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IIDEA & IRTF Call for Idea Submission

- This call has expired -

The Incubator for Integration and Development in East Africa (IIDEA) and the Intra-Regional Trade Facility (IRTF) are inviting private sector and civil society organizations in East African Community Partner States to submit their innovative ideas. IIDEA calls for ideas in the areas of digitalization/ICT,
health and stakeholder’s engagement on Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Project ideas in Agri-business, tourism and initiatives that promote intra EAC trade are invited for submission under IRTF for support. All project ideas submitted must involve at least two EAC Partner States.

IIDEA incubates small-scale regional integration projects which are proposed and implemented by civil society, private sector and other interest groups in East Africa. Its objective is to ensure that non-state actors in the EAC Partner States have implemented measures for people’s engagement in regional economic integration. For details visit www.eaciidea.net.

IRTF provides technical and financial support to initiatives from private sector players that promote intra-regional trade and advocacy to overcome challenges in intra-regional trade. IRTF supports private sector initiatives in the EAC to promote intra-regional trade and value addition. It also supports
private sector advocacy towards regional and national authorities in the EAC Partner States to overcome challenges in intra-regional trade.

To further increase their regional impact, IIDEA and IRTF are seeking to support additional innovative ideas and projects that are fostering regional integration, economic development and amplifying EAC intra-regional trade. Private Sector and civil society organizations are therefore, invited to submit their project ideas, to compete in a regional hackathon.

The Hackathon will support the innovators to improve their project concept, and winners will be awarded by both financial and business development support from IIDEA and IRTF. Eligibility Private sector and civil society organizations that meet the following criteria are welcome to submit
their ideas for consideration;

  1. IIDEA will admit projects benefiting at least two EAC Partner States in the following sectors: digitalization of services and products, promotion of cross border health services/products and facilitation of stakeholders’ engagement in the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
  2. IRTF will admit project proposals benefiting at least two EAC Partner States in the following priority areas; agribusiness, tourism and initiatives that promote intra-EAC trade.
  3. Project ideas led by youths and women or focusing on the needs and participation of women and youth in the EAC integration process will be given due preference.
  4. Project proposals from Burundi, Rwanda and South Sudan will be prioritised. Project ideas from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania involving partners and beneficiaries from the later will be an added advantage.
  5. Projects ideas proposed must demonstrate expected results and impacts on regional integration and or intra-regional trade.
  6. Private sector or civil society organizations must be duly registered and based in the EAC Partner States.
  7. Intending private sector or civil society organizations must have a functional organizational structure and demonstrated capacity for implementation of the proposed project.
  8. Projects ideas with implementation period ranging between six to nine months will be considered.
  9. Project budget for the innovative ideas should range between 15,000-20,000 USD.

Application Procedure
Interested organizations are requested to submit the following documents;

  1. Project Pitch Deck
  2. 2-minute video, explaining the project idea and why it should be considered under IIDEA or IRTF support. The video must be transferred via https://filetransfer.giz.de to [email protected]
  3. Full names and brief profile of all team members
  4. Certificate of registration or incorporation.

IIDEA and IRTF Hackathon Timeline

  1. Call for idea submission will be opened across EAC Partner States for one-month. The call for idea submission will run from the 15th December 2020 to the 15th of January 2021.
  2. Pre-Selection of project ideas will be conducted by IIDEA and IRTF team in collaboration with the EAC Secretariat technical team by 29th of January 2021.
  3. The 12 selected project ideas will participate in a regional Hackathon, where they will be mentored by experts to improve their project concept. The Hackathon is scheduled for the 15th of February 2021.

Selected projects will be approved by designated juries and announced as the winners of the hackathon. These winners will be provided with financial and business development support by IIDEA or IRTF respectively after undergoing due diligence. The winners are foreseen to be
announced by 15th of March 2021.

Call for Idea submission will close on the 16th of January 2021.