Across the globe, concerns have been expressed that accepting massive influx of refugees impacts on access to scarce available resources to meet the basic needs of the general populace of the host nation. This is a socially constructed view in the mind of some observers that refugees are a burden to the receiving states. BUT is this true? In an attempt to answer the question, this paper explores the role played by refugees in the context of national development from a socio-economic perspective. The writer relied more on documentary search and ideas from key informant interviewees and his personal experiences as a refugee.

Keywords: Refugees; National development; Receiving states; Local integration, Access to resources