FIGURE 2.7: Three Emerging Directions for Strengthening Social Protection in Africa
DIRECTION 1
Diversify policy objectives and instruments for expanded coverage and reach of social protection, particularly focusing on informal sector workers and urban areas
DIRECTION 2
DIRECTION 3
Strengthen adaptive delivery systems and leverage data and technological innovation for wider coverage and reach
Enhance financing for wider, more sustainable coverage and more effective shock response
Direction 1: Diversifying Policy Objectives and Instruments to Expand Coverage and Reach In view of the pressing challenges posed by rapidly increasing urbanization and informality and increasing vulnerability to shocks, social protection systems in Africa can diversify the objectives and instruments to enhance protection for all. Countries in Africa can build on their emerging noncontributory rural poverty-focused social safety net schemes to promote resilience to climate and other shocks, build human capital, promote more productive and shock resilient livelihoods, and advance women’s empowerment. This means building contributory instruments to help nonpoor, but vulnerable, urban informal sector workers better manage risks and become more resilient to shocks. Toward Greater Adaptation and Response to Shocks
Social protection systems in Sub-Saharan Africa need to become more adaptive for enhanced resilience and wider coverage in times of shock and crisis. Reach can be understood conceptually as the potential coverage in times of shock. It can come through noncontributory cash transfers or contributory savings instruments for informal workers. Reach depends on the robustness of social protection delivery systems (size and quality of the social registry, foundational and government-recognized ID, and payment systems), relevant instruments (cash transfers and savings schemes), and available financing. Building back better from the COVID-19 shock involves, first, reinforcing resilience-building measures through productive/economic inclusion programs targeted to the extreme poor, including by deliberately engaging women for their empowerment and for boosting their role as drivers of household resilience. Second,
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