Abstract:
Social exclusion has become a topical issue warranting global concern. In Africa,
many people have remained unprotected against the hazards of economic shocks
despite implementing various social security policies. The poor performance of
most African economies has in some cases triggered massive retrenchments and
abrupt company closures due to viability problems. The purpose of this article is to
determine the prospects, challenges and constraints of social security in selected
African countries against the backdrop of incessant rising unemployment and other
related challenges. To establish the relevance of the existing social security systems,
a review of available literature on social protection is adopted. Also analysed in this
article are the attempts by African governments to extend social protection to the
informal sector. An examination of journal articles and reviews of general reports
on the overall performance of social security schemes in Africa suggest that social
security interventions have been ineffective in cushioning people against economic
hardships. Efforts aimed at achieving social inclusivity have been inhibited by a
number of economic and administrative challenges. Thus, the informal sector has
remained excluded from formal social security schemes in most African countries
yet it is the obligation of governments to provide social protection to all people
under their jurisdictions. Government policies should be periodically reviewed
in order to establish the relevance of existing provisions to the socio-economic
environment prevailing at any given time. In order to address the problem of social
exclusion, governments need to holistically adopt a multi-sectoral approach to
social security.
