ACCESS TO FINANCE RWANDA

Request for Proposals

For

CONSULTANCY SERVICES FOR THE DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A SATELLITE DATA-BASED AGRICULTURAL RISK PROFILING PLATFORM.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

PROCUREMENT REFERENCE: CONSULTANCY SERVICES FOR THE DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A SATELLITE DATA-BASED AGRICULTURAL RISK PROFILING PLATFORM.

1. INTRODUCTION 

About Access to Finance Rwanda (AFR)

Access to Finance Rwanda (AFR) is a Rwandan not-for-profit company established in 2010 to promote financial inclusion and financial sector development in Rwanda. AFR is currently funded by Sweden, MasterCard Foundation, Global impact/ Co-Develop and Jersey Overseas Aid. 

AFR is part of the broader Financial Sector Deepening (FSD) network in Africa, which seeks to contribute to more inclusive and sustainable economic growth through financial inclusion and financial sector development by working with policymakers, regulators, financial service providers, and other market actors. 

AFR supports the removal of systemic barriers that hinder access to financial services by low-income people, particularly the rural poor, women, youth, and MSMEs. AFR is guided by the Market System Development (MSD) approach recognizing that efforts to increase financial inclusion and financial sector development must be market-led, profitable, and sustainable. 

About Rwanda Space Agency

Rwanda Space Agency (RSA) is the National Space agency that was established in 2020 with the mission of developing Rwanda's space sector towards social-economic development.

RSA mandate is to regulate and coordinate all space activities in the country while also creating an environment that promotes entrepreneurial and industrial development to enable the creation of products that are globally competitive for local consumption and export markets.

Other key objectives of RSA include designing and implementing capacity building programs in space sciences and technologies, their applications and to build highly skilled professionals in space industry.

About the project/ Overview of the project

Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) serves as the backbone of a digital economy, unlocking opportunities for financial inclusion, enabling digital identity systems, strengthening payment infrastructure, and fostering secure data exchange.

Rwanda has embraced Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) principles to guide interoperable, sustainable, and inclusive digital transformation initiatives. One of the key business cases under this approach is the Credit Market Infrastructure (CMI).

The CMI is a DPI initiative designed to modernize Rwanda’s credit market ecosystem. It aims to address critical market inefficiencies by creating a shared digital platform that connects financial service providers, data providers (credit bureaus, identification, certification bodies, satellite data service providers, Agriculture value chain data etc..) ,, and borrowers through standardized APIs and automated processes. By enabling a single, trusted source of credit-related data, the CMI will enhance credit risk assessment, strengthen financial inclusion, and support responsible lending practices.

2. Objectives of the assignment

The implementation firm will play a critical role in designing, developing and implementing satellite-based agricultural risk profiling capabilities to support the credit market infrastructure. Working closely with the Rwanda Space Agency (RSA), The Firm will design, develop, and deploy satellite analytics solutions that generate agricultural risk scores for lending decisions. 

A core objective of this assignment is the design, development, and implementation of a machine learning–based agricultural risk scoring model that leverages historical satellite and geospatial data to generate predictive risk scores for agricultural lending.

The solution will bridge the gap between satellite technology and financial services by creating data insights that support informed agricultural lending decisions. The firm will ensure that satellite-derived insights are integrated seamlessly into the broader CMI ecosystem while building local capacity at RSA for sustainable operation and evolution of these capabilities.

Interested firms should confirm their intention to submit a bid by Tuesday, January 20, 2026, at 17h00 HRS CAT

Any requests for clarifications to the RFP may be submitted not later than Monday, January 26, 2026, 17h00 HRS CAT.

Bidders should submit their proposals no later than Friday January 30, 2026, 14:00 HRS CAT

Responding bidders are advised that this solicitation does not in any way obligate AFR to make a contract award or compensate the responding firms for any costs associated with the preparation and submission of their proposals. Additionally, AFR may award a contract without conducting negotiations; all proposals should be submitted initially using your most favorable terms. AFR reserves the right to award any resultant contract to other than the offeror submitting the lowest price proposal based on technical excellence, schedule superiority or client request.

All communications regarding this RFP should be addressed via email: procurement02@afr.rw

Below is the summary planned procurement schedule:

Note: This procurement is open to both Local and International firms. Joint Venture between local and international firms is encouraged.

Cordially,

Jean Bosco Iyacu

Chief Executive Officer