Request for expressions of interest for consultancy services to undertake a gender audit of the Financial Inclusion for Resilience and Innovation Project (FIRIP) for the Ministry of Finance and National Planning

Closing: 30 September 2026 | Lusaka, Zambia

The Ministry of Finance and National Planning has received financing from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) towards the cost of the Financial Inclusion for Resilience and Innovation Project (FIRIP), and intends to apply part of the proceeds for the recruitment of consulting services provided by an individual consultant to undertake a gender audit of FIRIP. To advance gender equality, youth and social inclusion, FIRIP seeks a consultant to conduct a comprehensive gender audit of Community-Based Financial Institutions (CBFIs) and FIRIP’s participating financial institutions in order to provide baseline information for FIRIP implementation.

The consultancy will involve assessing selected participating Community-Based Financial Institutions and Financial Service Providers to evaluate the responsiveness of their financial product offerings to meeting the specific needs of rural smallholder farmers, women, men, youth, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable populations. The assignment duration is 120 working days, and a consultant will be selected in accordance with the Individual Consultant Selection (ICS) method set out in IFAD’s Project Procurement Handbook; interviews will not be conducted as part of the selection process. Shortlisting will consider candidates with an advanced degree in Gender Studies, Development Economics/Studies, Rural Development, Rural Finance, Sociology or a related field; at least 10 years of experience conducting gender audits or related analytical studies; strong knowledge of gender and financial inclusion challenges in rural Zambia; and proven experience with the Gender Action Learning System (GALS), the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI), and other gender-sensitive participatory methodologies.

Interested consultants are encouraged to obtain more information on the Terms of Reference from the FIRIP website. Any request for clarification on this REOI should be sent by email no later than 10:00 hours local time, 18 September 2026, and the client will provide responses to all clarification requests by 25 September 2026. Expressions of interest in the form of a curriculum vitae (CV) must be delivered in written form to the address below by email by 30 September 2026.