Apply Now: Economic Empowerment and Inclusion Support in Burkina Faso

Deadline: 27-Sep-2026

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is seeking an implementing partner to support the economic empowerment, resilience, and sustainable inclusion of refugees, asylum seekers, stateless persons, internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees, and vulnerable host communities in Burkina Faso.

The partnership is expected to support a national-scale project from 2027 to 2030, subject to the availability of resources and annual programming decisions. The selected organization will work with UNHCR to improve access to skills development, employment, entrepreneurship, financial services, markets, productive assets, and sustainable economic opportunities.

Eligible organizations must have at least three years of relevant experience implementing livelihood, economic empowerment, and inclusion programs for forcibly displaced populations. Experience in vocational training, entrepreneurship, business development, market-oriented livelihoods, private-sector partnerships, financial services, project management, and risk management will be important.

What Is the UNHCR Burkina Faso Economic Empowerment Partnership?

This Call for Expressions of Interest seeks to identify an organization capable of partnering with UNHCR to implement a national-scale economic empowerment and inclusion project in Burkina Faso.

The partnership will focus on helping forcibly displaced and vulnerable populations build sustainable livelihoods, improve their economic independence, and strengthen their ability to withstand economic, climate-related, and security shocks.

The project is planned for 2027–2030, although implementation will depend on available resources and annual programming decisions.

Main Goal of the Partnership

The overarching goal is to promote:

• Economic empowerment
• Resilience
• Sustainable inclusion
• Decent employment
• Entrepreneurship
• Self-employment
• Access to financial services
• Market participation
• Sustainable economic opportunities

The intervention will support both individuals and businesses while strengthening connections between displaced populations and local economic systems.

Who Will Benefit?

The project will target several groups affected by displacement and vulnerability in Burkina Faso, including:

• Refugees
• Asylum seekers
• Stateless persons
• Internally displaced persons
• Returnees
• Vulnerable host communities

Special attention will be given to people who face additional barriers to economic participation, including:

Skills Development and Vocational Training

A major component of the project will be strengthening the technical and professional skills of target populations.

Activities may include:

• Market-relevant vocational training
• Technical skills development
• Professional orientation
• Mentoring
• Employment preparation
• Entrepreneurship training
• Financial skills development

Training should be connected to actual market opportunities so that beneficiaries can use their skills to access employment, start businesses, or develop existing economic activities.

Entrepreneurship Development

The partnership will support people interested in starting or expanding businesses.

Entrepreneurship support will focus on helping beneficiaries develop the knowledge and capabilities needed to establish viable economic activities.

Support will contribute to:

• Business development
• Entrepreneurial skills
• Business planning
• Market access
• Financial management
• Risk management
• Business resilience

The objective is to help supported businesses become more viable and better able to withstand economic and other shocks.

Access to Decent Employment

The project will help beneficiaries improve their access to decent employment and self-employment.

This may involve connecting trained individuals with employers and creating pathways from skills development to actual employment opportunities.

Professional orientation, mentoring, private-sector partnerships, internships, and employment support will help bridge the gap between training and sustainable economic participation.

Private-Sector Partnerships

Collaboration with the private sector is an important part of the intervention.

The implementing partner is expected to develop partnerships that can create opportunities for:

• Internships
• Employment
• Subcontracting
• Business development
• Market access
• Entrepreneurship support

Private-sector engagement can help ensure that training and livelihood activities are aligned with actual market demand.

Access to Financial Services

The project will also improve beneficiaries’ access to financial services.

Financial inclusion can help individuals and businesses manage income, invest in productive activities, expand enterprises, and improve resilience.

Applicants should therefore demonstrate previous experience supporting access to financial services for vulnerable or displaced populations.

Access to Markets

Economic empowerment requires more than skills and training.

The project will help beneficiaries gain better access to:

• Local markets
• Customers
• Business networks
• Value chains
• Economic opportunities
• Private-sector relationships

Market-oriented approaches should ensure that livelihood activities respond to real economic demand and have potential for sustainability.

Productive Assets and Equipment

The partnership will facilitate access to productive assets and equipment where appropriate.

These resources can help beneficiaries establish or strengthen income-generating activities and businesses.

Support may be connected to vocational training, entrepreneurship, value-chain participation, and other livelihood interventions.

Value Chain Integration

The intervention will promote integration into relevant value chains and local economic systems.

This approach can help displaced populations move beyond isolated livelihood activities and participate more effectively in existing economic networks.

Value-chain integration can support:

• Market access
• Business relationships
• Production
• Subcontracting
• Entrepreneurship
• Income diversification

Supporting Business Viability and Resilience

Businesses supported through the project should become more viable and resilient.

The implementing partner should be able to help entrepreneurs identify risks, improve business practices, access markets and finance, and diversify their sources of income.

The emphasis will be on sustainable economic opportunities rather than short-term income generation alone.

Income Diversification

Diversifying income sources is an important resilience strategy.

The project will encourage beneficiaries to develop multiple or more sustainable economic opportunities that can reduce vulnerability to sudden disruptions.

Income diversification can help households and businesses better manage:

• Economic shocks
• Climate-related shocks
• Security-related disruptions
• Market changes

Climate and Environmentally Sustainable Practices

The intervention will promote environmentally sustainable economic practices.

Livelihood and business activities should consider environmental sustainability while building resilience to climate-related risks.

This can help ensure that economic empowerment contributes to longer-term community resilience rather than creating additional environmental vulnerabilities.

Risk Management and Resilience

The project places strong emphasis on risk management.

Beneficiaries should be supported to understand and manage risks affecting their livelihoods and businesses.

The approach will seek to strengthen resilience against:

• Economic shocks
• Climate shocks
• Security shocks
• Market disruptions
• Other vulnerabilities affecting livelihoods

Sustainable Inclusion in Local Economies

The project aims to promote the sustainable inclusion of displaced populations within local economic systems.

Rather than treating displaced people as separate from the wider economy, the intervention will encourage their participation in existing markets, value chains, employment systems, and business networks.

This can also strengthen economic relationships between displaced populations and vulnerable host communities.

Who Can Apply?

The opportunity is intended for organizations with strong technical, operational, administrative, and financial capacity to implement a national-scale project.

Eligible organizations must demonstrate at least three years of experience designing or implementing relevant projects for forcibly displaced populations.

Relevant experience includes:

• Livelihood programs
• Economic empowerment
• Economic inclusion
• Vocational training
• Entrepreneurship
• Business development
• Market-oriented livelihoods
• Private-sector partnerships

Experience With Forcibly Displaced Populations

Applicants should have demonstrated experience working with populations affected by forced displacement.

Organizations should understand the specific economic, social, and protection vulnerabilities faced by:

• Refugees
• Asylum seekers
• Stateless persons
• IDPs
• Returnees
• Vulnerable host communities

Applicants should also understand the additional barriers faced by women, youth, persons with disabilities, and other groups with specific needs.

Private-Sector Experience

Applicants should demonstrate experience developing partnerships with private-sector organizations.

This should include the ability to create practical opportunities related to:

• Internships
• Employment
• Subcontracting
• Business development
• Market participation

Strong private-sector relationships can be particularly important for connecting beneficiaries to sustainable economic opportunities.

Financial Services Experience

Organizations should have experience facilitating access to financial services for vulnerable populations or entrepreneurs.

Applicants should demonstrate an understanding of financial inclusion and the barriers that displaced populations may face when accessing appropriate financial products and services.

Risk and Vulnerability Analysis

Applicants should have experience conducting risk and vulnerability analysis.

This is important for designing livelihood interventions that account for the different economic, social, climate, and security risks affecting displaced populations and host communities.

Project Management Capacity

Strong project-management capacity is required.

Applicants should demonstrate the ability to manage:

• Large-scale programs
• Planning and implementation
• Financial management
• Monitoring and reporting
• Partnerships
• Risk management
• Community accountability

Because the project is intended to operate at the national level, organizations should have appropriate systems and staffing capacity to manage implementation across multiple locations.

National Operational Coverage

Applicants should demonstrate national coverage and the operational capacity required to implement activities across Burkina Faso.

Organizations should be able to reach target populations while maintaining appropriate management, logistics, monitoring, and accountability systems.

Cost Effectiveness

Applicants should demonstrate cost-effective implementation.

Proposals should show that available resources can be used efficiently while maintaining the quality, accessibility, and sustainability of economic empowerment interventions.

Resource Contribution

The implementing partner should have the capacity to contribute resources and complement UNHCR’s support.

Organizations should clearly demonstrate what additional resources, expertise, networks, infrastructure, or other contributions they can bring to the partnership.

Accountability to Communities

Strong accountability mechanisms are required.

Applicants should have systems that allow affected communities to:

• Provide feedback
• Raise concerns
• Participate in relevant decisions
• Access information
• Report problems

Community accountability is particularly important when implementing economic programs for vulnerable and displaced populations.

Security Risk Management

Applicants must demonstrate the ability to manage security risks associated with operating in Burkina Faso.

Organizations should have appropriate systems for:

• Security risk assessment
• Operational risk management
• Staff safety
• Contingency planning
• Secure program implementation

Experience With UNHCR or Similar Agencies

Experience working with UNHCR or similar humanitarian and development agencies is an important requirement.

Applicants with relevant experience should demonstrate their ability to comply with institutional procedures, reporting requirements, accountability standards, and partnership expectations.

How to Prepare a Strong Expression of Interest

Organizations preparing an Expression of Interest should clearly demonstrate how their existing experience matches the requirements of the partnership.

A strong submission should highlight:

• At least three years of relevant experience.
• Previous livelihood and economic inclusion programs.
• Experience working with forcibly displaced populations.
• Vocational training expertise.
• Entrepreneurship and business-development experience.
• Market-oriented livelihood programming.
• Private-sector partnerships.
• Financial inclusion experience.
• National operational capacity.
• Risk and vulnerability analysis.
• Strong project-management systems.
• Community accountability mechanisms.
• Security risk-management capacity.
• Cost-effective implementation.
• Resource contributions.
• Understanding of protection risks and specific vulnerabilities.

Applicants should also explain how their approach will connect skills development with real employment, entrepreneurship, market, and financial opportunities.

Key Facts at a Glance

• Organization: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
• Country: Burkina Faso
• Opportunity type: Call for Expressions of Interest
• Project period: 2027–2030
• Scale: National
• Implementation condition: Subject to resource availability and annual programming decisions
• Main focus: Economic empowerment, resilience, and sustainable inclusion
• Target groups: Refugees, asylum seekers, stateless persons, IDPs, returnees, and vulnerable host communities
• Priority groups: Women, youth, persons with disabilities, and other groups facing specific barriers
• Minimum relevant experience: 3 years
• Key areas: Livelihoods, vocational training, entrepreneurship, business development, market-oriented livelihoods
• Private sector: Partnerships for internships, employment, subcontracting, and business development
• Financial inclusion: Access to financial services
• Economic support: Productive assets, equipment, markets, and value chains
• Resilience focus: Economic, climate, and security shocks
• Required capacity: Technical, operational, administrative, and financial
• Additional requirements: Risk management, accountability, national coverage, cost effectiveness, resource contribution, and security management

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the UNHCR Burkina Faso Economic Empowerment Partnership?

It is a Call for Expressions of Interest seeking an implementing partner to support UNHCR in delivering a national-scale economic empowerment and inclusion project in Burkina Faso from 2027 to 2030, subject to available resources and annual programming decisions.

Who are the target beneficiaries?

The project targets refugees, asylum seekers, stateless persons, internally displaced persons, returnees, and vulnerable host communities.

How will the project support economic empowerment?

It will strengthen technical, professional, entrepreneurial, and financial skills while improving access to employment, self-employment, entrepreneurship, financial services, markets, productive assets, equipment, and value chains.

How long must applicants have been working in this field?

Eligible organizations must demonstrate at least three years of experience designing or implementing relevant livelihood, empowerment, and economic inclusion projects for forcibly displaced populations.

Is vocational training experience required?

Yes. Relevant experience includes vocational training, professional orientation, mentoring, entrepreneurship, business development, and market-oriented livelihood programs.

Will the project work with private companies?

Yes. Private-sector partnerships will support opportunities such as internships, employment, subcontracting, and business development.

Will beneficiaries receive access to financial services?

Improving access to financial services is one of the expected results of the intervention.

Will businesses receive support?

Yes. The project will support businesses to improve their viability and resilience while facilitating access to productive assets, equipment, markets, and value chains.

Does the project address climate risks?

Yes. The intervention emphasizes environmentally sustainable practices and resilience against economic, climatic, and security shocks.

Is national coverage required?

Applicants must demonstrate the operational capacity and coverage needed to support a national-scale project in Burkina Faso.

Is experience with UNHCR required?

Experience working with UNHCR or similar agencies is required as part of the expected organizational track record.

What groups require special attention?

The project places particular emphasis on women, youth, persons with disabilities, and other groups facing specific economic or protection barriers.

What management capacity must applicants demonstrate?

Organizations should have strong technical, operational, administrative, financial, project-management, accountability, risk-management, and security-management capacity.

Conclusion

The UNHCR Burkina Faso Economic Empowerment and Inclusion Partnership 2027–2030 aims to help displaced populations and vulnerable host communities achieve greater economic independence, resilience, and sustainable inclusion.

The national-scale intervention will connect skills development, employment, entrepreneurship, financial inclusion, market access, productive assets, value chains, and private-sector partnerships. It will also address the risks that can undermine livelihoods by promoting income diversification, risk management, and environmentally sustainable economic practices.

Organizations interested in the partnership should demonstrate at least three years of relevant experience, strong national operational capacity, experience working with displaced populations, private-sector networks, financial inclusion expertise, effective accountability systems, and robust project and security risk-management capabilities.

For more information, visit UN Partner Portal.