East African Nations Create Blueprint to Open Job Markets for 4.2 Million Refugees
Nairobi, 6 April 2026
A groundbreaking regional forum has produced a comprehensive roadmap to transform how East African countries integrate refugees into their economies. The December 2025 gathering at Strathmore University brought together governments, UN agencies, and refugee-led organisations from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and South Sudan to address fragmented labour policies that have historically excluded refugees from formal employment. The initiative comes as humanitarian funding shrinks and displacement becomes increasingly prolonged across the Horn of Africa. Kenya’s progressive Refugees Act 2021 and Uganda’s self-reliance model were highlighted as successful frameworks. The roadmap establishes concrete actions for the next two years, including policy harmonisation, digital documentation systems, and public-private partnerships, marking a shift from viewing refugees as aid recipients to recognising them as economic contributors essential for regional stability.
Forum Addresses Urgent Regional Challenge
The East African Regional Forum on Access to Labour Markets for Refugees took place on 1st and 2nd December 2025 at Strathmore University, Nairobi [1]. The Refugee Consortium of Kenya (RCK) and the IKEA Foundation convened this landmark gathering to address the critical need for including refugees in national labour markets, particularly as humanitarian funding continues to shrink and displacement becomes increasingly prolonged across the Horn of Africa [1]. The forum was organised under the Wezesha project, which was specifically designed to create an enabling environment for refugees and host communities in Kenya to achieve social rights and economic self-reliance [1].
Diverse Stakeholder Participation Drives Solutions
Participants represented a comprehensive cross-section of decision-makers, including representatives from government ministries, regional bodies such as the East African Community (EAC) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), UN agencies, development partners, academia, civil society, and the private sector [1]. Most importantly, refugee-led organisations from across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and South Sudan participated directly in the discussions [1]. The forum’s core objectives included strengthening regional coordination, enhancing mutual accountability among stakeholders, and identifying implementable pathways to improve refugees’ access to decent work [1]. This inclusive approach ensured that solutions would address the real challenges faced by both refugees and host communities.
Structural Barriers Identified and Progressive Models Recognised
The forum highlighted significant structural barriers that have prevented refugee integration, including the fragmentation of refugee labour policies across the region [1]. Key issues discussed encompassed divergent national approaches to documentation, mobility, and work authorisation, with particular emphasis on the disproportionate impact these barriers have on refugee women and youth [1]. However, the gathering also recognised progressive developments, particularly Kenya’s implementation of the Refugees Act, 2021 and the Shirika Plan, which indicate integration of refugee services into national systems [1]. Similarly, Uganda’s self-reliance model was praised for facilitating freedom of movement and the right to work for refugees [1].
Comprehensive Roadmap Establishes Clear Timeline for Action
The forum’s most significant outcome was the creation of a regional roadmap for action, outlining specific measures to be pursued within the next one to two years [1]. The roadmap assigns concrete responsibilities across ministries, regional bodies, civil society, and development partners to harmonise policies, digitise documentation systems, strengthen inter-agency coordination, recognise prior learning, create public-private partnerships, strengthen labour protection, and establish a monitoring platform [1]. The forum concluded with the declaration that ‘refugee labour market inclusion is no longer an option but a central pillar of country-based and regional stability, economic growth, and social cohesion’ [1]. The Refugee Consortium of Kenya has committed to advancing the forum’s outcomes by supporting follow-up engagements, operationalising the agreed roadmap, and tracking progress over the coming years [1].