Private Sector For Refugees

PS4R in Djibouti: Jobs Plus Improved Living Conditions

In Djibouti, the World Bank has incorporated the PS4R approach has integrated slum into an integrated slum upgrading project (Djibouti Integrated Slum Upgrading Project Additional Financing - P172979) benefiting both host communities and forcibly displaced people living in the country.

The project has generated over 20,000 man-days of employment and has supported 500 income generating activities within the host and refugee populations (125 of which are led by women). Additionally, the initiative has facilitated access to microcredit for home rehabilitation for 450 individuals who have been forcibly displaced, and has aided over 2,000 in obtaining the necessary documentation to secure property titles.

As part of the PS4R approach, the initiative included matchmaking which identified areas of construction-related specialization among the forcibly displaced people and marketed those skills to the companies selected for the works. The process to ensure their access to these job opportunities was closely monitored in collaboration with community leaders. The urban rehabilitation priorities were determined by the local community through surveys and co-creation sessions.

The PS4R efforts in Djibouti were informed by an analysis conducted in 2019-2020 by PS4R looking at the social and economic inclusion of forcibly displaced people in the country.  With analysis conducted in collaboration with the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the existing integrated slum upgrading project was expanded to include a focus on forcibly displaced people. This led to the adoption of PS4R approaches to socio-economic integration of forcibly displaced people through supporting small and micro enterprises—and promoting job creation.

The resulting initiative operated on multiple levels. On a foundational level, the initiative focused on application of the existing National Refugee Law. Djibouti has one of the most inclusive refugee laws in the world, and it includes providing access to critical services such as education and healthcare. But the analysis revealed gaps in the application and enforcement of the law, owing often to a lack of awareness among both forcibly displaced people and authorities. As part of the initiative, the Djiboutian authorities, with support from the World Bank, organized workshops that convened government officials, local authorities, private sector, and representatives of the forcibly displaced community. Together, they developed and now implement action plans to address obstacles in education, entrepreneurship, banking and finance, and land and property access.

Read more about the World Bank's work in Djibouti.

PS4R in Iraq: Strengthening MSMEs to Compete Locally and Internationally

In Iraq, PS4R is focused on the Kurdistan region in the north of the country, which has a high concentration of refugees (273,992), and on the City of Mosul in Ninawa Governorate where there are (229,120) internally displaced people and an influx of internally displaced returnees (1,964,040) following the city’s liberation from the control of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

PS4R’s work started with a diagnostic, identifying what it will take for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in these areas to grow. The research and analysis looked at MSMEs that are owned by, employ, or serve forcibly displaced people. The findings show that there is a need for capacity building in the areas ranging from product development to marketing. The analysis also identified a need for building understanding of international quality standards in preparation for getting into export markets, while parallel to that, strong repositioning of local products in the local economy remains essential.

Then, PS4R geared up to provide just that kind of support. Through the program which PS4R integrated, direct support to the MSMEs took the form of training and coaching to address the identified needs. Training was geared to competing both locally – where there is aggressive competition from regional and international products—and through exports. From there, PS4R conducted business-to-business matchmaking to connect the MSMEs with potential buyers.

The Iraq work included a special focus on financial literacy and access to finance for women who were internally displaced, supported by a grant from the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative.

The PS4R initiative in Iraq is connected to programs of the World Bank and of the International Finance Corporation, the World Bank Group’s private sector arm, notably the project P171175, “Enabling Environment for the Creation and Growth of Innovative Small and Medium Enterprises in Iraq.”

Read more about the World Bank's work in Iraq.

PS4R in Jordan: Pilot Project Generates Jobs for Refugees and Jordanians

PS4R’s work in Jordan between 2018 and 2022 led to $64.5 million in investments in FDP-related Jordanian businesses and $114.8 million in sales. It also contributed to the creation of 1,930 new jobs – 1,602 for Jordanians, 328 for refugees, and included 1,332 for women.

Capability-building for businesses related to forcibly displaced persons provided the foundation of the PS4R initiative. 86 such businesses received enterprise development, export marketing, and other business development services through PS4R, which was then known as the Refugee Investment Matchmaking Platform (RIMP).

Business-to-business matchmaking was also a critical part of the project. Deal books containing profiles of each of the supported companies—154 in all covering 12 sectors—were at the center of that work. The deal books provide a way for FDP-related businesses to connect with local, regional, or global companies as partners, customers, or suppliers.

PS4R also engaged extensively with Jordan’s Export Promotion Agency (JE), supporting their work to promote exports from Jordanian companies. PS4R connected JE with capacity-building support from intermediaries. JE also received technical assistance from other World Bank projects underway in Jordan.

Read more about the World Bank's work in Jordan.

PS4R in Lebanon: Boosting Product Quality and Building Markets

 In Lebanon, the PS4R approach worked to grow the promising agri-food sector, both boosting micro, small, and medium enterprises’ (MSMEs) ability to compete in their local markets and expanding their export markets. The resulting private sector growth is aimed at retaining existing jobs and creating new ones for youth and women, including forcibly displaced people across the country. 

The project focused on the value chains for table grapes and olive oil. Training and assistance provided thorough PS4R aimed at growing the volume of the MSMEs’ exports to existing markets as well as identifying new markets to target while also promoting local linkages and local market development.

PS4R oversaw programs to build competencies in areas including marketing and sales, areas of need identified through initial analysis. The project also delivered capacity building to producers as well as farmers with the objective of improving the quality of products and meeting the quality standards of targeted new markets. PS4R’s market- and demand- driven approach leveraged the potential for business-to-business linkages—either forward linkages with the export market or backward linkages to increase local supply chain contributions of successful products and services. 

PS4R’s role included direct interaction with companies to develop an actionable understanding of their growth capacity and needs to achieve that growth, and hired business service providers specializing in the target sectors and delivering training and other programs to support competency development.

MSMEs are owned, led by, or employ forcibly displaced people, produce products and services that benefit the forcibly displaced, or operate out of an area that has had a high influx of those populations. 

The PS4R project in Lebanon is funded by the Prospects Fund to expand the reach of the “Enhancing Youth Employment in the 21st Century Digital Economy” project. This project is jointly implemented by UNICEF, the World Bank’s Skilling Up Mashreq (SUM) project, and PS4R. 

Read more about the World Bank's work in Lebanon.

PS4R in Poland: Next Steps in Integrating Forcibly Displaced Ukrainians

In Poland, PS4R conducted an analysis of the environment for longer-term integration of forcibly displaced people from Ukraine and made recommendations for government and private sector action needed for effective action. 

Released in May 2023, the analysis, Economic Empowerment for Forcibly Displaced Persons in Ukraine: Assessment of the Polish Legal and Regulatory Framework and the Role of the Polish Private Sector is rooted in the refugee and business context of Poland, and integrates PS4R’s experience with high-intensity situations involving the forcibly displaced in other parts of the world. It was provided to the Polish government in June 2023 and the technical advice is being taken into account by the Polish authorities in designing their longer-term response planning.

The report argues that the earlier forcibly displaced people from Ukraine are integrated into the Polish economy, the earlier they will integrate into Polish society more broadly and support the development of local communities with their skills, talents, and entrepreneurial activities. With the right regulatory incentives, local practices, and support from the private sector, forcibly displaced people from Ukraine can be employers, enrich the workforce, invest, and become new markets for products and services.

Read more about the World Bank's work in Poland.

Analysis: Unlocking the Economic Power of Refugees in Central Africa

 The work on Unlocking the Economic Power of Refugees in Central Africa was produced as part of the preparation of the World Bank project “CEMAC Inclusive and Resilient Value Chains” (P181478) and sponsored by the World Bank’s Africa Regional Integration program.

 The technical report analyzes prospects for refugee integration in value chains across six Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) nations – Cameroon, Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Republic of Congo, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. It aligns the World Bank’s PS4R methodology with CEMAC goals for growth via trade, investment and industrialization.

 Check back for details about this work.

Read more about the World Bank's work in Western and Central Africa.

PS4R in Yemen: Job Creation and Increased Food Security Go Hand in Hand

In Yemen, there are more than 4 million internally displaced people, a result of ongoing conflict that has created a humanitarian crisis and is ravaging the economy. 

PS4R’s work in the country was integrated into the Social Protection Enhancement and COVID-19 Response Project P177020 and its additional financings, to help create jobs and boost the incomes of forcibly displaced people in the agriculture and fisheries sectors—advancing food security, an urgent need, even as it advances job creation. 

Check back for details about this project.

Read more about the World Bank's work in Yemen.