Overview : Request for Proposals Announcement Innovation Challenge Call to Scale-up Inclusive Business Models in Uganda’s Tourism Sector Overview Tourism has been recognised as one of the key drivers of Uganda’s social and economic transformation over the last 10 years. In line with global trends, the tourism sector in Uganda has grown, creating a positive impact on employment creation and foreign exchange earnings for the country. The sector has emerged as the single largest export earner and contributed to 7.3% of the national GDP and to 17.9% of total exports in 2017. Notwithstanding this positive trend, the sector has not lived up to its full potential largely due to low competitiveness. Also, communities living near and around Uganda’s tourism attractions have largely not been able to transform the experience of having tourist visitors in their area into business and income earning opportunities. Inclusive Market Development present a promising approach to realize the sector’s full potential for socio economic transformation and bring the benefits of economic growth in tourism directly to the poor and communities in whose locale Uganda’s tourists assets are. In line with its Private Sector Strategy, UNDP in collaboration with Government of Uganda, engages the private sector and other stakeholders to improve opportunities for the poor and local communities to participate in markets through inclusive business models. However, inclusive business models face several enterprise level challenges preventing them to grow, scale-up (geographically or into different product and service lines) and hence have a large positive impact on target communities. Innovation Challenge Call UNDP Uganda has initiated an innovation Challenge to support businesses address key business level barriers that hinder the scale-up of inclusive business solutions. UNDP is inviting applications from enterprises or a not-for-profit social enterprise with a financially viable business models to present an innovative idea/solution that helps them to scale-up operations and impact. Winners will receive up to US$ 40,000 in cash and/or in-kind support (goods and services) through this Innovation Challenge. The prize award contribution must be matched with at least the same amount by the recipient of the award, in cash or in-kind. In cash contribution on the part of innovators are encouraged and will be preferred in the evaluation. For further details, please visit http://procurement-notices.undp.org/ (Reference No.) - ‘Scaling up inclusive business models in support of tourism industry in Uganda” All applications should be submitted to tenders.kampala@undp.org by no later than 14:00 hours on Friday 12th April, 2019. |