Nigeria’s displacement crisis, which has driven more than 3.7 million people from their homes, is increasingly being seen not only as a humanitarian emergency but as a missed economic opportunity, with stakeholders urging the private sector to invest in displaced populations as a source of labor, enterprise and agricultural growth.

The appeal came at a forum in Abuja convened by the Amahoro Coalition, where officials, business leaders and development partners argued that internally displaced persons should be integrated into productive sectors rather than left dependent on aid. The International Organization for Migration puts the displaced population at over 3.7 million.

Coalition Strategy and Partnerships Lead Tito Mbaithi said the prevailing approach must change, noting that displaced Nigerians possessed farming experience, business knowledge and vocational skills that remained untapped because interventions had focused on emergency relief rather than economic inclusion. He said agriculture offered the greatest opportunity, particularly in the north.

Nigeria Agribusiness Group President Kabiru Ibrahim said viewing displacement through an economic lens offered a practical path to addressing both humanitarian and development challenges, arguing that jobs for displaced persons would reduce dependence on aid and expand the workforce amid food inflation.TGI Group’s Habiba Suleiman said displacement had become a long-term reality requiring long-term solutions anchored on economic participation, and participants agreed that with humanitarian funding under strain, greater private sector involvement was now critical to building sustainable livelihoods.