This article by Reeta Roy, President and CEO of the Mastercard Foundation, highlights the untapped economic potential of Africa’s 45 million forcibly displaced people, including refugees. Drawing on inspiring examples such as Mesfin Getahun in Kenya’s Kakuma settlement, Roy argues that refugees are not just aid recipients, but dynamic entrepreneurs and contributors to local economies. In response, the Mastercard Foundation is committing $300 million in partnership with UNHCR to expand education, skills training, and dignified work opportunities for refugees across Africa, especially youth and women. The article calls for collaborative, long-term investment from governments, development funders, and the private sector to transform refugee settlements into engines of inclusive economic growth.