Jordan’s Refugees: A Force of Entrepreneurship
Khawaja Aftab Ahmed
IFC Regional Director - Middle East, Pakistan and Afghanistan
Forcibly displaced people have the potential to become economic assets for their host communities.
That’s something I witnessed firsthand during a recent tour around #Zaatari camp and nearby facilities organized by UNHCR. The country is home to thousands of #refugees from #Syria fleeing conflict. Many are housed in the camp – the Middle East’s largest refugee camp – where entrepreneurship is thriving with the support of the Jordanian government and the donor community.
In Zaatari – home to 80,000 refugees – I had the chance to visit the Norwegian Refugee Council 's Central Community Center, which offers fully accredited vocational training courses for young people to help them become self-sufficient. I also visited the Zaatari Solar Power Plant project, which is powering the camp, with funding by KfW Development Bank in support of international NGO RedR Australia
At the King Hussein Bin Talal Development Zone in neighboring #Mafraq, I met leaders from private sector companies including Arabella Extrusion, Bonyan Extrusion and Aluminum Coating Company, and Jordan Bahrain Paper Industries. Together, they’ve offered job opportunities to refugees from Zaatari.
In addition, during this trip, I visited the PALIRIA factory, where the mainly female workforce creates ready-made meals and exports make up more than 80 percent of revenues. I was deeply impressed by the energy and determination of everyone involved.
In fact, everything I saw during my tour reaffirmed the importance of providing opportunities for vulnerable communities.
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At? IFC - International Finance Corporation , we know that the refugee crisis in the #MiddleEast requires a cohesive and holistic response, which is why we’ve joined the PROSPECTS Partnership in 2019?– a global partnership helping host communities and forcibly displaced people access education, social protection, and decent work.
Spearheaded by Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken , PROSPECTS includes the International Labour Organization , UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency , 联合国儿童基金会 and 世界银行 and aims to transform the way governments and the private sector, among others, respond to forced displacement.
In December 2022, IFC and UNHCR launched a global initiative to create inclusive economic opportunities that will benefit refugees and their host communities. Among other goals, the initiative which is led by Michel BOTZUNG aims to mobilize private sector projects over the next five years to demonstrate the viability of investments in forced displacement contexts.
To strengthen innovation, IFC launched the #StartMashreq program together with Flat6Labs earlier this year. The program falls under the PROSPECTS initiative and supports entrepreneurs across the #Levant region. Targeting underserved communities in #Jordan, #Lebanon, and #Iraq – including women, refugees, minorities, and those internally displaced – the program helps entrepreneurs aged between 18 and 45 seeking to develop innovative ideas and projects.
I am looking forward to seeing the talent this project unveils. Necessity is the mother of innovation and – across both host and displaced communities – it has also been the mother of entrepreneurship. What I saw in Jordan on this trip was a testament not only to the power of the human spirit to survive, but also to the importance of targeted support to help that spirit flourish and thrive.
Certified Somali Medical interpreter ?? Building a Social Impact Enterprise to Reskill & Employ One Million Refugees as Digital Professionals ??
1 年The entrepreneurial drive in Jordan's refugees is astounding, turning adversity into opportunity. Their resilience teaches us about creating value amid hardship. It's not just survival, it's transformative vision. By providing resources and platforms, like UNHCR does, we're not just aiding refugees, but unlocking untapped innovative potential. They are not aid recipients, but agents of transformation.
Dedicated to advancing Islamic finance, promoting financial inclusion, and supporting SMEs with cutting-edge digital finance strategies.
1 年Every human being has some specific proposition of entrepreneurship. We need to explore and provide the ecosystem to these people to contribute there role economic activities even if they refugee or migrants. We need to guide them who they can be a efficient in local economy and there growth. Good effort and keep this momentum.
Senior independent consultant with diverse experience in Compliance, Operations, Shared Services at top-notch banks like BoA, ABN AMRO, RBS. Based in Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Canada and Karachi,Pakistan
1 年Khawaja Aftab Ahmed - What an amazing story which would inspire not only the refugees in Jordan but wherever they are all over the globe! It is a matter of channelizing their energies and skills in a positive direction. I am not sure if we can find similar stories among the huge number of refugees we are hosting in Pakistan; if there are such examples, I am not aware of them. Best regards, Faisal Anwar, CCEP-I
General Counsel & Head of Legal & Regulatory Compliance Lawyer
1 年So inspiring!
Knowledge Seeker/Distributor & Opinions/Posts are Personal
1 年Google refugee startups and you will see organizations supporting and providing platforms for them in, say, Europe… refugees have a major attribute of startup founders we see in Silicon Valley, and that is not passion, but resiliency… refugees do not want handouts, but an opportunity, as they were (are) skilled people back in their home countries… it’s resiliency that is mother of innovation and invention … you see it in them, be it Palestine or other places, as mentioned in the write up … two (of many) major challenges that continue: accessing markets for refugee startup products (platforms, channels and logistics) and two risk capital to expansion (scaling is another issue)…