EXPLORING REFUGEES ENTREPRENEURIAL SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS IN UGANDA

We are happy to share a new book chapter co-authored by RYVU Principal Investigator Professor Matt Baillie Smith, alongside Dr Anthony Tibaingana, from Makerere University, and Dr Robert Newbery, from Northumbria University.

This chapter was published as part of the book “Entrepreneurial Place Leadership: Negotiating the Entrepreneurial Landscape”.  It draws on current development practice and literature on Entrepreneurial Support Organisations (ESO) (e.g., accelerators, incubators and labs) to explore how refugees in Uganda are supported through entrepreneurial approaches.

The findings show that whilst the majority of these organisations claim to follow an innovation discourse, in reality they support refugees through a mixture of inclusion, resilience and innovation-led approaches. Inclusion-led approaches focus on basic language skills, establishing peer relationships and access to survival essentials. Resilience-led approaches nurture livelihood skills, building community ties and access to seed-corn grants. Innovation-led approaches develop entrepreneurial skills, establishing extra-local connectivity and access to micro-finance. The chapter highlights the critical importance of inclusion and resilience-led approaches in developing supportive ESO for refugees.

Click here to read and download the Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM) of the book chapter

Click here to access the published version of the book chapter