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 TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR INSTITUTIONAL STRENGTHENING PARTNER (ISP) – FAWE GHANA

  • About FAWE:

Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) is a pan-African Non-Governmental Organization founded in 1992, dedicated to promoting girls’ and women’s education in sub-Saharan Africa in alignment with the Education for All goals. Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, FAWE operates through a network of 34 National Chapters in 33 countries. FAWE’s mission is to advance gender equity and equality in education by fostering positive policies, practices, and attitudes toward girls’ education.

FAWE Ghana is one of FAWE’s National Chapters and contributes to the achievement of FAWE’s strategic objectives through the implementation of programmes aimed at advancing girls’ and women’s access to, retention in and completion of quality education, while promoting gender-responsive education systems.

2.0: Context of the Assignment:

In 2025, an independent institutional review was conducted across FAWE Regional Secretariate and 9 National Chapters that highlighted strengths and areas for focused attention. These included: policy standardization, risk management practices, internal audit functions, financial controls, procedures and compliance, and governance effectiveness.  An action plan was developed for each entity which is guiding FAWE in its operational approach to overall programs implementation including several programs with the Mastercard Foundation. FAWE Regional Secretariat (FAWERS) seeks to engage an Institutional Strengthening Partner (ISP) in Ghana to support the organization at to enhance its effectiveness, sustainability, and regional impact with the priority focus on governance and leadership, compliance and accountability, financial and operational systems, risk management, internal controls and audit readiness, MEAL, programme quality and safeguarding, and staff and leadership capacity strengthening.

3.0 Purpose of the Assignment

The purpose of this assignment is to strengthen FAWE Ghana institutional capacity to effectively deliver its strategic objectives, improve program outcomes, and ensure long-term sustainability in the Chapter.

4.0 Objectives

The objectives of the assignment are to support FAWE Ghana Chapter to:

  • Strengthen governance, leadership, compliance and accountability systems, including coordination and alignment between FAWE Ghana and the FAWE Regional Secretariat.
  • Improve financial, human resources, procurement, risk management, internal control and audit readiness systems to enhance operational effectiveness and sustainability.
  • Enhance programme quality, safeguarding, MEAL systems, and staff and leadership capacities to support effective delivery, learning, and continuous improvement.

5.0. Scope of Work

The Institutional Strengthening Partner (ISP) will support the implementation of the capacity strengthening plan developed for the FAWE Ghana Chapter by undertaking sufficient and appropriate activities to address identified institutional capacity gaps and strengthen organizational systems and practices. In carrying out this assignment, the ISP will build on FAWE’s existing institutional strengthening efforts, review relevant policies, procedures, and organizational processes, and develop a detailed workplan aligned with the recommendations and action plan arising from the institutional assessment. The ISP will also conduct the necessary tests, verifications, document reviews, and field visits, where appropriate, to validate findings, support implementation of the workplan, and facilitate achievement of the capacity strengthening objectives.

5.1 Institutional Capacity Assessment

  1. Identify capacity gaps and priority areas for strengthening through the previously completed assessment (Rana Report), the consultant’s assessment, and a recognized organizational capacity assessment framework, covering governance, leadership, systems, financial management, program quality, and partnerships.
  2. Provide recommendations to address the identified capacity gaps for stronger sustainable institutional systems.

5.2 Institutional Strengthening Strategy

  1. Develop a comprehensive Institutional Strengthening Plan aligned with FAWE’s Strategic Plan, with clear priorities, timelines, measurable indicators, and an implementation workplan.
  2. Review and update key institutional policies, procedures, and governance instruments, including HR, finance, procurement, safeguarding, whistleblowing, gender strategy, and the delegation of authority matrix for FAWE Ghana Chapter, leveraging FAWE Regional Secretariat guidelines.
  • Strengthen internal controls, compliance mechanisms, operational efficiency, and documentation systems to support effective implementation and accountability.

5.3 Governance and Leadership Strengthening

  1. Review and strengthen governance structures, frameworks, and processes to enhance accountability, transparency, compliance, and effective decision-making at the Chapter level.
  1. Strengthen Board effectiveness by clarifying governance roles and responsibilities, enhancing oversight and strategic stewardship functions, and supporting Board capacity development where required.
  • Enhance organizational leadership and management practices by strengthening strategic planning, performance management, decision-making, risk management, and leadership capabilities to improve institutional effectiveness and sustainability.

5.4 MEAL Systems, Enhancement

  1. Review and strengthen MEAL systems, frameworks, policies, and processes to ensure effective monitoring of program performance, measurement of results, accountability to stakeholders, and continuous learning.
  1. Strengthen results-based management and foster a culture of learning and adaptation by supporting the use of evidence, reflection, knowledge management, and learning practices to inform strategic and programmatic decision-making.

5.6 Program Quality Improvement

  1. Strengthen gender-responsive programming approaches across program design, implementation, monitoring, and reporting.
  1. Enhance program design, delivery, and reporting standards to improve quality, consistency, and effectiveness.

5.7 Capacity Building and Mentorship

  1. Design and deliver tailored capacity-building programs for staff, leadership, and Board members based on identified organizational needs.
  1. Develop sustainable internal capacity and knowledge-sharing mechanisms to support continuous learning and long-term organizational growth.

5.8 Compliance Assessment

  1. Conduct a comprehensive compliance assessment of the FAWE Ghana Chapter.
  1. Assess compliance with donor requirements, applicable national laws, and internal policies and procedures.
  • Identify compliance gaps, risks, and priority areas for improvement, and recommend corrective actions.

5.9 Risk Management Framework

  1. Develop or strengthen an Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) framework aligned with organizational objectives.
  1. Identify and assess strategic, operational, financial, legal, and reputational risks.
  • Develop and maintain a risk register, including risk ratings, mitigation measures, and monitoring mechanisms.
  1. Support the definition of risk appetite and tolerance levels to guide risk-informed decision-making.
  2. Strengthen risk monitoring and reporting processes to enhance organizational resilience and accountability

6.0 Deliverables  

The Institutional Strengthening Partner will deliver:

  1. Inception Report with detailed methodology and work plan.
  1. Institutional Capacity Assessment Report.
  • Reviewed and updated Institutional Strategy and Action Plan.
  1. Reviewed and updated policies, procedures, tools, and systems.
  2. Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Framework and Risk Management Policy.
  3. Comprehensive Risk Assessment Report.
  • Risk Register with mitigation and monitoring measures.
  • Risk Appetite and Tolerance Statement.
  1. Training materials and capacity-building reports.
  2. Training of staff, management, and Board members as applicable.
  3. Periodic progress reports (monthly).
  • Final report documenting achievements, lessons learned, and recommendations.

7.0 Duration

  1. Duration: 6 months starting in October 2026 to March 2027

8.0 Reporting and Coordination

  1. Overall, the Institutional strengthening partner will report to the Executive Director, FAWE Africa, Regional Secretariat with close work relation with FAWE Ghana Executive Director.
  2. The FAWE RS Deputy Executive Director & Head of Programmes, Finance & Administration Director FAWE Ghana Program Manager, Finance, MEAL teams & other relevant staff will provide technical input for smooth coordination of the assignment
  3. RS will facilitate periodic meetings between FAWE Ghana, the ISP and Mastercard Foundation.

9.0 Qualification of the Firm 

  1. Demonstrate that the firm holds the requisite knowledge, skills and competencies required to perform its responsibilities with due professional care.
  2. The firm must have a minimum of 10 years’ experience in Institutional/organizational development.
  • The firm must be registered and adhere to all legal requirements to operate in West Africa, specifically Ghana.
  1. The proposed team must include qualified experts who are able to conduct the assignment, including interviews, consultations, document reviews, training and capacity-building activities, in English. Knowledge of French will be an added advantage.
  2. Experience in HR investigations, local labour laws, and HR best practices.
  3. Strong analytical and communication skills.
  • Expertise in gender, education, and development programming
  • Strong experience in governance, systems strengthening, and MEAL
  1. Demonstrated experience in capacity building and facilitation
  2. Experience supporting multi-country programs and decentralized structures

10.0 Evaluation Criteria

 Applications will be evaluated based on:

  1. Technical approach and understanding of FAWE’s context
  2. Relevant experience and past assignments
  • Qualifications of proposed team
  1. Cost-effectiveness and value for money

11.0 Payment Terms

Payments will be milestone-based and linked to deliverables, including:

  1. Inception report
  2. Assessment report
  • Strategy and tools development
  1. Capacity-building delivery
  2. Final report

12.0 Ethical Considerations

The firm must:

  1. Adhere to FAWE’s safeguarding and gender policies
  2. Ensure confidentiality of all organizational information
  • Apply participatory, inclusive, and gender-responsive approaches

13.0. Application Requirements

Interested firms/consultants should submit:

  1. Technical proposal (methodology, work plan)
  2. Financial proposal
  • Company/consultant profile
  1. Examples of similar work for organizations with regional presence
  2. References

14.0 Timelines

The expected timeline for the assignment/consultancy is to start on 1st October 2026 to 31 March 2027

15.0 Expression of Interest 

Expression of interest should be addressed to Executive Director FAWE Africa, emailed to; procurement@fawe.org with the subject line: FAWE INSTITUTIONAL STRENGTHENING PARTNER-FAWE Ghana Chapter to reach FAWE not later than close of business on 11th September 2026 5.00pm (EAT).

*Only email applications and firms who meet the set requirements will be considered. Responses shall only be sent to successful firm.