Call for Consultants – Study on the factors affecting the economic participation of queer youth (AQYI)

Deadline: 19 December 2025

Background 

AQYI is a membership-based organisation that champions the rights of queer youth in Africa. AQYI is led by LGBTQI+ youth from across Africa, with a leadership team, staff, and volunteers all coming from the community we serve. The experiences of AQYI as queer individuals guide every decision-making, ensuring that the work reflects the real challenges and aspirations of LGBTQI+ people. By placing young queer voices at the heart of all initiatives, AQYI not only uplifts the community but also develops authentic, inclusive solutions that resonate with those it supports. In its current strategic plan, AQYI will focus on economic empowerment for queer youth in Africa as one of its four strategic focus areas. As such, the study will generate data to inform the design of interventions to achieve established targets in the outcome area.

Objective of the Consultancy
The following are the objectives of the Consultancy:

    • To review existing literature related to the economic participation of queer youth.
    • To collect data on the experiences of queer youth in participating in economic activities within their respective countries.
    • To recommend strategies that queer youth can adopt to increase their economic participation in their respective countries.

      Scope of Work
      The consultant shall perform the following specific tasks: 

        • Conduct a Document Review: Review all documents that support the organisation’s conceptualisation, such as annual reports, strategic plans, and policies.
        • Conduct a desktop review: Review existing data on the economic participation of queer youth in the six target countries. 
        • Conduct Interviews: Purposively select respondents for the structured interviews from the six target countries.  
        • Conduct Focus Group Discussions: Facilitate FGDs in each of the six countries to triangulate with the data from the structured interviews. 
        • Produce study report: Conduct data analysis, report writing, and validation for the study report. 

        Deliverables
        The consultant will deliver the following

          • Inception Report: Outlining agreed methodology, timelines, and expected outcomes.
          • Draft Research Report: Presenting a draft research report that consolidates the findings from the literature review and data collection.
          • Final Research Report: Incorporates feedback from AQYI

          Duration and Timeline
          The timeline below will be used to guide the assignment process. 

            Accepting Expressions of InterestFriday 12 December – Friday 19 December 2025
            Review and Shortlisting of ApplicationsMonday 12 January – Friday 16 January 2026
            Interviews of Shortlisted CandidatesMonday 19 January – Friday 23 January 2026
            Contracting and InceptionMonday 26 January – Friday 30 January 2026
            Conducting the ResearchMonday 02 February – Friday 27 February 2026

            Required Qualifications and Experience
            The consultant should possess:

              • A master’s degree in a relevant field such as monitoring and evaluation, management, development studies, public health, or other social sciences
              • Experience conducting similar multi-country research. 
              • Familiarity with the dynamics of membership-based organisations operating at a regional level
              • Reporting and Coordination

                The consultant will report directly to the Programs Manager.

                Application Process
                Interested consultants are invited to submit the following:

                1. A cover letter outlining suitability for the assignment.
                2. A detailed CV or organisational profile.
                3. A proposed methodology and budget (inclusive of consultancy fees and any applicable taxes).
                4. Samples of similar work previously completed (if available).

                Applications should be submitted via email to: info@aqyi.org by the submission deadline, 19 December 2025

                Confidentiality and Ownership
                By accepting this invitation to take part in the bid process, you agree to keep in confidence all information provided to you, whether written or oral, in relation to the bid process and/ or in relation to the organisations business generally which is not already in the public domain, to use it only for this bid and for no other reason and not to disclose any of the said information to any third party.

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