All project news
PROSPECTS podcast - Refugees at Work
Refugee agency, livelihoods and inclusion
In the fifth episode Professor Alexander Betts (Oxford University) and Bisimwa Mulemangabo (Oxford Refugee-Led Research Hub) discuss refugee livelihoods, access to decent work, and the importance of recognizing refugee agency in shaping sustainable...
Voices from ILO PROSPECTS
ILO’s Business Plan Competition fuels Hinda's entrepreneurial journey
Through the ILO’s Business Plan Competition, Hinda Mawlid Ahmed, a Somali refugee living in Ethiopia's Somali Region and mother of four, has significantly expanded her butchery business, demonstrating the transformative impact of targeted...
PROSPECTS podcast - Refugees at Work
How the ILO is redefining refugee livelihoods and advancing host community development
Nick Grisewood, Global Programme Manager for the ILO PROSPECTS Programme, joins the fourth podcast episode to discuss how the ILO has become a central actor in refugee responses and why access to decent work, skills and social protection is key for...
PROSPECTS podcast - Refugees at Work
Innovating refugee response: How the Netherlands built the PROSPECTS Partnership
In this episode, Ana Uzelac, Senior Policy Officer at the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, discusses the origins and evolution of the PROSPECTS partnership. She highlights how innovative donor approaches can strengthen the...
PROSPECTS podcast
Young, displaced & determined: Refugee voices on rights to and at work
This special episode of the PROSPECTS podcast series features young refugee leaders sharing their perspectives on the right to work and the barriers they face to economic inclusion. Hasan Almatroud from Jordan and Shadya Abduljabbar from Ethiopia...
PROSPECTS podcast - Refugees at Work
The history of the ILO’s refugee engagement
In the second episode, we trace the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) historical engagement with refugee issues — from the post–World War I Russian refugee crisis to today’s debates on migration, labour, and displacement. Researcher and...
PROSPECTS podcast - Refugees at Work
Transforming the international refugee regime and framing the Humanitarian Development and Peace Nexus
In the opening episode of "Refugees at work – What are their prospects?", we speak with Professor Roger Zetter, a leading voice in refugee studies, to explore global trends in displacement, the challenges refugees face in accessing labour markets,...
Voices from ILO PROSPECTS
Business skills open doors: Amin’s journey from graduate to entrepreneur
With targeted training and mentorship from the ILO, a young entrepreneur in Ethiopia turned a backyard production into a fast-growing business—now supplying thousands of litres of shampoo across the Somali Region.
Voices from the ILO PROSPECTS
Lighting up futures: Skills training transforms lives in Ethiopia’s Somali region
With support from the ILO through the PROSPECTS partnership, Mustofa and Abdurehman – from refugee and host communities respectively – turned their lives around through skills training in electrical installation. Today, they are powering essential...
Transforming lives through skills & innovation in Ethiopia
The ILO is transforming lives through targeted investments in youth training and digital empowerment. From TVET to tech hubs, opportunities are opening for refugees and host communities. Decent work begins with inclusion, ambition, and action.
Press release
Vocational training centre in Ethiopia boosts jobs for refugees and hosts
With support from the Netherlands, the ILO and its partners have inaugurated a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) centre in Kebribeyah, Ethiopia, enhancing skills, employment opportunities, and economic inclusion for refugees and...
Press release
ILO PROSPECTS programme launches Digital Innovation Hub in refugee-hosting Jigjiga
The ILO, in partnership with the Somali Regional State and the Netherlands, has opened a Digital Innovation Hub in Jigjiga, Ethiopia. Part of the PROSPECTS programme, the hub offers co-working spaces, free internet, and digital skills training to...
Financial inclusion
ILO and Shabelle Bank usher in new era of formal banking for Ethiopians and refugees
A new chapter unfolds in Ethiopia as the International Labour Organization (ILO) and Shabelle Bank's "Aisha" initiative brings formal banking access to refugees and host communities. This vital partnership provides crucial loans and services,...
PROSPECTS Impact
With ILO’s assistance young entrepreneurs wash away unemployment challenges
With financial and technical support from the ILO and youth-led organizations in Ethiopia, two young entrepreneurs launched their own car wash business, defying the challenges in accessing jobs and higher education.
Press Release
ILO awards youth through Business Plan Competition in Dabat
Through a Business Plan Competition organized by the ILO and its partners under the PROSPECTS programme, 60 enterprises led by refugee and host community youth from Ethiopia's North Gondar won seed funding, entrepreneurial skills training, and...
Skills training
A New Spark: Abdi's journey from labourer to electrician
Through an ILO-supported vocational training in Ethiopia, Abdi Mowlid Abdi transformed from a struggling labourer to a professional electrician, securing contracts and ensuring a better future for his family.
Engaging youth-led organizations
ILO supported Kulehe project to boost youth entrepreneurship and financial inclusion
The Kulehe project, launched in Addis Ababa, supports 120 youth from refugee and host communities with entrepreneurship training, financial inclusion, and business linkages, promoting decent employment through the ILO Youth-to-Youth Fund.
Strengthening cooperatives
How ILO PROSPECTS is strengthening livestock farming in Ethiopia’s Somali Region
The ILO's PROSPECTS Partnership enhances livestock farming in Ethiopia’s Somali region through innovative solutions, improving feed production, resilience, and economic opportunities for both refugees and host communities.
Financial inclusion
Aisha: an inclusive financial product brings hope for host and refugee entrepreneurs
ILO and Shabelle Bank's innovative "Aisha" program provides Sharia-compliant financial solutions and education to refugees and host communities in Ethiopia, empowering entrepreneurs and fostering sustainable livelihoods.
ILO co-hosts dialogue on inclusive digital transformation in Ethiopia
Along with the Government of Ethiopia, the social dialogue event validated survey findings to improve Ethiopia's Digital Inclusion Strategy, emphasizing refugees’ access to technology.