81307382-Digital Empowerment of Rural Women Micro entrepreneurs through Interactive Voice Response (IVR)

The GIZ project, Digital Transformation for Inclusive Entrepreneurship in Ghana (DTEG), aims to bridge the digital divide and empower women micro-entrepreneurs. Recognizing the limited technical expertise among this target group, the project complements and goes beyond traditional training methods. A crucial component of this multifaceted approach is the provision and operation of a user-friendly Interactive Voice Response (IVR) platform. This platform will serve as a central hub, providing essential information, training, and support services directly accessible via standard mobile phones. The IVR Platform: A Gateway to Digital Transformation The platform will actively promote the GIZ project's new digital advisory and coaching services for women entrepreneurs. It will deliver bite-sized training modules on relevant digital topics, adapted from existing DTEG coaching curricula, catering to users with varying skill levels. The platform will play a crucial role in DTEG's monitoring and evaluation (M&E) efforts by collecting valuable data on the economic situation, needs, challenges, and experiences of women micro-entrepreneurs in relation to digital entrepreneurship. This data will be used to refine project interventions and ensure maximum impact. Contractor Responsibilities: A Multi-Faceted Approach The selected contractor will be responsible for five key work packages. First, they will develop and operate the IVR platform itself. This includes designing a user-friendly interface accessible via standard mobile phones and ensuring accessibility, preferably through zero-rated access based on pre-existing agreements with mobile network operators in Ghana or alternatively toll-free numbers or free call-back options. A live dashboard will allow the DTEG project team to monitor performance. Second, the contractor will design and execute a multi-channel awareness campaign to raise awareness of the IVR platform and DTEG's services among women micro-entrepreneurs. This campaign will leverage various communication channels such as radio and social media. Collaboration with stakeholders and influencers will be crucial to amplify the campaign's reach. The design of communication materials will prioritize user-friendliness and address themes of gender equality and women's economic empowerment. The impact of the campaign will be tracked through the live dashboard and user surveys. Third, the contractor will develop beginner-level training modules specifically for the IVR platform. These modules will form a gender-responsive IVR Learning Path, offering training on digital entrepreneurship topics. Existing curricula and content will be adapted for the platform, ensuring accessibility and user-friendliness. The learning path will be designed with modularity in mind, allowing users to pick up at previous stopping points. Additionally, functionalities will be integrated to help users transition to in-person support services offered by DTEG partners. Fourth, the contractor will conduct two comprehensive surveys to understand the needs, challenges, and experiences of women micro-entrepreneurs in digital entrepreneurship. The first survey will focus on access to technology, digital skills, and support needs, with a particular emphasis on understanding gender-related challenges. The second survey will examine awareness and understanding of existing policies and frameworks affecting informal micro-enterprises in the digital space. A participatory approach will be used to tailor survey instruments for offline target groups in Ghana. Employing various distribution methods (online, SMS, phone) that consider literacy levels and technological proficiency will be crucial. Finally, the contractor will develop and implement a robust M&E plan to monitor user engagement with the IVR platform, the effectiveness of content, and the overall project impact. This plan will complement DTEG's existing M&E activities by focusing on capturing the impact of advisory services offered by DTEG or project partners. A data collection strategy that leverages available channels (surveys, IVR platform) and considers data providers' contexts will be crucial. Collaboration with the DTEG M&E specialist will ensure real-time insights are provided and project accountability is maintained.