ESSAFE Angola - Second Strategic Area - Digital Transformation and Governance

The second strategic area focuses on making sure that the systems are in place to adopt and implement the extension strategy. Effectively extending coverage and adequacy will require implementing several complementary instruments and actions:

1) Removing administrative barriers is key to enhancing the coverage of workers and employers in the informal economy. Administrative procedures need to be made as accessible, comprehensible, simple and efficient as possible to reduce barriers to access for potential members are reduced. Digitalization of the systems and services will be crucial to improve governance and administration of the schemes.

2) Raising awareness, ensuring good governance, and building trust are crucial for any strategy to extend social protection coverage to workers in the informal economy. Transparency, accountability and good governance are key to ensuring that people can trust the social protection system, realize their rights and honour their obligations. Information on rules and regulations (entitlements, processes, etc.) should be made easily accessible to both workers and employers so that they are aware of the importance of social protection, their rights and entitlements, as well as obligations. Workers’, employers’, and civil society representatives, will play an important role in improving awareness raising and communication, as well as demanding good governance, transparency and accountability.

3) Effective mechanisms to promote compliance with regulatory frameworks and enhance incentives are key for the extension of social protection to those in the informal economy.

4) Good coordination between the different elements of a social security system is essential to ensure equitable and sustainable financing and optimize the efficient allocation of resources, particularly in the case of a combination of contributory and noncontributory schemes. Coordination will be an essential asset in every reform aiming for the extension of social security to workers in the informal economy due to the legal and administrative reforms requiring an active involvement of other Government institutions and social partners.