Assessing the Demand for Goods and Services (Financial and Non-Financial) Among Refugees and IDPs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The document assesses the market potential and specific needs of refugees and IDPs in the DRC, highlighting significant spending power and a high demand for micro-loans and energy solutions. It identifies key opportunities for businesses to provide digital credit, improved money transfer services, and affordable electricity, particularly through PAYG schemes, while noting that most displaced populations possess the formal identification necessary to access bank accounts.

• As of December 31, 2017, the Democratic Republic of Congo had the largest displaced population in Africa, with over 4.49 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), of whom 60% are under 18 years old.
• The DRC hosted 532,456 refugees as of March 2019, with the largest groups originating from Rwanda, Central African Republic, South Sudan, and Burundi.
• There is significant aggregate spending power among displaced populations; adult IDPs in the DRC are estimated to spend over $1 billion annually on household expenses, while adult refugees in camps and settlements are estimated to spend $28.5 million per year on items such as food, clothing, and utilities.
• There is a widespread need for short-term micro-loans for emergencies and business startups, though current access to formal financial products is limited; most currently rely on small informal loans from friends and family.
• A lack of electricity is a critical gap for refugees, who have no access to basic services like lighting or phone charging, presenting an opportunity for solar energy or generator solutions, potentially via Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) schemes.
• Mobile phone penetration is high among some groups, with 86% of refugees in South Kivu and 70% of IDPs in Kasai owning phones, though access varies by region; for example, less than half of IDPs in Tanganyika own a mobile phone.

APA

FSD Africa (2019). Assessing the Demand for Goods and Services (Financial and Non-Financial) Among Refugees and IDPs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/DRC-Refugees-Briefing-note-final-June-2019.pdf

Chicago

FSD Africa. Assessing the Demand for Goods and Services (Financial and Non-Financial) Among Refugees and IDPs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 2019. https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/DRC-Refugees-Briefing-note-final-June-2019.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=FSD Africa |title=Assessing the Demand for Goods and Services (Financial and Non-Financial) Among Refugees and IDPs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo |date=June 2019 |url=https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/DRC-Refugees-Briefing-note-final-June-2019.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{fsdafrica2019assessing, author = {{FSD Africa}}, title = {{Assessing the Demand for Goods and Services (Financial and Non-Financial) Among Refugees and IDPs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo}}, institution = {FSD Africa}, year = {2019}, month = jun, url = {https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/DRC-Refugees-Briefing-note-final-June-2019.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }