Somali Response Innovation Lab
Hosted by Somali Resilience Program (SomReP)
Somalia faces overlapping challenges — climate shocks, displacement, fragile markets, and prolonged humanitarian need — that cannot be addressed through traditional delivery models alone. Since its establishment under the Somali Resilience Programme (SomReP) in 2018, the Somali Response Innovation Lab (SomRIL) has created space for experimentation, collaboration, and learning across humanitarian actors, serving vulnerable communities including female-headed households, women and youth entrepreneurs, small business owners, agro-pastoralists, and traditional farmers who lack access to appropriate financial services.
Moving forward, SomRIL will strengthen its role as an innovation broker, ecosystem convenor, and evidence engine — enabling humanitarian organisations, government institutions, private sector actors, and Somali innovators to co-create solutions to systemic challenges. This means embedding innovation within humanitarian systems rather than isolated pilots, strengthening Somali-led ecosystems, and mobilising new forms of financing including blended finance and private capital. Through this approach, SomRIL will contribute to the Global RIL Strategy by demonstrating how innovation can improve humanitarian effectiveness while building long-term resilience.
Click on the pictures to learn more!
SomRIL Updates
SomRIL Project Highlights
-
IGNITE Food Systems Challenge 2024-25
The project was led by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and Somalia Response Innovation Lab (SomRIL) with the support of USAID Bureau of Humanitarian Affairs (BHA) and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The IGNITE Food Systems Challenge grants funding and technical support to local entrepreneurs addressing challenges in food systems and climate resilience, specifically priorities of the United Nations and relief and resilience partners in the country.
-
Financial Innovation and Resource Mobilization (FIRM) Project 2024-2026
The project was led by Somali Response Innovation Lab, in partnership with ADRA Norway and ADRA Somalia, funded by Innovation Norway. The project aims to build new, community‑driven routes for capital by leveraging diaspora resources, local innovators, and alternative financing models that can reduce aid dependency and strengthen Somalia’s long‑term economic resilience.
-
Social Plastics for Economic Development in Somalia 2023-2025
The project aims to engage youths, local communities, and private sector stakeholders in behavior change and plastic waste management, thus addressing both humanitarian and environmental challenges. By leveraging the Response Innovation Lab approach to humanitarian innovation, the partners will convene, matchmake and engage users and private sector stakeholders to co-create a sustainable business model for green jobs in Somali communities.
-
Somali Innovation Spotlight 2019
This curated page provides a glance at response-oriented humanitarian innovations SomRIL supported throughout the year of 2019.
Spotlight on SomRIL-Supported Innovations
-
![]()
OGOW Health
OGOW Health is an award-winning provider of digital health solutions offering innovative and sustainable solutions that improve service delivery and access to healthcare.
-
![]()
Digital Attendance Application (by Sisitech)
An APP that enables teachers in Somalia to mark learner attendance in an almost real-time manner. Supported by RIL in its adoption and scaling.
-
![]()
Bilow Capital
Bilow Capital is a Hargeisa-based impact investment firm building entrepreneurial ecosystems across the Horn of Africa through strategic investments, acceleration support, and ecosystem facilitation.
-
![]()
Wadaag Microfinance
Wadaag Microfinance is piloting a Sharia‑compliant model that combines collateral‑free credit with subsidized share ownership, enabling grassroots women to use shares to access credit and become co‑owners of a financial institution.
-
![]()
Tayo Plastic
Tayo Plastic Factory produces plastic products that satisfy customer needs with focus on quality and convenience.
-
![]()
Eco Plastic
EcoPlastic manufactures sustainable, and durable tiles from plastic waste, to reduce the huge volumes of plastic waste that have visible environmental pollution in the capital city of Somaliland, Hargeisa.
We are constantly looking for new partners to co-create impact.
Contact information:
Mekailah Stephens
SomRIL Team Lead
mekailah_stephens@wvi.org
