to support export-ready firms, particularly women- and youth-led enterprises
The LIFTED programme, implemented by EABC in partnership with GIZ, therefore seeks to engage a qualified consultant to design and deliver a 3-day regional training to strengthen the capacity of selected TISIs to effectively facilitate and scale services exports beyond the EAC region.
2. Overall Objective of the Assignment
To strengthen the capacity of TISIs in the EAC region with practical skills, tools, and coordination mechanisms to effectively promote, facilitate, and scale services exports at national and regional levels.
The assignment will deliver a results-oriented intervention, going beyond training delivery to support:
- Adoption of practical tools
- Strengthened institutional coordination
- Implementation of actionable export support mechanisms
3. Specific Objectives of the Training
The consultant will design and deliver a training that enables participants to:
- Apply practical tools for export readiness assessment, market intelligence, and export promotion
- Develop and operationalize institutional action plans for services export promotion
- Establish or strengthen coordination and referral mechanisms among TISIs
- Support export-ready firms (especially women- and youth-led) using structured workflows
- Integrate digital trade and market access tools into institutional operations.
4. Scope of Work
The consultant will design and deliver a comprehensive, practical, and results-oriented 3-day regional training program for Trade and Investment Support Institutions (TISIs), focusing on core competencies, tools, and coordination mechanisms required to effectively promote and facilitate services exports in the East African Community (EAC). The scope is structured across three phases: Pre-Training, Training Delivery, and Post-Training, with clearly defined technical modules and thematic areas.
A. Phase 1: Pre-Training Diagnostic and Design
The consultant will:
1. Conduct a Structured Diagnostic
Using a mixed-method approach:
- Online survey of participating TISIs
- Key informant interviews
- Review of existing EABC/LIFTED tools and materials
Output: Diagnostic report including:
- Capacity gaps in services export promotion
- Institutional mandates and existing tools
- Priority service sectors (e.g., ICT, tourism, finance, professional services)
- Country-specific regulatory bottlenecks
- Tailored training priorities
2. Develop Training Curriculum and Tools
- Design a modular, practical training curriculum
- Prepare standardized toolkits, including:
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- Export readiness assessment tools
- Market intelligence templates
- Services export strategy frameworks
- Institutional coordination models
B. Phase 2: Training Delivery (Focused and Practical)
Duration: 3 Days (In-person)
Approach: Minimum 40–50% hands-on application
Core Modules
- Module 1: Trade in Services Frameworks (Applied Focus)
- Module 2: Export Readiness and Firm Support Tools
- Module 3: Market Intelligence and Opportunity Mapping
- Module 4: Digital Trade and Services Export Platforms
- Module 5: Institutional Coordination and Export Promotion Systems
C. Phase 3: Post-Training Consolidation and Knowledge Transfer
The consultant will:
- Develop a comprehensive training report including:
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- Key findings and participant feedback
- Institutional capacity gaps
- Policy and programmatic recommendations
- Deliver a TISI Services Export Toolkit, including:
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- Export readiness tools
- Market intelligence templates
- Strategy development guides
- Coordination frameworks
- Provide recommendations for scaling and sustainability:
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- Institutionalization of training
- Regional knowledge-sharing platforms
- Follow-up coaching mechanisms
Mandatory Practical Outputs
Each participating TISI must produce:
- A 12-month Institutional Action Plan
- An Exporter Support Workflow/Referral Pathway
- A Market Opportunity Brief (priority sector)
- A Coordination Matrix (national and regional stakeholders)
Post-Training Follow-Up
To ensure sustainability, the consultant will:
- Conduct 60-day virtual coaching sessions
- Develop a light-touch implementation tracking framework
- Deliver a Facilitator Pack for future use by EABC
D. Cross-Cutting Approach
The consultant will ensure:
- Practical, hands-on learning (minimum 40% interactive sessions)
- Regional relevance and contextualization to EAC markets
- Gender and youth inclusion
- Alignment with EAC, AfCFTA, and global frameworks
- Outcome-oriented delivery with measurable results
5. Expected Outputs and Deliverables
The consultant will deliver:
- Inception Report (methodology, workplan, tools)
- Diagnostic Report and Needs Assessment
- Tailored Training Curriculum and Agenda
- Training Materials (editable formats):
-
- Facilitator guide
- Participant workbook
- Pre/post assessment tools
- TISI Services Export Toolkit
- Delivery of 3-day training workshop
- Post-training report
- Facilitator Pack
- Follow-up coaching sessions (within 60 days)
- Results Framework and KPIs
| Level | Indicator | Means of Verification | Timeline |
| Output | # of TISIs trained | Attendance records | Immediate |
| Output | # of institutional action plans developed | Submitted plans | End of training |
| Outcome | % of TISIs adopting tools | Follow-up surveys | 3 months |
| Outcome | # of firms supported by TISIs | Institutional reports | 3–6 months |
| Outcome | # of referrals/coordination meetings | Meeting records | 3–6 months |
| Outcome | # of women/youth-led firms supported | Disaggregated data | 3–6 months |
- Inclusion Strategy
- Minimum 40% female participation
- Use of sex- and age-disaggregated data
- Inclusion of case studies on women and youth-led enterprises
- Requirement for TISIs to include inclusive measures in action plans
- Consultant / Team Profile
- Firms/consortia encouraged (multi-disciplinary expertise)
- Required expertise:
- Trade in services & AfCFTA
- Export promotion & TISI systems
- Digital trade
- Adult learning methodologies
- Monitoring & Evaluation
- Must provide:
- Evidence of similar assignments
- Sample tools/materials
- Proposal Requirements and Evaluation Criteria
The proposal Must Include:
- Technical proposal (methodology, approach)
- Workplan
- Team composition
- Relevant experience
- Sample work
- Financial proposal
- Evaluation Criteria
| Criteria | Weight |
| Methodology & approach | 20% |
| Relevant experience/Similar assignemnts | 20% |
| Knowledge of the EAC region | 10% |
| Relevant Qualifications | 10% |
| Team composition | 10% |
| Financial proposal | 30% |
11. Governance and Implementation Arrangements (NEW)
- Clear roles:
- EABC: oversight, coordination, approvals
- Consultant: delivery, reporting, tools
- Key elements:
- Defined milestones and timelines
- Ownership of materials (EABC retains IP)
- Confidentiality requirements
- Language of delivery (English; interpretation where needed)
- Contingency arrangements (virtual fallback where needed)
- Duration and Level of Effort (Clarified)
-
- Diagnostic: 1 week
- Training prep: 1 week
- Training Delivery: 3 days
- Follow-up: up to 2 months
13. Expected Outcomes of the Training
The training is expected to achieve the following outcomes:
- Enhanced technical capacity of TISIs
- Improved institutional coordination
- Increased support to export-ready firms
- Strengthened understanding of regulatory frameworks
- Adoption of practical tools
- Improved policy-to-implementation alignment
14.Profile of participants
To ensure impact:
- Participants must include:
- TISI technical staff/implementation focal point
- At least one decision-maker per institution
- Requirements:
- Balanced representation across EAC Partner States
- Minimum 40% female participation
- Inclusion of institutions supporting youth-led enterprises
15. Benefits to Participants
Participants (TISIs) will benefit from:
- Practical, hands-on knowledge applicable to their institutional mandates
- Access to standardized tools and frameworks for export promotion
- Enhanced ability to design and implement export support programs
- Exposure to regional and international best practices
- Strengthened peer networks and collaboration platforms across the EAC
- Improved capacity to support inclusive trade (women and youth)
16 . Duration and Level of Effort
- Training Duration: 3 consecutive days
- Location: To be determined (within the EAC region)
17. Measures of Success (Key Performance Indicators)
The success of the training will be measured through:
- At least 90% participant satisfaction rate
- Demonstrated knowledge improvement (pre- vs post-training assessments)
- Number of practical tools adopted by TISIs
- Evidence of enhanced coordination mechanisms among institutions
- Number of action plans developed by participating TISIs
- Increased capacity to support services exporters post-training
18. Required Qualifications of the Consultant
The consultant should possess:
- Advanced degree in relevant field
- Minimum 10 years’ experience in trade in services/export promotion
- Experience with TISIs and regional organizations
- Strong knowledge of EAC, AfCFTA, and WTO-GATS
- Proven training delivery experience
- Strong facilitation and reporting skills
19. Reporting and Coordination
The consultant will report to the East African Business Council (EABC) and work closely with the LIFTED project team and relevant regional stakeholders.
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Application Process
Applicants shall submit:
- Technical Proposal
- Financial Proposal (password-protected)
Submission email:
procurement@eabc-online.com
CC: info@eabc-online.com
Subject Line:
“Consultancy for Design and Delivery of TISI Services Export Training – EAC”
Deadline:
11th May 2026
21. Conclusion
This consultancy represents a strategic investment in institutional capacity development within the EAC services ecosystem. By equipping TISIs with the necessary skills, tools, and coordination mechanisms, the training will directly contribute to unlocking the region’s services export potential, enhancing regional integration, and fostering inclusive economic growth.