To provide a platform for an engaging conversation between African Governments, civil society organizations, and people affected by COVID-19 on how to address critical social protection gaps exposed by pandemic and progress towards inclusive and rights-based social protection, the African Union, the Africa Social Protection Platform, HelpAge International, WIEGO, Save the Children, the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) – Zambia, and the ILO Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa organised a virtual dialogue made up of three connected webinars. The conversation revolved around the VOICES of affected populations, the ACTIONS of Governments to expand social protection during COVID-19, and Africa’s VISIONS for social protection as part of an inclusive recovery.

This third and final webinar of the African Dialogue on COVID-19 and the Future of Social Protection series was dedicated to sharing stakeholders’ forward-looking visions for rights-based social protection in Africa. We heard from representatives of the African Union, Governments, and civil society organizations about the importance of Africa’s social protection frameworks and priorities in guiding collective efforts to expand social protection, and what actions different actors are taking to realize these ambitions. The webinar enabled participants to directly engage with the speakers and ask questions.  

The sessions were live translated into English, French, Arabic, and Portuguese. The French interpretation was recorded and can be found here.

 

Speakers:

Oumar Diop, Senior Officer Labour Officer, African Union Commission 

Pakwanja Desiree Twea, Principal Economist, Ministry of Health and Population, Government of Malawi 

Dr Rita Owusu-Amankwah, Director at Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Government of Ghana

Naima Hrouche, Head of Service for Bilateral Social Protection Agreements, Government of Morocco 

Sheila Nkunika, Senior Social Protection Specialist, Save the Children Nigeria

Dr Pamhidzai H. Bamu, Law Programme Regional Coordinator Africa, Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO)

Carole Agengo, Africa Regional Representative, HelpAge International 

Sergio Falange, Executive Director, Mozambican Platform for Social Protection, African Platform for Social Protection

Dr Laura Alfers, Director, Social Protection Programme, Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO)

Sabelo Mbokazi, Head of Division, Labour, Employment and Migration, African Union Commission

 

Chairperson: Simon Nhongo, Zimbabwe Social Protection Platform, Southern Africa Representative African Platform for Social Protection 

 

This was the third webinar of the African Dialogue on COVID-19 and the Future of Social Protection series, jointly organised by the African Union, the Africa Social Protection Platform, HelpAge International, WIEGO, Save the Children, the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) – Zambia, and the ILO Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa.