How internally displaced entrepreneurs in sub-Saharan Africa restart their ventures: a tale of entrepreneurial resilience through bricolage

Purpose This study investigates how internally displaced entrepreneurs (IDEs) with extremely limited resources mobilize resources to reinitiate entrepreneurship in hostile environments. We examine the mechanisms by which resilience and bricolage interact to support entrepreneurial re-engagement in contexts of internal displacement, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a qualitative research design, drawing on 25 in-depth interviews with IDEs and two key informant interviews with representatives of NGOs in the Jibiya refugee camp, Katsina State, Nigeria. Using thematic analysis, we combined inductive and deductive coding processes to develop and refine our codes, which generated a rich set of patterns in the data–illustrating how IDEs reinitiate entrepreneurship in challenging and unfamiliar markets. Findings The findings reveal that adversities faced in the new environment trigger a resilient response among IDEs, including optimism, passion for enterprise, and resistance to marginalization. Through various bricolage behaviors such as trust-building and resource repurposing, entrepreneurs mobilize limited resources to reignite business activities and generate value. This process unfolds in a three-stage sequence linking resilience and bricolage to entrepreneurial re-engagement, namely: (1) reinitiation trigger, (2) tangible and intangible resource mobilization, and (3) value generation. Originality/value This study advances entrepreneurship literature by developing a processual model of entrepreneurial reinitiation among IDEs. It shows how resilience is not only an outcome but also a dynamic enabler of resource bricolage. Furthermore, the research fills a significant gap by focusing on internally (rather than internationally) displaced entrepreneurs in sub-Saharan Africa, providing rare empirical insights into their adaptive entrepreneurial strategies.