FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA
EKITI STATE GOVERNMENT
EKITI KNOWLEDGE ZONE PROJECT
AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK GROUP
GROUPE DE LA BANQUE AFRICAINE DE DÉVELOPPEMENT

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST FOR ENGAGEMENT OF A CONSULTANT FOR PRIVATE-SECTOR OPERATOR CAPABILITY DEVELOPMENT AND RECOGNITION (CONSULTING FIRM)

PROJECT ID: P-NG-I00-002

The Federal Government of Nigeria has secured a loan from the African Development Bank towards the Ekiti Knowledge Zone Project (EKZ). The project site is located between Ago Araromi in Ado Local Government Area and Ijan Ekiti in Gbonyin Local Government Area in Ekiti State.

The Project intends to apply a portion of the loan to engage a qualified Consulting Firm, or consortium of firms, to design and implement an integrated operator capability-development programme that strengthens the capability and market readiness of existing Ekiti-based private-sector operators, establishes a credible mechanism for assessing and recognising delivery readiness, and connects qualifying operators to buyers, contracts, workplace-learning opportunities and skilled talent.

The EKZ is a strategic initiative of the Ekiti State Government aimed at building a thriving innovation ecosystem that integrates research, enterprise, and technology development. Component 2 of the Project, Building Talents and Creating Innovation Demand, combines skills development, enterprise creation, private-sector participation and access to economic opportunities, and includes the Training and Certification of Private-Sector Operators sub-component, which provides for the capability building and certification of existing Ekiti businesses against an EKZ Delivery-Ready Standard so that they can win work from EKZ tenants, the EKZ Delivery Studio and Government, and hire EKZ-trained talent. The requirement is not simply to provide business training, but to establish an effective system through which existing businesses are assessed, strengthened, recognised and connected to credible commercial opportunities that translate into contracts, revenue and employment.

This assignment is focused primarily on strengthening existing private-sector operators rather than creating new ventures, and its principal unit of outcome is the participating operator. It forms part of the wider EKZ Component 2 delivery architecture under the oversight of the Project Implementation Unit (PIU), and complements the BPO, ICT and Digital Skills programme, TVET and apprenticeship development, enterprise development, and the wider EKZ investor and tenant pipeline.

The specific objectives of the assignment will include, but not be limited to:
1. Identify and assess Ekiti-based private-sector operators with potential to participate in relevant EKZ and wider market opportunities.
2. Determine the capability and compliance requirements of relevant buyers and markets.
3. Provide targeted capability development to address material gaps identified through assessment.
4. Establish a credible and transparent mechanism for assessing and recognising operator delivery readiness, capable of continuing beyond the assignment.
5. Connect qualifying operators to relevant buyers, customers and contracting opportunities.
6. Strengthen the capacity of participating businesses to recruit, supervise and retain skilled workers and workplace learners.
7. Support participating operators to demonstrate successful delivery of commercial work.
8. Ensure fair access to the programme for businesses across Ekiti State, including smaller, women-led, youth-led and other underserved operators, consistent with applicable AfDB and Project requirements.
9. Establish sustainable arrangements for continued operator assessment and capability development.
10. Track and verify business, contract, workforce and employment outcomes.

The assignment shall be implemented over twenty (20) months from contract effectiveness.

The Ekiti State Development and Investment Promotion Agency (EKDIPA), the Implementing Agency, now invites eligible Consulting Firms (including consortia of firms) to indicate their interest in providing the above services.

Interested firms must be reputable firms, or consortia of firms, with a proven track record in enterprise and supplier development, business capability assessment and market linkage.

The Consulting Firm (or the lead firm and members of a consortium, taken together) must demonstrate:
1. A minimum of seven (7) years of demonstrable experience in delivering SME, enterprise or supplier-development programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa (experience in Nigeria is a strong advantage);
2. Demonstrated experience helping businesses meet the requirements of corporate, institutional or public-sector buyers, including buyer engagement, supplier matching, and tender and bid-readiness support;
3. Proven experience designing and implementing business capability-assessment, supplier-readiness, accreditation, certification or comparable recognition mechanisms;
4. Demonstrated experience providing targeted business advisory and capability-development support to SMEs;
5. Experience supporting workforce development, employment or workplace learning within businesses;
6. Strong monitoring and outcome-verification capability, and demonstrable experience working with donor-funded projects (e.g., AfDB, World Bank) and familiarity with their reporting, procurement, and environmental and social safeguard standards;
7. Knowledge of relevant Nigerian business, regulatory and commercial requirements, and established links with business associations, SMEs and other private-sector networks;
8. Experience integrating cross-cutting themes, particularly women and youth inclusion, into enterprise-development programmes; and
9. The capacity to mobilise qualified Key Experts covering: Team Leader / Enterprise and Supplier Development Lead; Business Assessment and Capability Framework Specialist; Buyer Engagement and Market Access Specialist; Workforce and Talent Development Specialist; and Monitoring, Evaluation and Results Verification Specialist.

Interested firms must provide information demonstrating that they are qualified to perform the services, including a company profile, a description of similar assignments completed (stating the client, scale, value and results achieved), relevant experience in comparable conditions, and the availability of appropriate skills among their staff. Firms may associate with other firms to enhance their chances of qualification; where a joint venture or consortium is proposed, the lead firm and the role of each member should be stated.

Eligibility criteria, establishment of the short-list, and the selection procedure shall be in accordance with the African Development Bank’s Procurement Policy for Bank Group Funded Operations (October 2015), which is available on the Bank’s website at https://www.afdb.org/en/projects-and-operations/procurement/new-procurement-policy/

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours (09:00 to 17:00 hours). Interested parties may request the Terms of Reference (ToRs) for better understanding of the assignment.

Expressions of Interest must be delivered in written form to the address below (in person, or by e-mail) on or before 12 Noon Nigeria Time on 9th November, 2026.

The Director General
Ekiti State Development and Investment Promotion Agency (EKDIPA)
Mutual House, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti-State,
Tel. No: +234-704-100-1814, +234-806-017-4418
Email: ekitiknowledgezone@gmail.com, ekdipa@ekitistate.gov.ng