Displaced by war, young Sudanese turn to entrepeneurship to survive

What the report says

Young Sudanese displaced by the country’s war are increasingly turning to informal work, small businesses and creative pursuits to make a living as formal employment opportunities shrink. In a report published by Al Jazeera on 30 September 2026, the stories of several women in different parts of Sudan illustrate how conflict has disrupted education, jobs and family life, while also prompting new forms of entrepreneurship.

Among them is Yousra Hussein, who graduated in medical laboratory sciences and launched a women’s empowerment project called Golden Women in Nyala in 2022. After the war forced her family first to flee to Sennar and later Kassala, she began offering nail services from home before reviving the initiative to help other women learn business and marketing skills. Al Jazeera reported that funding, bank requirements, registration rules and taxes remain major barriers for young people trying to start businesses.

The article places these experiences in a broader economic crisis. It cites a 2024 joint report by the UN Development Fund and the International Food Policy Research Institute saying displacement and joblessness rose sharply among urban households, and notes World Bank estimates showing extreme poverty increasing since 2022. The Al Jazeera piece also mentions programmes by the International Labour Organization and Sudan’s Ministry of Youth and Sports aimed at entrepreneurship and vocational training.

Another example is Mahira, a displaced visual artist in Port Sudan who has built income through painting, decoration work and workshops. She hopes to fund an exhibition promoting peace and coexistence, showing how some Sudanese are using art as both livelihood and response to the war’s social damage.