The Role of Businesses in Peacebuilding in East Africa

In 2024, the global refugee population was estimated to be 42.7 million and growing[1]. Closer home, the East and Horn of Africa registered about 5.4 million refugees and asylum seekers.  and estimated 18.8 million internally displaced people (IDPs)[2]. Conflicts in countries like Sudan, South Sudan, and the democratic republic of Congo have contributed to the increasing number of refugees and asylum seekers. In a bid to address some of these underlying causes of the challenges, scholars have shifted to looking at the role of businesses (economic and social) in addressing the refugee crisis. The question is, what is the role of businesses in peacebuilding in volatile regions?

In May, Strathmore University Non-Profit, Social Enterprise and Philanthropy Hub (SUNSEP) joined in an insightful session with Interpeace Kenya, CAN International, Conciliation Resources, Inclusive Peace, The Centre for Development and The Environment at the University of Oslo and Aston Business School (UK). These organisations hosted a strategic policy dialogue on Business and Peacebuilding in the East African Region at the Interpeace office in Nairobi, Kenya. The session brought together key stakeholders from academia, civil societies, the private sector, and peace-building organisations to explore the innovative approaches to aligning economic development with sustainable peace.

Dr. Bahar Kazmi, who initiated and organised this meeting, set the framework for the discussions: “This conversation is critical for East Africa’s future.” We must understand how business activities can actively contribute to peacebuilding efforts in East Africa. His remarks emphasised the need to gather diverse perspectives to inform future action.

The discussions were anchored on

• Integrating Business and Peace Building, Marko Tominico (Independent Speaker) presented foundational insights on aligning economic structures with peace-building mechanisms, highlighting the private sector’s crucial role in peacebuilding processes.

Further speakers from Interpeace/ CAN International emphasised shifting towards participatory, locally led peacebuilding models that align with economic development policies.

Representatives from the SUNSEP team, including Dr William Murithi, Hub Lead, Victoria Gichuki, Ian Abuki, and Joseph Ngoma, interns at the Hub, shared different thoughts on the interlink between businesses and peacebuilding.

• Demonstrated how SUNSEP’s work in social enterprise development naturally intersects with peacebuilding.
• Present frameworks for ethical business practices that promote social cohesion.
• Highlighted how community perceptions of business operations impact peace outcomes.

Some of the outcomes of the session include

The dialogue identified key areas:

1. Multi–Sector Leadership: Developing shared responsibility across government, business, and civil society.
2. Evidence-Based Strategies: Using data to guide scalable, accountable interventions.

From the session, the participants developed an action plan as follows

1. Look more into business-peacebuilding links.
2. Establish more working groups to advance practical collaborations.
3. Create platforms for ongoing multi-stakeholder dialogue.

Dr Kazmi concluded by stating that the discussion had laid the groundwork for actionable steps, and there was a need to move from dialogue to implementation. SUNSEP is committed to this initiative as we plan to move forward by facilitating webinars and dialogues with stakeholders to ensure that businesses take up their roles as active stakeholders in the communities to enhance peacebuilding through economic and social empowerment.

About SUNSEP

The SUNSEP Hub is a platform that is dedicated to fostering innovation, collaboration, and ethical leadership in the social impact sector. Through Capacity building, research, and sustainable funding initiatives, SUNSEP drives meaningful change across East Africa.

For more information, please contact:

SUNSEP Hub Lead

Dr William Murithi

Email: Wmurithi@strathmore.edu

SUNSEP Program Coordinator Intern

Victoria Gichuki

Email: Victoria.gichuki@strathmore.edu

Article by Victoria Gichuki and William Murithi

[1] https://www.unhcr.org/global-trends

[2] https://www.unhcr.org/where-we-work/regions/east-and-horn-africa-and-great-lakes