Brand

U.S. Embassy In Nigeria Seeks Contractor To Pair Top Food Influencer With American Chef

Published on July 7, 2026

The U.S. Embassy in Abuja is soliciting proposals from contractors to run a food influencer campaign pairing a top Nigerian food creator with an American chef based in Nigeria, according to a request for proposal published July 6.

The solicitation supports Mission Nigeria’s “Freedom 250 Campaign” under the banner “Flavors of Freedom – GenNext250 Challenge,” built around a Thanksgiving theme. The winning contractor must supply all personnel, equipment, supplies, transportation, and supervision needed for talent management, chef coordination, content production, and creative development.

The embassy will evaluate proposals on price and non-price factors, including creative approach and audience engagement strategy, personnel management, experience running food influencer campaigns covering both influencer selection and chef coordination, operational capability, past performance on similar projects, a detailed budget breakdown, and a portfolio demonstrating food influencer content production. The government reserves the right to award the contract without further discussions and has encouraged bidders to submit their best terms upfront. Payment terms are net 30.

Proposals are due July 15. Contractors must email responses to AbujaProcurement@state.gov with the solicitation number in the subject line and must submit proof of active SAM.gov registration, a Unique Entity ID, and evidence of compliance with the NDAA-DEI Certification required under Executive Order 14173, alongside a signed certification of compliance with federal anti-discrimination law. The embassy noted it may not contact unsuccessful offerors.

The campaign lands at a moment when brand-driven partnerships, including government-sponsored ones, carry outsized weight for African creators facing a narrow set of monetization channels. Research from Communiqué and TM Global found that brand partnerships make up roughly 28% of creator income across Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, and Egypt, second only to product sales, while just 4.2% of creators surveyed have received institutional investment of any kind.

That funding gap has made brand and institutional engagements, rather than venture capital, the more realistic growth lever for working creators in the region.

Follow this link for the full Request for Proposal.