Private Sector to drive bold solutions at the Africa Forum on Displacement 2025 » Capital News

NAIROBI, Kenya, April 28-Leaders from the private sector, government, philanthropy, and refugee communities will gather in Kakuma and Nairobi this week for the third Africa Forum on Displacement (AFD2025), with a focus on unlocking economic opportunities for displaced persons across the continent.

The Forum, organized by the Amahoro Coalition, Inkomoko, and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, will run from April 28–29 under the theme “All IN.”

It aims to spotlight the critical role of inclusion, investment, and innovation in responding to Africa’s displacement crisis, where nearly 45 million people are currently displaced from their homes.

“Displaced communities have the skills, talents, and ambition to drive economic growth and innovation,” said Nancy Aburi, Chief of Private Sector Partnerships, Africa at UNHCR.

“Through AFD2025, we are strengthening partnerships that invest in their potential and deliver lasting, market-led solutions.”

The Forum will feature a marketplace showcasing refugee and host community entrepreneurs, alongside high-level plenaries with influential leaders including James Mwangi of Equity Group Holdings, Reeta Roy of the Mastercard Foundation, UNHCR Deputy High Commissioner Kelly Clements, and refugee entrepreneur Bereket Goitom of Canaan Group.

Organizers say the Forum is an urgent call for the private sector to move beyond charity and invest directly in displaced populations.

“Displaced entrepreneurs and communities already have the talent and resilience. They simply need equitable access to markets and capital,” said Julienne Oyler, Co-Founder and CEO of Inkomoko.

“At AFD2025, we are calling on the private sector to step up with real solutions and investments that will drive lasting impact.”

The event will also include the graduation of the first cohort of Amahoro Fellows ,a program celebrating African leaders with lived experience of displacement.

“AFD2025 is a call to action,” said Isaac Kwaku Fokuo, Curator of the Amahoro Coalition. “It challenges all of us: businesses, governments, and communities to go ‘All IN’ for displaced people, not with charity, but with opportunity.”

AFD2025 is organized in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation and IKEA Foundation.