INTRODUCTION
Advancing Growth, Innovation and Leadership for Enterprises (AGILE) Project is funded by Global Affairs Canada and implemented by WUSC in consortium with Sarona Asset Management, and collaborating with local partners like BK Holdings and WISE. The project aims to enhance the resilience of Vietnam’s populations vulnerable to climate change. Working across the whole country, particularly Ho Chi Minh (HCM), Da Nang and Hanoi cities, AGILE will further strengthen the effective partnership between GAC and the Government of Vietnam (GVN) to support Vietnam’s sustainable development goals and contribute to Canadian government strategies and targets.
By supporting the growth of Climate Enterprises (CEs) — businesses providing solutions to climate adaptation and mitigation — AGILE seeks to address the disproportionate impacts of climate change on women and marginalized groups. The project aligns with Vietnam’s climate, economic, and gender equality strategies and engages local stakeholders to drive sustainable, gender-responsive business practices.
AGILE activities are organized within three interconnected components:
- Component 1: Strengthened provision of enterprise growth support to climate enterprises, especially women-led SMEs. AGILE strengthens support for CEs, with a focus on those led by, employing, or serving women. The project collaborates with local partners, such as BK Holdings and Women’s Initiative for Startup and Entrepreneurship (WISE), to enhance business acceleration services like training, mentorship, and coaching. Tailored acceleration models will incorporate Canadian expertise to provide gender-responsive support for CEs working on climate adaptation and mitigation solutions.
- Component 2: Increased investment in gender-responsive and inclusive climate enterprises. Through partnerships with investors like Touchstone VC, SWEEF Capital, and Mekong Capital, AGILE facilitates increased investment in climate enterprises, particularly those supporting women. The project will deploy challenge grants and develop due diligence tools to streamline investment processes for CEs. These partnerships aim to build a more inclusive investment ecosystem for climate-focused businesses.
- Component 3. Increased deployment of funds using a gender lens by climate investors. AGILE works with its partners to promote the integration of a gender lens in investment processes. By strengthening SME’s capacity to engage with investors, AGILE aims to increase the deployment of funds in climate enterprises that promote gender equality. This will help facilitate more inclusive investments, ensuring that climate adaptation solutions benefit both the environment and vulnerable populations.
To deepen our understanding of climate vulnerability and adaptation in Vietnam, AGILE plans to hire two national consultants to conduct the Environmental and Climate Vulnerability Assessment (ECVA) over the next two months. This assessment will be conducted to fulfill the requirements detailed in the project’s official Environmental Integration Process (EIP) form, where the initiative is classified as Category B (Low/Moderate Risk) and Level 2 (Fully Integrated environmental considerations). The findings from this assessment will help (i) identify and validate the key climate-related challenges that women-led and gender-responsive enterprises are addressing within environmentally vulnerable communities; (ii) inform and refine programming recommendations for integration into AGILE’s Project Implementation Plan (PIP); and (iii) highlight baseline gaps to guide the design of targeted interventions throughout the AGILE project lifecycle.
Please review the full ToR here.
HOW TO APPLY
Interested consultancy team or candidates with the right qualifications and motivation are invited to send (i) a Letter of Interest, (ii) a full CV in English, and (iii) one page of Action Plan no later than 29 June 2025.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and candidates are strongly encouraged to apply soon.
We would like to thank all applicants for their interest but only candidates who meet requisite criteria and are short listed will be contacted.