Call for Expressions of Interest: Pre-selection of women-led enterprises carrying commercial expansion projects in regional and cross-border markets in West Africa

MTWW project support

MTWW project support Selected enterprises and cooperatives may benefit from the following support: Support for the preparation of an export/import business plan targeting West African sub-regional markets, and technical assistance for the implementation of this plan (very practical support from regional Trade business coaches, paid by the MTWW project, to identify market opportunities, support contract negotiation, and ensure successful trade operations; including upstream support for compliance with standards, labeling, certification, participation in trade fairs, business forums, B2B meetings, and commercial events, etc.); Support to mobilize additional financing to fund export/import trade operations as well as investments, including green or sustainable investments; Support for the use of digital platforms and payment solutions to optimize regional transfer costs and secure payments; Facilitation of integration into multi-actor and multi-country business networks and platforms.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Eligible applicants must meet the following conditions:

• Be a private enterprise or a cooperative legally registered in Benin, Burkina Faso, or Côte d’Ivoire, and active in the value chains of cassava; vegetables (onion, tomato, okra, chili pepper); fruits (pineapple and mango); rice and other processed cereals; and oilseeds (processed shea products and palm kernel products);

• Be owned by a woman or predominantly by women, or be an enterprise or cooperative where women hold key management positions; or, if these criteria are not met, demonstrate at least a positive economic impact for women (predominantly female representation among employees, raw material suppliers, or distributors of products and/or services);

• Have been operating for at least two (2) full financial years at the time of application submission;

• Demonstrate an effective presence in West African sub-regional markets and a clear understanding of the products to be sold and the targeted markets, including the ability to demonstrate a history of export or import-processing sales, regardless of the type of market (African or outside Africa);

• Demonstrate the capacity to work with other private actors, directly or indirectly, in such a way that the enterprise can impact at least 500 women, youth, and persons living with disabilities through its network of suppliers, clients, or business partners, or across different segments of its operations (production, processing or packaging, distribution/sales, salaried or contractual employment, or service providers/subcontractors);

• Have sufficient production/processing capacity to justify access to regional export markets. Enterprises and cooperatives involved in imports are also eligible, provided they demonstrate strong value creation or significant income impact for women, youth, and persons living with disabilities based on imported products;

• Commit to improving their processes (including supply chain and sales) to contribute to climate change mitigation or adaptation within their product offerings, or demonstrate the intention to do so within the proposed expansion project;

• Must not be associated with activities prohibited by national governments, such as terrorism or money laundering. The production and sale of alcohol, tobacco, and other prohibited products are not eligible under this call;

• Comply with national laws and regulations, including tax and labor laws;

• Comply with international legislation on human rights, labor standards, and environmental management.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Applications will be assessed based on the information provided in the applicant’s file. Final selection of enterprises and cooperatives will give strong consideration to the MTWW project’s target value chains and the actual impact of the proposed project on women, youth, and persons with disabilities.

Particular attention will be paid to:

• The impact on the largest possible number of women involved in the applicant’s proposed project;

• The quality of the commercial expansion project targeting West African sub-regional markets, particularly the relevance, clarity, and precision of the proposal in terms of targeted market opportunities, products to be commercialized, target clients, and the applicant’s distinct competitive advantages; projected export/import volumes and values by product and by year over the next three (3) years; and the actions or support required to achieve performance, including the applicant’s own financial contribution;

• The robustness of production/processing capacities and experience in export/import activities in African regional markets, as well as the applicant’s ability to impact other ecosystem actors, including other enterprises, cooperatives, associations, suppliers, distributors, or business partners;

• The applicant’s financial capacity or ability to mobilize complementary resources, including evidence of sound financial health and the absence of excessive debt;

• The adequacy of accounting and financial management capacities to successfully implement the commercial project, including the availability of basic accounting systems and financial statements/balance sheets for the past two (2) years, or a clear vision for improvements and openness to enterprise or cooperative modernization;

• The enterprise’s capacity for co-investment in the proposed commercial initiative or project.

APPLICATION FILE REQUIREMENTS

The application file must include the following documents:

• The completed MTWW project submission template for export/import development on West African markets, filled out in strict compliance with MTWW project instructions;

• A copy of the enterprise’s or cooperative’s legal registration documents (Business Registration Certificate, Receipt, Articles of Association and Internal Regulations, Tax Identification Number, or any equivalent document);

• Financial statements/balance sheets for the past two (2) years;

• The CV(s) of the principal manager(s) and a copy of their identification document(s).

The project submission template and the link to the information session for applicants can be obtained by contacting: : mtww.communication@ceci.ca

TIMELINE

The timeline for the selection of beneficiary enterprises and cooperatives is presented in the table below.

Period	Selection stage
January 7, 2026	Launch of the call for pre-selection of export/import projects in regional African markets
January 16, 2026, at 6:00 PM GMT (Côte d’Ivoire time)	Information session for potential applicants
February 13, 2026	Deadline for submission of export/import project applications
February 16 to March 13, 2026	Review of applications and pre-selection by the committee
March 20, 2026	Notification of results to pre-selected enterprises and cooperatives only
March 23 to April 10, 2026	Visits to pre-selected enterprises and cooperatives
	Verification of export/import project quality through a rapid diagnostic and full review of due diligence documents (legal existence, production and export/import capacity, sales history in West African sub-regional markets, etc.)
	Final selection of enterprises and cooperatives
April 17, 2026	Final notification to selected enterprises and launch of the export/import support process

SUBMISSION DEADLINE AND LOCATION

Completed application files must be sent to mtww.communication@ceci.ca no later than February 13, 2026, at 6:00 PM GMT (Côte d’Ivoire time).
The subject line of the email must read:
“Call for pre-selection of women-led enterprises carrying commercial expansion projects in West African markets.”

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Projects that do not comply with the required template will not be reviewed by the technical selection committee. Similarly, templates that are poorly completed or do not contain sufficient information to assess the project will not be examined.

The MTWW project is not obliged to accept all applications. Participation in this Call for Expressions of Interest does not guarantee final selection or funding.