The process of social integration is very important for refugees. A study conducted in Zambia for the Refugee Studies Programme of the University of Oxford gives a clearer idea of the way Angolan refugees rebuild their lives. After the refugees were incorporated into the neighbourhood in focus, through the patronage of a local chief, they sought to boost their livelihood with income generating activities. This was no easy task, as the area in question is one of Zambia's poorest regions. The Government of Zambia and UNHCR plan to organise repatriation of self-settled refugees back to Angola. Thus both refugee and host communities are under pressure. The study report explores the impact of these factors on participation by refugees in North Western Bee Products (NWBP)'s honey production and marketing ventures. It also includes an evaluation of the operations of NWBP from the point of view of smaller-scale local producers.

The influx into Zambia of refugees fleeing civil war in Angola began in 1966. They were, from the beginning, protected under international conventions. Their integration into Zambian communities was gradual and they have throughout tried to maintain independent livelihoods through hunting, fishing or utilisation of wild products.

Beekeeping has played an important role in the local economy over the past 100 years. Realising the potential of this industry, the state licensed a private company, North Western Bee Products, to commercialise collection and marketing of honey and other bee products. NWBP has since occupied important niche in this market. Researchers investigated the role of this company and the situation of the self-settled refugees and hosts in Zambia's North Western Province. The study took the form of a questionnaire, focus groups, interviews and observations over a seven-month period. Findings indicated that:

• refugees suffered severe economic disadvantages arising from their status. They held less land and gained less income than their hosts. Refugee beekeepers had fewer hives and produced less honey than Zambians
• official policies in favour of encouraging repatriation undermine a sense of security among refugees
• NWBP operates a monopoly which does not best serve the interests of those the project was set up to help
• inadequate marketing and transport infrastructure in the North Western Province further weakens the project
• poor planning and neglect by donors and officials breeds poverty among both refugee and resident beekeepers
• both also lack institutional leverage to amend the situation. For both, 'resources are nice, but rights are better'.

Wider implications for policy on refugees were that:

• all-out repatriation policies blight the future of integration as a 'durable solution' to the presence of refugees
• more research is needed on the dynamics of repatriation, integration and self-settlement of refugees in Africa
• the effects of commercial income-generating projects on the poor need to be carefully assessed and monitored
• the end of the Cold war has changed the way conflicts are resolved in the 'Third World' but refugees remain marginalised. It is up to donors to ensure that adequate representation of the needs of refugees is guaranteed.

Source(s):
1. Refugee Self-settlement vs. Settlement on Government Schemes: long term consequences for security, integration and economic development of Angolan refugees in Zambia. United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) Discussion Paper 17 November, by A. Hansen (1990)
2. The long term impact and consequences of two refugee settlement options: the case of Angolan Refugees in Zambia. IDRC-University of Zambia Refugee Research Project Paper presented at the International Refugee Conference, Arusha, Tanzania by N.D. Mijere (1990) >

Funded by: ESCOR/DFID, (1995)

id21 Research Highlight: 1998-May-21

Further Information:
T. Mabwe
Refugee Studies Programme
Queen Elizabeth House
21 St Giles
Oxford
OX13LA, UK

Tel: +44 (0) 1865 2670722
Fax: +44 (0) 1865 270721
Contact the contributor: rsp@qeh.ox.ac.uk

Refugee Studies Programme, Queen Elizabeth House (QEH), UK