Scoping & Design of Strategic Investment Opportunities RYSE Project

Al Jidara worked with the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) to develop innovative investment and financing approaches for Syrian refugee and Jordanian youth, working with different groups of stakeholders in the ecosystem to develop tailored approaches for enterprises across the spectrum, including home-based businesses; small, medium, and large enterprises; and startups at various different stages including from pre-seed, to seed, to growth. As part of the assignment, Al Jidara mapped out the ecosystem of different stakeholders and the work that they have undertaken, in order to avoid duplication of efforts and incorporate lessons learned in the development of the investment and financing approaches.

Extensive primary and secondary research were undertaken in order to understand the financing and investment ecosystem Syrian refugees and Jordanian youth operate in. A detailed study was undertaken of the main stakeholders, including investors, financiers, and lenders, donors, grantors, development finance institutions, and program managers, the challenges they face in providing their products and service to Syrian refugee and Jordanian youth, and where they see opportunities to address the challenges associated with financial exclusion.

Based on these findings, various financing and investment approaches and modalities were developed and/or refined, and which were designed to circumvent the various regulatory, financial, and socioeconomic barriers Syrian refugee and Jordanian youth face. These innovative approaches utilized a variety of debt, grant, and equity-based instruments, and were thoroughly vetted and based to varying degrees on the experiences and lessons learned of local and international actors. Finally, through co-creation workshops, Al Jidara shared its approaches for feedback by relevant stakeholders, refining them and looking at partnerships to operationalize and implement them.