With the ambition of accelerating the extension of social protection coverage across the continent, Africa will be in a better position to fight extreme poverty, increase income distribution, facilitate economic growth, help build African resilience to external shocks, and put African countries on a firm and good path to implementing the SDGs.

In this context, OSAA will collaborate with the ILO in analyzing social protection systems in Africa with the aim to craft a strong new narrative about extending social protection coverage on the continent. The collaboration will focus on leveraging existing knowledge as a catalyst to deliver advisory services and advocacy products that positively influence policymaking in Africa on the issue of social protection.

ILO launched the Africa Regional Social Protection Strategy, 2021-2025 in November 2021, aiming to achieve universal social protection coverage in Africa, with a target of reaching at least 40% coverage by 2025. The current average coverage is 17%. Moreover, the ILO is the lead agency in the implementation of the UN Secretary General’s Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for a Just Transition, a key initiative on jobs and social protection that aims to increase the level and coordination of the multilateral system’s efforts to support countries to create 400 million decent jobs, including in the green, digital and care economies, and to extend social protection coverage to the 4 billion people currently excluded.

The official launch of the working group took place on 14 April 2022. This high-level virtual event featured remarks by Ms. Cristina Duarte, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Africa, OSAA, and Ms. Cynthia Samuel Olonjuwon, Assistant Director-General and Regional Director for Africa, ILO, followed by a presentation of the 2022 joint workplan.