1.0 Background

AgrBIZZ is an Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) project. The consortium brings together universities from Ghana, Cameroon, Denmark, and Finland, with RUFORUM serving as a strategic regional network partner. Member institutions are: Häme University of Applied Sciences (HAMK, Finland) as coordinator; University of Copenhagen (UCPH, Denmark); University of Cape Coast (UCC, Ghana); University for Development Studies (UDS, Ghana); University of Buea (UB, Cameroon); and University of Bamenda (UBa, Cameroon).

The project addresses a real and persistent gap: Agribusiness graduates across Sub-Saharan Africa are leaving university without the entrepreneurial skills or practical competencies that employers and the sector requires. AgrBIZZ responds by supporting Ghanaian and Cameroonian higher education institutions revise their curricula, capacitate their academic staff in Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and climate-smart agribusiness, and build direct partnerships with industry.

2.0 Project Overview

AgrBIZZ is structured around five work packages:

3.0 Purpose of the Mid-Term Review

The EU Erasmus+ program requires independent quality monitoring throughout the project lifecycle. AgrBIZZ has planned a Mid-Term Review (MTR) as a project milestone (MS2). RUFORUM will commission the review on behalf of the consortium, contracting an independent evaluator through a competitive process.

The MTR has three purposes:

• Learning and improvement: assess what has worked so far and give practical guidance for the remaining implementation period.
• Accountability: verify whether activities have been completed as planned and resources used appropriately.
• Sustainability: examine whether the structures and approaches being built are likely to survive beyond the project period.

At a practical level, the evaluator will be expected to assess all five work packages, evaluate how well the consortium is collaborating, examine the integration of gender and human rights principles, and provide clear recommendations that the team can act on.

4.0 Scope of the Evaluation

The MTR will cover all project activities from inception to the point of review. Evaluation questions are organized around the OECD/DAC criteria:

Relevance

Is the project design still well matched to the needs of partner HEIs, students, and industry in Ghana and Cameroon? Has it kept pace with changes in context since inception?

Effectiveness

Are activities being delivered as planned? What outputs have been produced across the five work packages, and do they contribute to the project goals? How well are consortium partners fulfilling their roles?

Efficiency

Are financial and technical resources being used appropriately? Are the management structures (Project Advisory Board, Project Youth Advisory Board, Project Management Team, and Core Teams) adding value?

Gender, HRBA, and Cross-Cutting Themes

Has gender equality been built into activities, not just added on? Are representation targets being met? Are climate-smart principles genuinely embedded in curricula and training?

Sustainability

Are partner institutions developing real ownership of the project’s results? Are industry and societal partnerships being formalized in ways that will outlast the project?

5.0 Methodology

Consultants are expected to propose a methodology that combines qualitative and quantitative approaches, allows for wide stakeholder consultation, and applies gender- and HRBA-sensitive data collection. Triangulation across multiple sources is expected.

Likely data collection methods include desk review of project documents, key informant interviews with consortium members and HEI management, focus group discussions with students and industry partners, online surveys, and field visits to partner institutions in Ghana and Cameroon where feasible. Consultants are free to propose innovative approaches and must justify their methodological choices in the inception report.

6.0 Deliverables

7.0 Required Expertise

The review requires multiple skill sets. RUFORUM will select based on demonstrated experience, relevant qualifications, and affordability within the available project budget.

• At least 10 years of experience in higher education management, policy, or implementation, with a focus on agriculture or related fields in Africa;
• Demonstrated expertise in multi-country programme evaluation in the agriculture, agribusiness, or higher education sectors in Sub-Saharan Africa;
• At least 10 years of experience working with international donors on regional programme design, monitoring, and evaluation;
• Proven mixed-methods evaluation experience, covering both quantitative and qualitative data collection;
• Familiarity with Erasmus+ CBHE requirements, OECD/DAC evaluation criteria, and participatory evaluation approaches;
• Understanding of gender mainstreaming, human rights-based approaches, and climate-smart agriculture principles;
• At least two verifiable references from comparable evaluation assignments.

8.0 Management Arrangements

The selected evaluator will report to the RUFORUM Secretariat, which serves as the primary point of contact and coordinates access to consortium partners, documents, and stakeholders. HAMK and RUFORUM are jointly responsible for operational coordination of consortium engagement. The evaluator must engage all AgrBIZZ partners throughout the process and agree in advance on the schedule for activities and field visits.

9.0 Indicative Timeline

Clarification Meeting:  A virtual pre-bid meeting will be held before the submission deadline to address questions about the scope and application process. All interested applicants are encouraged to register in advance by writing to secretariat@ruforum.org. The meeting date and access details will be sent to registered parties once confirmed.

10.0 Payment

Payment will be made by the RUFORUM Secretariat on behalf of the AgrBIZZ consortium, structured in tranches tied to the submission and approval of agreed deliverables. Details are available in the project provision for the mid-term review subcontracting activity (WP1, Task 1.7).

11.0 How to Apply

All applications must be submitted electronically to the RUFORUM Secretariat at secretariat@ruforum.org by the deadline specified in the call. Late submissions will not be considered.

Applications must include:

• A technical proposal covering the proposed methodology, work plan, and team qualifications;
• A financial proposal for consideration within the project budget;
• CVs of the lead evaluator(s) and key team members;
• At least two verifiable references from comparable evaluation assignments.
• Deadline for submissions: 5 June 2026

ANNEX:  Key AgrBIZZ Output Indicators for the MTR

The following output indicators from the AgrBIZZ Quality and M&E Framework are the primary benchmarks against which the evaluator should assess progress. The MTR should also look at the quality of processes: the extent to which participatory action research is being applied, whether MEL tools are in active use, and how well gender and HRBA considerations have been integrated across activities.