CALL FOR BUSINESS PLAN PROPOSALS FOR THE UCC/UCUSAF GRANT FOR SKILLING YOUTH GROUPS IN ICTS AND MULTIMEDIA

Introduction

The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), through the Uganda Communications Universal Service Access Fund (UCUSAF), has launched a call for business plan proposals to establish a collaboration in the implementation of key activities under a general thematic area of skilling youths in multimedia production to enhance innovation and creativity in local content and create jobs in the creative industries in Uganda in response to widespread youth unemployment.

Therefore, the UCUSAF III programme set aside resources to be utilized under a collaborative grant framework between UCC/UCUSAF and a suitable partner to implement the project. These funds are available within the budget of Financial Year 2022/23.

Background

Youth is a socially constructed intermediary phase that stands between childhood and adulthood. The UN defines a youth as someone between the ages of 15 and 24. In Uganda, the Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development (MGLSD) defines “youth” as persons aged between 18-30 years.

The National Labour Force Survey 2016/17 undertaken by the MGLSD found that most of the youth (69%) lived in rural areas and that more than two-thirds of the employed youth (68%) had neither technical skills nor specialization in training.

The youth Employment to Population Ratio (EPR) was put at 50%. EPR refers to the proportion of youth aged 18-30 years that are employed. In the study, EPR was said to be 59% among males and 42% among females.

These statistics show that much needs to be done to empower the youth with skills and knowledge to improve their livelihoods.

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) youth report of 2014 stated that for the youths to take advantage [or harness the use] of ICT opportunities, they increasingly need training not just in basic computer use, but in multimedia content creation and production, as well as skills in communication, entrepreneurship, and collaboration.

Youth are media‐oriented in that their subcultures are informed by, as well as expressed through, a wide array of content such as videos, texts, images, music, and lifestyle.

Based on the above facts, UCC/UCUSAF is seeking to collaborate with a suitably qualified stakeholder or consortium of stakeholders with the requisite qualifications, resources, competencies, and experience as per the eligibility criteria and statement of requirements presented in this call.

The partner(s) shall implement initiatives aimed at addressing the challenges faced by the youth, especially the rampant unemployment. They should be able to unlock the youths’ potential and identify ways of transforming the youthful energy into new ideas and content, to enable them to participate in the creative economy. This planned collaboration will see UCUSAF offer technical and financial support within the available funds.

Project Objectives

3.1    General Objective

The general objective of the scheme is to develop and build the capacity of the youth to adopt ICT tools and applications in multimedia content production and related business processes, and thereby, challenge them to improve their creativity, innovation, productivity, and competitiveness in national and international markets. The strategy aims at targeting youths that are or intend to be self-employed and self-sustaining using IT tools and skills in multimedia content creation and production.

Youth enterprises established will hopefully employ other unemployed youths hence reducing youth unemployment.

3.2    Specific Objective

1. To introduce the youths to readily available tools and equipment and give them practical training in using them for multimedia/content production.
2. To educate the beneficiaries on the opportunities of ICT in the multimedia creative sector and demonstrate to them how they can harness such for their livelihoods.
3. To transform the youths’ potential, creativity, talents, initiative, and social responsibility through the acquisition of practical and relevant ICT skills and related knowledge in the creative sector.
4. To give specialized multimedia development training to the youths and certificates proving their skills and formal training undertaken upon successful completion

Project Actions

•  Develop training content, customized in local languages, where possible.
• Train a total of 100 youths in each of the six districts of Gulu, Lira, Pader, Agago, Apac and Agago who meet prerequisite minimum skills requirements.
• Youths who meet set criteria shall proceed to enroll for courses in multimedia content creation and production.
• Monitor and follow-up trainees.

Target Group

This initiative targets youth groups with interest in multimedia content creation, production, creative arts, and those engaged in the entertainment business.

Eligibility of Applicants

 General Criteria

1. The applicant must be in satisfactory financial health and have adequate financial systems to report to UCUSAF as shall be required.
2. The applicant/Lead applicant must have capacity and willingness to work in urban and rural Uganda.
3. The applicant/Lead applicant or consortium partner should provide proof of more than 2 years’ experience in the field of multimedia training or engagement.
4. The applicant should have plans and intent to sustain the initiative.

6.2    Preference

The Fund will give preference to applicants whose Business Plan proposals highlight the following:

1. Demonstrate clear understanding and experience in dealing with youth training and capacity enhancement.
2. Entities that have qualified human resource in-house with the ability to implement the proposed project within the proposed timeframe.
3. Proposals that provide for greater innovations in execution of the project actions in remote and challenging environments (e.g. using existing infrastructure, mobilization stakeholders, lack of access or remoteness to the power grid, among others).
4. Clear contribution from the applicant over and above the grant amount.

Assessment Criterion

The grant applications will be assessed based on a 3-stage process (Administrative, Technical and Financial) process:

1. Administrative- will focus on assessment of the eligibility
2. Technical – will focus on clarity of the motivation, smartness of goals, appropriateness of methodology and project management, feasibility of work plans, impact of the project, ability to meet project priorities, addressing of crosscutting issues and project sustainability, and capacity to deliver.
3. Financial – will focus on value for money, sustainability, and ability to mobilize more resources to scale the initiative.

Risk Assessment

The UCUSAF assessment team will carry out a risk assessment of the indicated and non-indicated risks. The assessment made will consider the totality of an applicant’s submission in assessing whether a potential engagement would involve low, medium, high, or extreme risk to UCC/UCUSAF.

Required Applicant’s Legal Documents

1. Certificate of incorporation or registration providing a legal name – the name that identifies the applicant for legal, administrative, and other official purposes.
2. Memorandum and Articles of Association
3. Address (physical, postal, email, and web site where applicable)
4. Contact person details –name, position, phone, and email contact of an authorized representative of the Applicant.
5. Affiliated entities
6. Audited Financial Account statements for the last 2 years.
7. Signed Code of Ethical Conduct in Business for Grant applicants and Providers (Template is annexed).
8. Applicant or Consortium partners’ proof of experience in conducting multimedia training.

Business Plan Requirements

1. Project motivation, objectives, and outcomes
2. Project linkage to UCC/UCUSAF strategy and the National Development Agenda
3. Experience managing similar projects
4. Project implementation methodology
5. Project management framework
6. Project work plans and associated milestones (Targeted number of trainees, training duration, etc.)
7. Project implementation budget
8. Sustainability approach
9. Monitoring and evaluation approach
10. Risk management framework
11. Integration of cross cutting issues – gender, youth, digital divide, among others.

Application Timeline

The grant application is open from 5th December to 28th December 2022.

A pre–grant application meeting will be held on-line on 19th December 2022 at 10.00am. Participants should register in advance for this meeting through:https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUqdO6uqjIrE9FPelvjjUNTPyAkrnFROAZN

After registering, a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting shall be obtained.

For further clarification or guidance on the grant application process, please contact telephone +256-41-2339000/+256-31-2339000 or email registry@ucc.co.ug/emuyomba@ucc.co.ug.

Applications should be submitted in triplicate hard copies (3 copies) by 4.00 pm on 28th December 2022 to:

The Executive Director

Uganda Communications Commission

Plot 42-44, Spring Road Bugolobi

P.O. Box 7376, Kampala

A soft copy of the proposal should also be sent to the following email address by the deadline: registry@ucc.co.ug.

Disclaimer

Personal information supplied in an application will be used by UCC in accordance with the Laws of Uganda.