September 16, 2026 (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia): The second day of the IGAD Learning Exchange on Private Sector-Led Refugee Self-Reliance and Economic Inclusion is underway in Addis Ababa, bringing together governments, financial institutions, private-sector actors, refugee-led organisations and refugee entrepreneurs from across the region.
Organised by the IGAD Secretariat and Inkomoko and hosted by the Government of Ethiopia’s Refugee and Return Services, the three-day exchange seeks to promote knowledge-sharing and accelerate gender-responsive, digitally enabled pathways to jobs, enterprise growth and economic inclusion for refugees, returnees and host communities.
Among the refugee entrepreneurs sharing their experiences is Fabrice Kamanzi, who began his business journey as an urban refugee in Nairobi, Kenya, at a time when refugees faced significant barriers to registering businesses, obtaining licences and accessing banking services.
Fabrice recalled that he initially had to rely on a Kenyan friend to register his small shop. Changes that enabled refugees to use their refugee identification documents to obtain Kenya Revenue Authority PINs, access banking services and register businesses in their own names became an important turning point.
However, access to capital, business networks and recognised credit histories remained challenges.
“Capital alone doesn’t build an entrepreneur. Capital combined with knowledge, mentorship, networks and trust can transform a business,” Fabrice said.
Through support from Inkomoko, Fabrice received business training, mentorship, financial-literacy support, access to networks and progressively larger loans. He started with KES 250,000, which he successfully repaid, before accessing KES 500,000, KES 1 million and eventually KES 3 million.
The financing and business support enabled him to grow from one small shop to two larger outlets and create four jobs, including one for a Kenyan.
Despite this progress, Fabrice said gaps in conventional credit histories and limited access to some financial services, including M-Shwari and Fuliza on the Safaricom network, continue to present challenges.
His experience highlights the importance of financial products and credit-assessment approaches that respond to the circumstances of refugees while recognising their role as entrepreneurs, taxpayers, employers and contributors to local economies.
The learning exchange provides a platform for participants from Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and South Sudan to share experiences and identify practical approaches to expanding economic opportunities for refugees and host communities across the IGAD region.
