Position Description

Financial Literacy Training

Location Tanzania

Department Programs

Employment Type Volunteer

The Feed the Future Tanzania Agri-Finance Project

Scope of Work

Financial Literacy Training

Program Description:

The Feed the Future Tanzania Agri Finance Project is an access to finance project working to improve access to finance for smallholders, women, youth, and micro, small, medium (including large) enterprises ( MSMiLs ) in Tanzania by improving the agri -finance ecosystem and strengthening the capacity of both borrowers and lenders. The Feed the Future Tanzania Agri-Finance Project will prioritize interventions that increase availability and adoption of priority technologies, including climate-smart technology, and create more inclusive agricultural finance ecosystems, enable expanded and sustained lending and investment, and increase productivity and incomes.

Project interventions will support 20 financial institutions, 15 demand-side institutions including agricultural enterprises and women and youth groups, train 300 financial institution staff, and reach 18,000 borrowers with $21 million in agricultural finance facilitated in Tanzania. The Feed the Future Tanzania Agri-Finance Project will utilize a system-driven, private sector-led approach to target agricultural market coordination failures and develop commercially oriented solutions that will sustain and scale agri -financing. The project includes two interconnected strategic objectives to achieve tangible, positive impact for smallholder farmers, women, youth, agro -enterprises, and financial institutions.

Objective 1: Improve income and bankability of smallholders, women, youth and micro, small and medium (including large) enterprises.

The Feed the Future Tanzania Agri-Finance Project will deliver targeted technical capacity strengthening and direct training and coaching to smallholders, women, youth, and MSMiLs beneficiaries in financial and money management skills and tools, business planning, finance and investment, development of business funding proposals, records keeping, loan applications, and loan repayment and/or savings strategies.

Objective 2: Strengthen financial institution operational capacity to expand agri – lending.

The Feed the Future Tanzania Agri-Finance Project will provide targeted support to supply side financial institutions to develop new agri -finance products and improve operational capabilities and efficiencies, build capacity and strengthening their motivation to expand agri -lending to smallholders, women, youth, and MSMiLs – with a focus on priority and climate-smart technologies such as irrigation, inputs, storage, and value addition. The Feed the Future Tanzania Agri Finance Project is an access to finance project working to improve access to finance for smallholders, women, youth, and micro, small, medium (including large) enterprises ( MSMiLs ) in Tanzania by improving the Agri finance ecosystem and strengthening the capacity of borrowers and lenders. With a particular emphasis on priority technologies, including climate- smart technologies. The Feed the Future project is working to create more inclusive agricultural finance ecosystems, enable expanded and sustained lending and investment, and increase productivity and incomes. The Recipient interventions will increase supported financial institutions from 9 to 20, train 300 financial institution staff, and reach 18,000 borrowers with $21 million in agricultural finance. The project will utilize a system-driven, private sector-led approach to target agricultural market coordination failures and develop commercially oriented solutions that will sustain and scale agri -financing.

Problem Statement:

Lack of financial management skills is a major factor preventing smallholder farmers , particularly youth and women , from accessing finance and improv ing performance. Many smallholder farmers, youth , and women in the country conduct their farming business with only a basic knowledge of financial matters. This leads to poor planning, budgeting , investment in agricultur al productivity enhanc ing technologies , and financial decisions such as inadequate savings and over reliance on informal sources of credit when financial needs arise. Smallholders, youth and women also lack the tools they need to manage their money , expand and sustain their farming businesses. Consequently, they are vulnerable to economic shocks arising from life events or unexpected emergencies that can have a devastating influence on their businesses and livelihoods. As a result, smallholders’ youth and women are often unable to meet day-to-day business expenses, cope with emergencies , and capitalize on market opportunities.

Training smallholder farmers, specifically youth and women, on financial literacy and management is an essential tool for business improvement, income generation and job creation, as it impacts basic skills related to earning, spending, budgeting, saving, borrowing , and investment . When smallholders’ youth and women become financially informed, they can plan for their farm operations and achieve their business goals. Financial literacy training can also assist farmers youth and women to better understand the various opportunities available in the market which can help them retain profitable businesses .

Therefore, the Feed the Future Tanzania Agri-Finance Project is recruiting a local expert to deliver a hands-on training on basic financial management skills and tools, including business planning, farm budgeting, finance and investment, and record keeping to a youth cooperative in Dodoma . Additionally, the volunteer will provide support to training participants with credit management, loan applications, loan repayment and savings and facilitate linkages to financial institutions, such as AGITF, Azania, Amana and Equity Bank. Ultimately, the enhancement of these skills will allow the members of the youth cooperative in Dodoma to take advantage of opportunities available in the market, improve their businesses, generate more income , and create jobs.

Objectives of the Assignment:

1. Enhance the skills and build the capacity of smallholder farmers and members of the youth cooperative in financial management .

2. Increase the capacity and confidence of the youth cooperative members to access finance from financial institutions and ability to manage and repay loans through the overview of farm investment, savings, loan applications and procedures.

3. Facilitate linkages/connection between training participants and selected financial institutions ( AGITF, Azania, Amana Bank and Equity Bank)

Country Schedule for Assignment:

Day

Activity

Location

Estimated days

Pre-Assessment Tasks

•  Review existing reports associated with agricultural finance in Tanzania, particularly to youth and women including both supply and demand side challenges and opportunities
•  Hold a call with the Feed the Future Tanzania Agri-Finance Project team and the host to discuss the needs of the assignment and strategy.
•  Develop financial literacy training material