Impact of the global economic crisis on social security systems in Africa

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to examine the impact and implications of the current economic crisis in Africa, with a particular emphasis on social security systems. The overall aim is to develop policy proposals and approaches on how best social security systems in Africa can alleviate the social impact of the current economic crisis on individuals and their families. The contribution argues that social security systems throughout Africa are under pressure due to the current global economic crisis. For that reason, social security interventions are urgently needed to deal with social risks induced by the economic downturn such as high levels of unemployment. In the context of Africa, this problem is compounded by factors which prevailed prior to the crisis, such as armed conflicts, natural disasters and disease. African social security systems need to respond to the present crisis as well as the social consequences of the aforementioned issues. A challenge for Africa is that in certain countries on the continent, there is a general lack of social security mechanisms. And where such mechanisms exist, often their scope of coverage is limited. African countries need to focus on turning the current crisis into an opportunity by reinforcing their social security systems where such systems exist or introducing systems where these are absent. KEYWORDS: Economic crisis, social security, Africa, social assistance, social insurance