Re:BUiLD conducted cost-effectiveness and cost-efficiency analyses alongside its livelihood interventions and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in Kenya and Uganda.

These analyses examine what it costs to deliver different interventions — cash grants, mentorship and business networking — and what each approach returns, providing evidence to inform program design and resource allocation.

Wave 1: Cash Grants and Mentorship 

• Livelihoods Cost Effectiveness Brief 2023: Re:BUiLD Kenya Wave 1 RCT

  This brief examines the cost of delivering cash grants alone and cash grants combined with mentorship to 1,570 microentrepreneurs in Nairobi, Kenya. The cash-only treatment cost €731 per client, while the mentorship arms cost €1,133 per client, with mentor stipends and participant transport driving the difference. Of the €1,623,629 spent on the project, 10% went to headquarters and internal cost recovery.

• Livelihoods Cost-Effectiveness Brief 2023: Re:BUiLD Uganda Wave 1 RCT

  This brief examines the cost per effect of business grants alone compared with grants combined with mentorship across 1,648 microentrepreneurs in Kampala, Uganda. The grant-only treatment cost €842 ($884) per client, while the two mentorship arms cost €1,146–€1,148 ($1,203–$1,206) per client. Business grants drove the effects on profits, and for every $1 of additional profit it cost $3.34 for men and $3.90 for women under the grant-only treatment, compared with $4.56 for men and $5.31 for women where mentorship was added.

Wave 2: Business Networks 

• Building Business Networks for Refugee Integration in Nairobi: A Cost-effectiveness Analysis

  In Nairobi, Kenya, only 57.5% of the sample owned a business at baseline, earning average monthly revenues of US$103. This learning brief examines whether pairing cash grants with structured business networking groups justifies the additional cost, providing evidence to inform decisions on the value of business networks in strengthening economic inclusion.

• Building Business Networks for Refugee Integration in Kampala: A Cost-effectiveness Analysis

  In Kampala, Uganda, 47.3% of the sample owned a business at baseline, earning average monthly revenues of $109. This learning brief examines the cost-effectiveness of cash grants offered alone and alongside structured business networking groups, and their contribution to refugee economic and social integration.

Cross-Program Cost Analysis 

• Cost of Re:BUiLD Livelihood Interventions for Refugees in East Africa

  This policy brief summarises cost analysis findings from across Re:BUiLD. It covers the smaller pilot activities implemented between 2021 and 2022, each assessed for cost-efficiency to identify key cost drivers, alongside the business grants, mentorship and network groups tested at scale through the RCTs. It offers guidance to program designers and policymakers on choosing the most cost-efficient and cost-effective modality for a given outcome.