Pathways to market inclusion for urban refugees and host communities

This report analyses how urban refugees and vulnerable host communities in Nairobi and Mombasa can access better livelihoods through market systems rather than stand-alone support.

Using the ILO–UNHCR Approach to Inclusive Market Systems, it examines three sectors with growth potential - beauty and personal care, creative industries and construction - to identify where refugees already participate, what blocks their progress and which incentives shape employer and market behaviour.

It looks beyond skills to rules, services, finance, social protection and documentation, showing how these interact to keep many refugees in informal, insecure work.

The study is useful for programmes designing market-based livelihood or employment interventions, particularly those seeking to link decent work with social protection. It is aimed at development and humanitarian practitioners, donors, policymakers and implementing agencies working on refugee economic inclusion in urban settings.