1. Background

1.1 The Africa Minigrids Program (AMP)

The Africa Minigrids Program (AMP) is a country-led regional technical assistance program for minigrids, active in an initial 21 African countries. It is led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with funding primarily from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented together with Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and the African Development Bank (AfDB). AMP’s overall objective is to increase access to electricity by improving the financial viability and promoting scaled-up commercial investment in renewable energy minigrids.

1.2 The AMP National Project in Sudan

The AMP national project in Sudan, implemented by the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum (MoEP) with UNDP and GEF support, aims to scale up commercial investments in renewable energy minigrids to enhance rural electrification. The project focuses on hybridizing existing diesel-based minigrids with solar PV systems. The following pilot sites have been confirmed for the Solar Sister programme:

Training will be structured in 3 Lots drawing participants from these confirmed sites and surrounding communities.

Trained women are expected to integrate into three post-training pathways that position them as active participants in the mini-grid operation and maintenance (O&M) ecosystem, the productive use value chain, and the emerging local energy market around AMP Sudan pilot sites: (i) community solar technicians providing O&M services to the pilot mini-grid and household solar systems under service agreements with the Sudanese Thermal Generation Company (STGC) or community energy committees; (ii) solar entrepreneurs assembling, selling, and maintaining solar home systems, lanterns, and solar products at village level; and (iii) active participants in community energy governance structures, including mini-grid management committees and tariff collection systems. These pathways make the Solar Sisters integral to the long-term sustainability of the pilot mini-grids.

1.3 Gender and Capacity Building under AMP Sudan

Technical solar training directly and strategically addresses these barriers. By equipping women with market-relevant, income-generating skills in the fastest-growing energy sub-sector in rural Sudan, the Solar Sister Programme creates a clear, evidence-based empowerment pathway: trained women acquire practical technical competencies, enabling them to deliver repair, maintenance, and assembly services, which allows them to generate independent income, leading to greater financial autonomy and improved social standing within their communities. This virtuous cycle of energy access, income generation, and women’s empowerment is the strategic rationale underpinning the programme and aligns directly with the AMP Sudan Gender Action Plan, UNDP’s Gender Equality Strategy, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 5 — Gender Equality; SDG 7 — Affordable and Clean Energy; SDG 8 — Decent Work and Economic Growth).

2 Objectives

2.1 Overall Objective

To design and deliver a comprehensive, gender-responsive, hands-on training programme delivered in 3 Lots of 20 participants each that equips 60 rural women from the AMP Sudan pilot communities (Hamashkoreeb, Owsif, Mohamed Qol/Dungunab, and surrounding areas) with practical skills to fabricate, assemble, install, maintain, and repair solar home systems and other solar technologies; and to build their capacity as either (a) community solar technicians providing repair and maintenance services, or (b) solar entrepreneurs assembling and selling solar products to rural and remote communities.

2.2 Specific Objectives

·       Engaging with targeted communities, organizing households dialogues and collaborating with local decision-maker and traditional and religious leaders in a way that is culturally sensitive. 

·       Develop a culturally adapted, gender-sensitive training curriculum focused on hands-on fabrication and assembly of solar products (solar lanterns, solar home lighting systems, charge controllers, and other solar technologies), tailored to the literacy levels, languages (Arabic, Beja), and socio-cultural context of women in Kassala and Red Sea States.

·       Prior to full rollout of each training Lot, pilot test the training curriculum and methodology with a small group of 5–10 women drawn from the target community. Incorporate feedback from the pilot session — covering pacing, comprehension, cultural appropriateness, and hands-on feasibility — to refine training materials, exercises, and facilitation approach before commencement of the full Lot training.

·       Deliver intensive hands-on technical training in 3 Lots (20 women per Lot) covering the full solar product cycle: design principles, component identification, soldering and wiring, circuit assembly, fabrication, quality testing, installation, preventive maintenance, fault diagnosis, and repair. Each Lot shall comprise a minimum of 8 training days (approximately 48 contact hours), structured as follows: at least 29 hours (≥60%) dedicated to Stream A (technical fabrication and repair), 12 hours (≥25%) to Stream B (entrepreneurship and business skills), and 7 hours (≥15%) to Stream C (community energy governance and women’s empowerment), plus assessment, certification, and graduation sessions.

·       Provide each trained woman with a complete personal toolkit as specified in Annex 1 to enable her post-training work as community technician or solar entrepreneur.

·       Provide supplementary training in entrepreneurship, business planning, financial literacy, pricing, marketing, customer management, and access to micro-finance. The Contractor shall also establish active linkages between trainees and: (i) solar product suppliers and spare parts distributors accessible from Kassala and Red Sea States; (ii) micro-finance institutions, savings cooperatives, and revolving fund programmes operating in the target areas; and (iii) off-takers including community energy committees, STGC, and local small enterprises — to support trainees’ post-training business establishment and revenue generation

·       Establish a peer-to-peer mentoring structure and post-training support plan.

·       Document the programme methodology, outcomes, and lessons learned for replication.

3. Scope of Work

The training shall be delivered in 3 Lots:

●     Lot 1: 20 women from Hamashkoreeb (Kassala State)

●     Lot 2: 20 women from Owsif (Red Sea State)

●     Lot 3: 20 women from Mohamed Qol/Dungunab combined site (Red Sea State) and surrounding communities

Each Lot shall receive the full training programme. The Contractor may deliver the 3 Lots sequentially or in parallel, subject to UNDP approval.

Activity 3.1: Needs Assessment, Community Engagement, and Trainee Selection Support

Activity 3.2: Curriculum Design and Training Delivery