National Social Protection Policy developed

Social protection aims to enhance the capacity of poor and vulnerable persons to manage economic and social risks, such as unemployment, exclusion, sickness, disability and old age. Policy interventions can improve their well-being by, among others reducing poverty and inequality and stimulating pro-poor growth.

Social protection is not a new concept in this country. Ghana has implemented a range of pro-poor programmes over the years to ensure that citizens are guaranteed relief from destitution, realise their basic rights and are able to participate effectively in the socio-economic life.

However, continuing economic and social disparities call for intensification, harmonisation and sustenance of these efforts towards a clear vision of the change that is required.

It is in this respect that the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection has developed the national social protection policy.

 The policy, which provides a framework for delivering social protection coherently, effectively and efficiently in a way that is holistic and properly targeted is also in line with the country’s international and national commitments to pursue comprehensive programmes of social protection.

Conventions, Treaties and Protocols for social protection that the country have commited to include the African Union Social Policy Framework (2003), the Livingstone Declaration (2006), the Ouagadogou Declaration and Plan of Action (2004, 2008) and the AU Heads of State Common Agenda for Action Post-2015.

 Aims of the policy

The Ghana Living Standards Survey indicates that,absolute and extreme poverty declined over the decade.

However, there are indications that Ghana is becoming an increasingly unequal country and the benefits of economic growth and poverty reduction have not been equally distributed across the nation, across gender and across economic quintiles.

The new social protection policy therefore provides the overarching framework for ensuring social protection impacts by preventing, promoting and transforming the circumstances of Ghanaians, families and communities.

The policy further aims at structuring and integrating social protection as well as the accompanying institutional reforms to deliver the identified priorities. 

It seeks to clarify social protection objectives that Ghana can aspire to, at which stage in the country’s development; the different target populations; credible and responsive targeting mechanisms.

 It further defines an understanding of social protection and a social protection floor within a Ghanaian context and provides an institutional framework for coordination and as well as stakeholder collaboration in monitoring and ensuring accountability.

Key target groups that Ghana’s public social protection efforts would address urgently were children, poor women, vulnerable families, pregnant and lactating mothers, persons with disability and older persons

 Development strategy

The draft Policy emphasises that the government’s objective for Human Development, Productivity and Employment in the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda (GSGDA)  II (2014-2017) objectives should not be compromised by the challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment.

The GSGDA II seeks for a knowledgeable, well-trained, disciplined, highly productive, and healthy work force with the capacity to drive and sustain the socio-economic transformation of the country over the long term.

It also identifies the need for coordination and integration, prioritising some of Ghana’s flagship social protection programmes such as the National Health Insurance Scheme, Capitation Grant, the School Feeding Programme and Livelihoods Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP).

The policy also looks at addressing the challenges of poverty and inequality as a crucial part of Ghana’s development strategy. It calls for consideration to be given to creating the necessary fiscal space to support the reform and improve reliable and sustained spending on social protection.

The draft also called for a legal framework that defines the package of benefits, services and secures the interests of key interest groups.

It observed that though the constitution provides for social protection, social assistance for instance was not sufficiently embedded in the country’s laws.

This, the draft said has resulted in some inconsistency, inability to address the life cycle risks of individuals or coverage of all of those who rightly qualify.

It further stressed on the need to strengthen monitoring and evaluation to credibly assess progress, efficient and effective delivery and appreciate the totality of outcomes and impacts of social protection interventions.

 The Social Protection Basket

The policy identifies five foundational programmes as the starting point of a coordinated, integrated approach to social protection in Ghana.

The five have been selected on the basis of their demonstrated potential for addressing poverty sustainably; and prospects for integration to provide a holistic range of services for poor households.

The programmes are cash transfers including child benefits, maternal cash benefit and  social old age pensions through the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) and successor programmes, the full achievement and application of National Health Insurance Exemptions and the up-scaling and integration of the Labour Intensive Public Works (LIPW) as a key social employment strategy.

The others are the application of the Free School Uniforms and Exercise Books Programmes and the delivery of the National School Feeding Programme to achieve educational participation, nutritional, employment creation and social cohesion purposes.

 Coordination

The policy, to be implemented over a 10-year period will be cordinated by a Inter-Ministerial Committee for Social Protection, which will be the highest coordinating body.  The Committee shall harmonise social protection interventions and shall be supported by a Social Protection Technical Committee compromising of senior public managers.