Zero Hunger Initiative: Request for Proposals (RFP) Campaign Addressing the Hunger Crisis in Africa

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is soliciting proposals from experienced communication agencies to undertake a comprehensive advocacy and fundraising campaign titled “Africa Zero Hunger Initiative.” This campaign aims to address the critical hunger crisis affecting 18 countries across Africa, where millions are at risk of starvation due to a combination of drought, flooding, conflict, economic downturns, and other crises.

Campaign Objectives:

High-Level Objectives:

• Mobilize all African constituencies towards the Zero Hunger commitment, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goal.
• Promote community-enabled solutions involving governments, the private sector, innovation hubs, influencers, and opinion leaders.
• Highlight African engagement in effective climate adaptation and mitigation strategies, focusing on people and community-centric approaches.

Specific Objectives:

• Showcase the positive image of African communities, emphasizing youth leadership, capabilities, and entrepreneurship.
• Attract investments towards African and locally led solutions for the hunger crisis.
• Foster Africa-led partnerships and coalitions across various levels (local, country, regional, global).
• Demonstrate the significant contributions of Red Cross Red Crescent-National Societies and volunteers to sustainable development in Africa.

Target Audiences

Primary Targets:

• African governments and communities.
• African media and opinion leaders, including celebrities.
• The donor and investment community, including development banks and the private sector.

Secondary/Enabling Targets:

• Internal: Red Cross Red Crescent leadership and Partner National Societies.
• The general public (global).

Agency Expectations

The selected agency will be expected to:

• Develop a creative concept and engagement strategy.
• Create a communication mix that includes campaign strategy, assets and PR materials.
• Provide a costed production plan and a detailed timeline until the end of 2024 with the possibility of an extension to mid-2025 dependent on funding.
• Establish a monitoring and evaluation plan.

Key Requirements:

• Proven experience in similar or related initiatives, with a strong footprint in Africa.
• A solid network of partners and influencers across African countries.
• Ability to work in both English and French.
• Preference will be given to agencies with a significant presence in Africa or those with a global reach that includes substantial work within the continent.

Submission Requirements

Proposal Format: Proposals should be concise, well-organized, and clearly demonstrate an understanding of the campaign objectives and target audience. They must include a detailed strategy, proposed activities, a projected timeline, and an outline of the budget. Credentials of your agency, a portfolio of similar projects undertaken, and other supporting documents that substantiate your expertise and experience are required.

Submission Deadline: Proposals must be submitted by March 8, 2024, 17:00 (Nairobi time). Submissions received after this deadline will not be considered.

Point of Contact: For further information and to request the terms of reference and other tender documents, please contact the following staff from our Global Humanitarian Services and Supply Chain Management department: Edna Kirigia, Procurement Officer, IFRC Africa Region, at [email protected] (please do not send proposals to this email).

This campaign will play a crucial role in addressing the hunger crisis in Africa. The IFRC invites detailed, thoughtful, and creative proposals that demonstrate your agency’s capability to deliver a high-impact campaign.