kevin kusiima

On 8th  October 2026, RefugeeLINK and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) Uganda held an engagement to explore opportunities for collaboration aimed at strengthening economic inclusion and self-reliance among refugees in Uganda. The engagement brought together perspectives from humanitarian, private-sector and refugee-led approaches, with discussions focusing on employment, entrepreneurship, financial inclusion, digital skills, evidence generation and access to services. A key theme was the importance of recognising refugees not only as recipients of assistance, but also as economic actors who own businesses, provide services, create employment, pay taxes and contribute to local economies. Participants discussed the need to strengthen connections between refugees and private-sector opportunities while addressing practical barriers affecting access to employment, finance and business formalisation. The discussion also highlighted the importance of helping employers better understand the legal framework around refugee employment and the value refugees can bring through their professional experience, technical capabilities and multilingual skills. Potential opportunities in areas such as business process outsourcing, digital work and other technology-enabled employment were considered. Financial inclusion was another area of interest, particularly for small and women-owned refugee businesses. Supporting entrepreneurs with business registration, tax identification, financial literacy and appropriate financial products can help create stronger pathways towards sustainable livelihoods. Both organizations also recognised the importance of evidence and coordination. Better data on refugee businesses, employment, taxation and economic participation can support advocacy and help demonstrate the contribution refugees make to Uganda’s economy. The engagement pointed towards practical collaboration, including joint evidence generation, private-sector engagement, skills development, financial inclusion and community-level access to services. RefugeeLINK and NRC expressed interest in identifying practical areas where their respective strengths can complement each other and generate tangible opportunities for refugees and host communities.

Registration is now open for practical digital skills courses offered by RefugeeLINK in collaboration with Refactory. The course catalogue is designed to provide practical, hands-on digital skills that can help participants work, earn income and take advantage of opportunities in today’s digital economy. Courses Available Computer & Smartphone Fundamentals Internet, Email & Digital Skills Microsoft Office & Productivity Skills Graphics Design & Digital Content Digital Communication & Social Media Tools Digital Business & Online Services Introduction to Digital Work The courses cover practical areas ranging from using computers and smartphones to creating CVs, searching for jobs online, making digital payments, using social media tools, and exploring freelancing and other forms of digital work. The training is intended to help participants develop practical skills that can be applied in employment, entrepreneurship, business and online work. Registration is currently open. For registration and more information, contact +256 767 418618. RefugeeLINK and Refactory invite interested learners to take this opportunity to build practical digital skills for today’s economy.

On 10 September 2026, RefugeeLINK hosted a business financing engagement with Stanbic Bank, bringing together refugee entrepreneurs with existing Stanbic Bank accounts to learn more about opportunities for accessing business finance. The engagement created a direct opportunity for entrepreneurs to interact with representatives from the bank and gain practical information on available financing options, eligibility requirements, documentation, the loan application process, and how to better prepare their businesses for financing. Participants were also able to ask questions and clarify issues around accessing credit, helping them better understand the steps involved in moving from an existing banking relationship towards potential business financing. For many entrepreneurs, access to appropriate financial services can play an important role in strengthening and expanding their businesses. By connecting refugee entrepreneurs directly with financial institutions, RefugeeLINK seeks to make relevant financial information and opportunities more accessible while supporting greater economic inclusion. The engagement forms part of RefugeeLINK’s continued efforts to connect refugee entrepreneurs with financial institutions, practical resources, and opportunities that can support business growth and financial independence. We thank Stanbic Bank for engaging directly with the refugee business community and all the entrepreneurs who participated in the session.

RefugeeLINK was honoured to participate in the stakeholder engagement and research dissemination workshop organized by ThinkIT Limited in partnership with Athari Foundation under the Agriculture Growth and Innovation for Livelihood Enhancement (AGILE) Project. Held on 11th June at Protea Hotel Kampala Skyz, the workshop brought together government representatives, development partners, private sector actors, researchers, farmer organizations, and refugee-led organizations to explore practical solutions for strengthening livelihoods through agriculture and market systems development. Under the theme, “Advancing Inclusive Horticulture Commercialization, Youth Livelihoods, and Market Systems in Refugee-Hosting Communities in Uganda,” participants examined opportunities and challenges affecting agricultural commercialization, youth employment, and economic inclusion in refugee-hosting districts. The discussions highlighted the importance of collaborative approaches that connect farmers, entrepreneurs, market actors, and development partners to create sustainable pathways for economic growth and resilience. The AGILE Project is making an important contribution to addressing youth unemployment, low agricultural productivity, and food insecurity by equipping women, youth, refugees, and smallholder farmers with market-driven skills, entrepreneurship opportunities, and access to sustainable agricultural value chains in Kyegegwa and Kikuube districts. Through its interventions, the project is helping to strengthen local economies while promoting inclusive participation in agricultural markets. As attendees, the RefugeeLINK team gained valuable insights from the presentations, research findings, and stakeholder discussions on inclusive agricultural development and livelihood opportunities in refugee-hosting communities. The conversations reinforced the importance of strengthening market systems, promoting decent employment opportunities for young people, and creating an enabling environment where both refugees and host communities can thrive. At RefugeeLINK, we believe that meaningful inclusion of refugees in agricultural value chains, entrepreneurship, and market systems is essential for achieving sustainable development, economic resilience, and self-reliance. Initiatives such as the AGILE Project demonstrate how partnerships and collective action can create opportunities that benefit entire communities while ensuring that vulnerable populations are not left behind. We extend our appreciation to ThinkIT Limited, Athari Foundation, War Child, African Women and Youth Action for Development, Private Sector Foundation Uganda, district leaders, researchers, and all participating stakeholders for facilitating this important dialogue. We also acknowledge the support of the European Union and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit(GIZ), whose commitment to inclusive and sustainable development continues to support impactful initiatives that strengthen livelihoods and expand opportunities for refugee and host communities across Uganda.

RefugeeLINK was honoured to participate in the convening on Innovative Financing for Humanitarian Impact in Uganda held at the Golden Tulip Canaan Kampala on 7th May, organized by the Response Innovation Lab and partners. The convening brought together humanitarian actors, innovators, entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystem stakeholders to explore sustainable financing solutions for refugee and host communities in Uganda. The discussions emphasized an important reality: traditional humanitarian funding alone is no longer sufficient to address the growing and protracted challenges facing displaced and vulnerable populations. Participants emphasized the need for innovative financing approaches that combine collaboration, private sector engagement, and long-term investment in people and communities. RefugeeLINK was particularly inspired by insights shared by organizations such as Relevant, Kumwe Hub, Living Goods, and TechBuzz Hub, whose experiences highlighted the growing potential of innovative financing models to strengthen entrepreneurship, service delivery, and sustainable impact in displacement-affected communities. Key conversations focused on blended finance, impact investing, revenue-based financing for refugee-led enterprises, stronger private sector participation, and the importance of building local investment ecosystems and enabling policies. A major takeaway from the convening was the recognition that refugees and host communities are not merely aid recipients, but entrepreneurs, innovators, and contributors to economic growth when provided with the right opportunities, partnerships, and financing mechanisms. RefugeeLINK remains committed to advancing inclusion, livelihoods, financial access, and economic empowerment for displaced and vulnerable populations across Uganda through partnerships and innovative, community-driven solutions.

RefugeeLINK was honoured to participate in the convening on Innovative Financing for Humanitarian Impact in Uganda held at the Golden Tulip Canaan Kampala on 7th May, organized by the Response Innovation Lab and partners. The convening brought together humanitarian actors, innovators, entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystem stakeholders to explore sustainable financing solutions for refugee and host communities in Uganda. The discussions emphasized an important reality: traditional humanitarian funding alone is no longer sufficient to address the growing and protracted challenges facing displaced and vulnerable populations. Participants emphasized the need for innovative financing approaches that combine collaboration, private sector engagement, and long-term investment in people and communities. RefugeeLINK was particularly inspired by insights shared by organizations such as Relevant, Kumwe Hub, Living Goods, and TechBuzz Hub, whose experiences highlighted the growing potential of innovative financing models to strengthen entrepreneurship, service delivery, and sustainable impact in displacement-affected communities. Key conversations focused on blended finance, impact investing, revenue-based financing for refugee-led enterprises, stronger private sector participation, and the importance of building local investment ecosystems and enabling policies. A major takeaway from the convening was the recognition that refugees and host communities are not merely aid recipients, but entrepreneurs, innovators, and contributors to economic growth when provided with the right opportunities, partnerships, and financing mechanisms. RefugeeLINK remains committed to advancing inclusion, livelihoods, financial access, and economic empowerment for displaced and vulnerable populations across Uganda through partnerships and innovative, community-driven solutions.

On May 5th, the RefugeeLINK team met with the Chairman of all refugees in Uganda at the Congolese Community Centre in Makindye. He was not only supportive of our work but also helped bring together other refugee community chairpersons from Rwanda, Somalia, Burundi, and Sudan. Together, we discussed how to collaborate and strengthen community outreaches across nationalities. In a generous gesture that will significantly accelerate our impact, the Chairman offered RefugeeLINK free use of the community centre space whenever needed. As a result, our Monday outreach will now be held there starting May 12th. These outreach sessions will involve profiling refugee women-led businesses, opening bank accounts with Stanbic Bank, onboarding participants onto FlexiPay one-on-one wallets, and completing URA registrations. With participants expected from multiple nationalities, sufficient manpower is essential to ensure everything runs smoothly. Looking ahead, RefugeeLINK remains hopeful of reaching around 250 people in the upcoming outreach. Digital trainings will also be introduced as part of our capacity-building efforts, starting as early as next week. This aligns directly with expectations from the ACCION pipeline. Beyond Makindye, RefugeeLINK will also be hosting the Somali community soon. Further details, including the event date, will be communicated in due course. Over the next two months, RefugeeLINK aims to reach and surpass 750 refugee women businesses across all nationalities. This is an ambitious goal, but with the partnerships being built and community leaders opening doors, it is absolutely achievable. The outreach scheduled for Monday, May 12th will take place at the Congolese Refugee Community Centre in Makindye, located near Mery Petrol Station opposite Makindye Military Barracks. Activities will include refugee women business profiling, Stanbic Bank account opening, FlexiPay wallet onboarding, and URA registrations. Collaboration is the only path to sustainable economic inclusion. RefugeeLINK is grateful to our volunteers, partners including ACCION and Stanbic Bank, and most of all, the refugee community leaders who are trusting us to walk this journey together.

A partnership-focused meeting was held on 24 April at Motorcare Kitgum House, hosted and facilitated by GreenHub, bringing together Women Rising for Africa, LM International (a Swedish development organization), and RefugeeLINK to explore collaboration on skills development and livelihood opportunities for refugees and host communities. The engagement focused on how different actors within the ecosystem can work together to strengthen access to training, economic inclusion, and employment pathways, particularly through practical and market-linked skilling programmes. Women Rising for Africa presented its work in e-mobility and transport-based empowerment, with a strong emphasis on women and youth. The programme combines technical training, road safety, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and access to electric mobility assets to support participants in transitioning into income-generating opportunities. A key focus is ensuring that training leads to direct livelihood outcomes rather than standalone learning. GreenHub highlighted its role in facilitating training environments and ecosystem coordination, and expressed openness to working with RefugeeLINK as a referral partner. Through this collaboration, refugees would be able to access free training opportunities under Women Rising for Africa’s programmes, particularly in e-mobility and vocational skills development. RefugeeLINK participated in the discussions, contributing insights on refugee inclusion, community mobilisation, and the importance of connecting vulnerable groups to structured training and livelihood pathways. The organisation emphasized its ongoing work in identifying, profiling, and preparing refugees for access to skills development and employment opportunities through trusted partner networks. LM International expressed strong interest in the discussions and proposed a formal visit to the RefugeeLINK office to further explore areas of collaboration. Their interest aligns with broader efforts to strengthen inclusive livelihoods programming through partnerships that connect training, financial inclusion, and employment systems. A central theme across the discussion was the need for stronger coordination between organisations, ensuring that each partner contributes its core strength—whether in mobilization, training delivery, or employment linkage—to create a more effective and accessible ecosystem for beneficiaries. The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to continued engagement, with plans to explore structured referral pathways, expand access to free training opportunities for refugees, and deepen collaboration across all participating organizations

On 24th April 2026, RefugeeLINK held a partnership exploration meeting at its premises with representatives from the Next Creator Programme to assess potential collaboration in supporting refugee and host community youth through creative, digital, and economic empowerment initiatives. The discussion focused on aligning both organizations’ strengths to better support youth livelihoods, particularly within refugee communities. RefugeeLINK, also registered as Link4Refugee Solutions, was presented as a young social enterprise focused on livelihood inclusion, integration, and knowledge-sharing for refugees and host communities. Despite being only a few months into formal operations, the team highlighted over a decade of experience in refugee-focused programming. Operating from Rubaga, RefugeeLINK emphasized its strong community presence and focus on digital skilling, economic inclusion, and access to finance, with ongoing partnerships including Stanbic Business Incubator and ACCION. The Next Creator Programme was introduced as a large-scale initiative developed with multiple partners, including the International Trade Centre, aimed at leveraging creative and cultural industries to generate income for young people. The programme targets youth, women, persons with disabilities, and refugees, with a structured training model of approximately 300 hours, certification pathways, and a strong focus on content creation and digital distribution. It also outlined ambitions to reach nearly 10,000 beneficiaries over three years, supported by a mix of grant and loan funding. Strong alignment was identified between the two organizations, especially in reaching young refugee women and marginalized groups. RefugeeLINK’s strength in community access, trust, and mobilisation was seen as complementary to the programme’s technical expertise in content development and creative training. Key considerations included accessibility for refugee participants, particularly transport, proximity, and the need for safe learning environments. The importance of safeguarding policies, inclusion frameworks, and child-friendly spaces was emphasized, alongside the need for RefugeeLINK to formalize and strengthen its internal documentation and governance systems. The programme structure was discussed as a hybrid model combining physical and digital training, with centralized curriculum delivery and local outreach support. Content adaptation, including language translation and contextual relevance for refugee communities, was identified as essential for effective participation. A Training of Trainers approach was also proposed, involving a short centralized training to align implementing partners on curriculum delivery and programme expectations. The meeting concluded with agreement that this was an initial assessment phase, with both parties expressing strong interest in progressing towards formal collaboration. RefugeeLINK committed to preparing required documentation and strengthening internal policies, while the Next Creator Programme team would consolidate findings and plan the next stage of engagement, including deeper assessment and potential rollout planning.

On 22nd April 2026, RefugeeLINK held an engagement meeting with the Ministry of ICT at their offices on Parliamentary Avenue to discuss potential collaboration on strengthening ICT access, digital skills development, and livelihood opportunities for refugees and host communities. The discussions focused on the strategic role of ICT in driving employment and enterprise growth, with recognition that the sector is closely linked to other areas such as logistics, training, and small business development. It was noted that digital skills and ICT-enabled services continue to present significant opportunities for youth employment and entrepreneurship. RefugeeLINK presented its work as a social enterprise focused on livelihoods, innovation, networking, and knowledge sharing, with a target group that includes refugees and host communities, particularly urban refugees in Kampala. The organization highlighted its ongoing efforts in business incubation for refugee-led SMEs, community outreach, and onboarding entrepreneurs into structured support systems. A key point of discussion was the development of a digital platform aimed at improving access to employment opportunities, increasing visibility for refugee-led businesses, and connecting entrepreneurs to employers and service providers. The importance of partnerships in enabling access to finance and scaling impact was also emphasized. RefugeeLINK also shared insights on its current ICT hub in Rubaga, which serves as a training and coordination space. However, limitations in ICT equipment such as computers and digital learning tools were noted, alongside a high demand for basic computer training, digital communication skills, and business digitization support among refugee communities. The meeting further explored long-term opportunities such as establishing a refugee-led call centre with multilingual capacity, potentially linked to global outsourcing opportunities as a sustainable income-generating model. Partnership opportunities were discussed with potential alignment to national programs such as the National ICT Innovation Hub and broader skills development initiatives that could support refugee inclusion in digital economy pathways. The Ministry acknowledged ongoing efforts in digital literacy programming, including past initiatives that have reached over 1,200 refugees, and the potential to build on such foundations. The meeting concluded with agreement to explore areas of collaboration further, strengthen alignment with national ICT initiatives, and develop joint approaches to expanding ICT-enabled livelihood opportunities for refugees and host communities.