LEADERS from business, government, philanthropy, and refugee communities are set to gather in Kenya for the third Africa Forum on Displacement (AFD2025) on April 28 and 29, 2025. Hosted by the Amahoro Coalition, Inkomoko, and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, the event will spotlight the critical role of inclusion, investment, and innovation in transforming the future of displaced people and their host communities across Africa.
Under the rallying theme ‘All IN’, AFD2025 will unfold across Kakuma and Nairobi, with an emphasis on solutions that move beyond charity towards sustainable economic opportunity.
Unlocking opportunities through investment
With nearly 45 million displaced persons living on the continent, the Forum will emphasise the need for market-led solutions to drive long-term impact. Nancy Aburi, UNHCR’s Chief of Private Sector Partnerships in Africa, underscored the urgency: ‘Displaced communities have the skills, talents, and ambition to drive economic growth and innovation. Through AFD2025, we are strengthening partnerships that invest in their potential and deliver lasting, market-led solutions.’
The Forum will showcase an integrated marketplace, bringing together refugee and host community entrepreneurs to display their ventures. High-level plenaries will feature renowned leaders including James Mwangi of Equity Group Holdings, Reeta Roy of the Mastercard Foundation, and Kelly Clements, UNHCR’s Deputy High Commissioner, alongside refugee entrepreneurs like Bereket Goitom of the Canaan Group.
Call for private sector action
Julienne Oyler, Co-Founder and CEO of Inkomoko, highlighted the opportunity for businesses to make a real difference: ‘Displaced entrepreneurs and communities already have the talent and resilience. They simply need equitable access to markets and capital. At AFD2025, we are calling on the private sector to step up with real solutions and investments that will drive lasting impact.’
The two-day event will culminate in a special Amahoro Fellowship Graduation ceremony, celebrating Africa’s first cohort of leaders with lived experience of displacement. This symbolic event aims to shift the narrative from vulnerability to leadership and innovation.
Isaac Kwaku Fokuo, Curator of the Amahoro Coalition, issued a powerful call to action: ‘AFD2025 is a call to action. It challenges all of us: businesses, governments, and communities to go “All IN” for displaced people, not with charity, but with opportunity.’
AFD2025 is organised in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation and the IKEA Foundation.
About the organisers
Amahoro Coalition, founded in 2019, is the leading platform connecting Africa’s private sector to social impact opportunities, especially within displaced communities. Learn more at amahorocoalition.com.
Inkomoko is a social impact organisation that empowers entrepreneurs in refugee settlements and host communities across East and Central Africa, supporting access to capital, markets, and training. More information is available at inkomoko.com.
UNHCR, established in 1950, is a global agency committed to protecting the rights of refugees, displaced, and stateless people across more than 130 countries.
