* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Why investment in social protection for Africa’s children is an investment in the continent's future
Almost 400 delegates from across the African continent and beyond gathered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia this week for the African Child Policy Forum’s (ACPF) Sixth International Policy Conference on the African Child (IPC), entitled Social Protection in Africa: Making it Work for Children.
H.E. Joaquim Chissano, President of Mozambique (1986-2005), Chairperson of the International Board of Trustees of ACPF, and Théophane Nikyèma, Executive Director, ACPF explain why an investment in social protection for Africa’s children is an investment in Africa’s future.
For Africans, the concept of social protection for the most vulnerable people in our communities, including our children, has historically been deeply rooted in tradition and custom. Such traditional safety nets, defined by proud, centuries-long held notions of kinship and community, continue to be an invaluable means of support for many.
Yet, Africa is changing. Sweeping social, economic and political changes, including urbanization and migration, HIV/AIDS, climate change, poverty, and growing civil conflict, are inevitably weakening and eroding the communities and extended family units around which traditional social protection measures formerly flourished.
In recent times, more and more African countries have come to recognise the need for government led, formal and well regulated social protection measures to complement traditional systems, to ensure that the most vulnerable children and their families are supported in times of economic or social shock. In doing so, these African states follow a lead set by the African Union’s (AU) adoption of the Social Policy Framework which identifies social protection systems as a key intervention.
ACPF’’s review of 48 African states revealed that 30 had six or more of the eight key social security areas anchored in their national legislation, which is to be applauded. These eight areas are: sickness, maternity, old age, survivors, invalidity, child / family allowances, employment injury and unemployment, many of which, either directly or indirectly touch on the welfare of children. At the other end of the scale, however, 16 states have national legislation covering four or less of the eight branches of social protection.
The level of poverty that persists amongst Africa’s children - their lack of access to decent education and reasonable healthcare, their daily vulnerability to being malnourished, or exploited and abused, - clearly demonstrates that a great deal remains to be achieved in the area of social protection.
Not only is social protection a clear obligation on African governments, in that it is strongly embedded in international human and child rights instruments to which most African states are signatories, it is also, from a less altruistic viewpoint, an investment in the economic growth and sustainable development of the entire continent.
Africa is set to become one of the most youthful populations of the world in the near future, with the child population estimated to rise to 861 million by 2050. This growing young population represents a potential productive workforce to drive economic growth, so the need to ensure they are nurtured, educated, healthy and protected is becoming a real imperative.
Delegates at the Sixth IPC called for a series of measures to improve child-sensitive social protection policies and programmes for the betterment of all Africa’s citizenry.
Firstly, more effort must be made to increase understanding of how child-sensitive social protection can benefit economic growth and inclusive development, in order to increase consensus for further expansion of such programmes.
Secondly, whilst acknowledging the institutional, financial and capacity challenges impeding the expansion of social protection programmes, African states must share knowledge and engage in a dialogue which will prioritise and facilitate the establishment of sustainable systems and financing mechanisms that will allow national child sensitive social protection programmes to flourish.
Thirdly, scaling up social protection policies should not be undertaken in isolation from the rich tradition of community-based social protection seen in African culture for hundreds of years, but should work in tandem with these valuable informal systems which still have an important role to play in children’s lives.
Finally, we must not neglect or overlook the role that civil society organisations can play in combating poverty and inequality in Africa. There is great scope to create the space for CSOs to make a meaningful contribution to child-sensitive social protection programmes.
Like all Africans committed to the future of the continent and the children who will inherit it, every delegate at the Sixth IPC shares the AU’s vision for an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa – and it is a vision in which child-sensitive social protection should play a vital role.
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