EU-IOM Joint Initiative

for Migrant Protection and Reintegration

Not long after his return from Libya, Abdalalrazig Ahmed worked at re-establishing his life and now runs a poultry sales store of his own in Khartoum.

“When I was back home, I pursued my poultry business and I am always looking for ways to improve it,” he says, speaking from the sidelines of a five-day ‘Start and Improves Your Business’ (SIYB) training held in Khartoum.

The training series is run by the EU-IOM Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration in the Horn of Africa, which assist migrant returnees to get back on their own two feet in four priority countries: Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan.

Organized in partnership with a local business consultancy, LEEN Consultancy, the training is in line with internationally recognized methodology and aims to equip returning migrants with the skills needed to establish and run their own businesses.

This particular course was held in July and was attended by 64 former migrants as part of their reintegration assistance after returning home with support from the EU-IOM Joint Initiative. All of them came back from either Libya or Egypt. Another 1000 returnees in Khartoum and Darfur states are due to receive similar training in the coming weeks.

“This training provided me with a better understanding on how to expand my business and will surely help me progress,” Abdalalradig said.

Another participant in the training was Ibrahim Mohammed who remarked: “One of the things I learned during the training is that the locality I'm from is good for agriculture projects and that's why I'm planning to establish a farming project.”

Mohammed added: “It was good for me to receive the training before my reintegration support because now I have a better idea in calculating my profit and finding customers for my business.”

Returnees assisted to return under the EU-IOM Joint Initiative first undergo a vulnerability assessment and are provided with psychosocial screening and counseling, transportation to their hometowns and with housing immediately upon return. 

This process is followed by individual reintegration counseling to guide further reintegration support. This may include support to establish a micro-business, to enroll in a vocational training programme, to cover education costs for children or to receive psychosocial counseling. 

The SIYB training is made available to those who have opted to start a micro enterprise. Since the start of the EU-IOM Joint Initiative in March 2017, 1439 former migrants were assisted to establish their own businesses.

“The objective of this training is to provide migrants returnees with the tools needed to enable them to build a sustainable business,” said Reem Eldawwari, IOM Sudan National Programme Coordinator. “Besides the training, most of the returnees simply need motivation and knowledge to innovate and start their own business."

In the content of COVID-19 crisis, EU-IOM Joint Initiative team works to guarantee the highest standards of protection against the virus.

About the EU-IOM Joint Initiative

Launched in December 2016 with the support of the European Union (EU) Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, the programme brings together 26 African countries of the Sahel and Lake Chad region, the Horn of Africa, and North Africa, the EU and IOM around the goal of ensuring migration is safer, more informed and better governed for both migrants and their communities.