UNHCR, Business Leaders Proffer Solutions To IDP Challenges In Africa

The 2024 Africa Roundtable on Private Sector Solutions has offered ways to tackle the problem of internal displacement ravaging the African continent.

According to reports, an estimated 72.1 million people were internally displaced globally, with approximately 50 per cent of them residing in Africa.

It was gathered that over 90 per cent of displacement cases, climate change, including floods and droughts, increasingly displaced millions, as seen recently in Sub-Saharan Africa, where 5.7 million were sacked by flooding.

Speaking at the end of a 2-day event co-organised by UNHCR, the Nigerian government, and other global agencies in Lagos, UN special advisor on Solutions to Internal Displacement, Robert Piper said, “We have a new generation of solutions plans that promise to move millions of internally displaced persons onto solutions pathways.

“The private sector has a vital role to play by creating jobs, supporting entrepreneurship, and driving economic growth. We need capital, ideas, creativity and markets for success.

“As part of the highlighted challenges, IDPs are said to be facing prolonged displacement, limited access to services, and restricted economic opportunities which often leave them dependent on aid and increase tensions in host communities.”

Participants, including governments, development actors, and private sector representatives, discussed partnerships to unlock opportunities as the proffered solutions include modernising agriculture, expanding finance access, enhancing climate resilience, and leveraging technology to combat the problem.

Vice chairman of Tropical Investments Group (TGI), Mr Farouk Gumel, urged businesses to act as he alludes that the private sector has immense potential and responsibility in addressing displacement through leveraging resources and driving solutions to foster economic growth for all.

On his part, UNHCR assistant high commissioner for Operations, Raouf Mazou, underscored the importance of socio-economic inclusion, stating that, “The private sector is essential in creating jobs and enhancing access to services, providing mutual benefits for sustainable solutions to displacement.”

The discourse concluded with a renewed commitment to fostering public-private partnerships to ensure lasting solutions to address the complex challenges facing Africa’s displaced populations while promoting inclusive economic development.