Social Entrepreneurship as a Pathway to Human Security: Rebuilding Livelihoods, Social Cohesion and Resilience in Post-Conflict Communities of North-Central Nigeria

Abstract

Post-conflict recovery in North-Central Nigeria requires more than the restoration of physical infrastructure or the provision of short-term humanitarian assistance. Repeated violence, displacement, livelihood destruction, food insecurity, unemployment and weakened community relationships have created interconnected forms of insecurity that require people-centred responses. This article examines social entrepreneurship as a pathway to human security in post-conflict communities of North-Central Nigeria. The study adopts a qualitative documentary research design and draws on scholarly literature, policy documents and reports from international and Nigerian institutions concerning human security, social entrepreneurship, displacement, livelihoods, peacebuilding and community resilience. The analysis demonstrates that social entrepreneurship can contribute to post-conflict recovery by combining economic value creation with social objectives, generating livelihoods, rebuilding local markets, strengthening social networks, engaging youth and women, and creating platforms for cooperation across conflict-affected social groups. However, social entrepreneurship cannot substitute for state responsibility, security provision or structural reforms. Its contribution is strongest when embedded within broader peacebuilding, local governance, social protection, skills development and market-access strategies. The article argues that a human-security approach provides an appropriate framework for repositioning social entrepreneurship from a narrow enterprise-development intervention to a strategic instrument for rebuilding livelihoods, restoring dignity, strengthening social cohesion and reducing vulnerability in conflict-affected communities