[Consultancy] CALL FOR PROPOSALS (Pathways to Scale, P2S) Pathway to Sustainable Enterprise Growth Learning Forum

CALL FOR PROPOSALS (Pathways to Scale, P2S)

Pathway to Sustainable Enterprise Growth Learning Forum

Annual Learning Forum | 23–25 November

*** Find the complete proposal here in PDF format and here in PPT format ***

Invitation to Submit a Proposal for the Learning Forum

WUSC (World University Service of Canada), through the Pathways to Scale (P2S) program, invites Enterprise Support Organizations (ESOs), Local and International organizations focusing on women's economic empowerment, researchers, financial institutions, private-sector actors, policymakers, and women entrepreneurs to submit proposals for interactive learning sessions at the 2026 Pathway to Sustainable Enterprise Growth forum in Lagos, Nigeria.

The Call for Proposals is designed as a co-creation mechanism: selected contributors will help shape a forum that moves beyond activity reporting toward evidence-based learning, adaptation, and sustainable scaling of interventions. Proposals should bring practical experience, credible evidence, transferable tools, lessons from both success and failure, and formats that actively engage participants.

Forum Background

Pathways to Scale (P2S) is a five-year young women-focused program of the Mastercard Foundation, implemented in partnership with WUSC and supported by Seedstars. Operating in Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, and Rwanda, P2S strengthens women-owned and women-led enterprises by providing gender-focused business development services and access to finance to unlock 93,000 work opportunities for young women, particularly young rural women.

P2S responds to systemic barriers that limit women’s enterprise growth, including restricted access to finance, weak ecosystem support, and the exclusion of refugees, displaced women, and women with disabilities. The program supports women-owned and women-led enterprises, primarily those led by young women (18–35), selected for their enterprise growth potential and capacity to create sustainable employment for young, rural women. By providing women-owned/women-led enterprises with concessional loans, impact-linked incentives, and tailored business development support, P2S advances the well-being and resilience of young rural women in East and West Africa through increased access to dignified and fulfilling work resulting from sustainable enterprise growth. 

The Annual Learning Forum is a two-day event designed to promote a culture of continuous learning, celebrate achievements, openly discuss challenges, and improve outcomes for rural women entrepreneurs. It ensures that all ecosystem actors learn and adapt to achieve its primary aim of improving well-being and resilience among young rural women across the region. To strengthen learning, adaptation, and collaboration, the event is open not only to P2S partners but also to other relevant stakeholders, including select funders, high-performing enterprise support organizations, research institutions, universities, financial institutions, private sector entities, entrepreneurs, and policymakers. 

Forum Goal

The overall goal of the P2S Annual Learning Forum is to strengthen the effectiveness, inclusiveness, scalability, and sustainability of enterprise support for rural women entrepreneurs by generating, sharing, and applying evidence-based learning to inform adaptive management, strengthen Enterprise Support Organizations, and accelerate ecosystem-wide collaboration across P2S countries.

Specific Objectives

• Strengthen Enterprise Support Organizations' (ESOs’) capacity as strategic knowledge partners by facilitating co-learning and co-creation that standardize inclusive and gender-responsive business development support delivery models.
• Benchmark internal P2S methodologies against proven models from similar development programs across Sub-Saharan Africa to catalyze cross-border innovation and integrate external best practices into our technical support systems.
• Promote ongoing learning by openly discussing successes and failures to remove barriers and improve performance across the program implementation partners.
• Facilitate networking and partnership opportunities among Enterprise Support Organizations (ESOs) across the continent, fostering collaboration and encouraging future partnerships

Who Should Submit?

• Enterprise Support Organizations and business development service providers, particularly those working on improving the economic well-being of young women/ young rural women.
• Organizations working with young rural women, women-led enterprises, agriculture, refugees, displaced women, and women with disabilities in economic interventions.
• Financial institutions, investors, fintechs, and inclusive finance actors.
• Researchers, universities, and other research & learning institutes.
• Government institutions and policymakers, particularly at the intersection of gender, agriculture, and entrepreneurship.
• Relevant private-sector companies
• International development organizations and donors 
• Women entrepreneurs and entrepreneur networks

What We Are Looking For

We are seeking proposals that contribute evidence, tested approaches, practical tools, innovative ideas, or structured problem-solving developed to address the economic challenges of rural women, refugees, and youth with disabilities under the forum’s strategic themes below. Strong proposals will:

• Provide new, evidence-based learning or meaningfully build on existing practice.
• Translate lessons into practical tools, recommendations, or adaptations that participants can use.
• Engage participants actively rather than relying on lecture-style delivery.
• Include candid reflection on what worked, what did not, and why.
• Center the realities and perspectives of rural women entrepreneurs, including marginalized groups.
• Bring diverse viewpoints across countries, sectors, and stakeholder groups where possible.
• Connect learning to scale, sustainability, systems strengthening, localization, and inclusion.

Questions regarding Presenter Policies:
Contact person: Genet Lemma
Email: glemma@wusc.ca

How to Submit 

Submission channel: WUSC website or directly send the application to: kniyomutabazi@wusc.ca, glemma@wusc.ca, and
p2s@wusc.ca 

Submission deadline: 8th October 2026