Developing pathways for self-reliance: urban IDPs and the negotiation of livelihood opportunities in Makurdi, Nigeria

Abstract

This paper examines the strategies that forced migrants adopt to (re)build their livelihoods and cope with displacement while living in the city. It contributes to the growing body of research that recognizes the capacity of displaced persons to find, grow and sustain livelihood opportunities, thereby laying the foundation for self-reliance in urban areas. Focusing on a secondary city – Makurdi, in central Nigeria – the paper demonstrates how IDPs there are creating pathways for self-reliance by leveraging their social capital and their individual and collective agency. Their establishment of an informal market serves the daily needs of the host community, in addition to offering opportunities for livelihoods to the IDPs and members of the host community alike.

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