Film: Social Protection for Older People in Africa

Who should watch this film?

Social Protection for Older People in Africa is for policy-influencers and decision-makers in Africa who have some knowledge of social (non-contributory) pensions schemes and cash transfers to older people, and who are interested in the experiences of other countries on the continent. Experts from Namibia, Mauritius and Kenya tackle three key questions that often trouble decision-makers:

  • What local economic impacts could a social pension have?
  • How can a social pension be afforded and sustained?
  • How can you deliver cash to older people in remote areas?

Social protection for people in Africa from HelpAge International on Vimeo.

How to use this film?

The film is 35 minutes in total, made up of an introduction and three films of 8-12 minutes each. Individual sections can be found here or on our Country Fact File pages, accessible through the links below. The films are designed to be used in workshops and learning events in which participants have time to reflect on the lessons from each country.

Some key questions to guide reflection after each film might be:

Namibia: Local economic growth

  1. What are the short-term, local economic impacts of delivering cash to older people nationwide on a regular basis?
  2. In the medium term, who else benefits in the household and the community?
  3. Over the long term, how can social pensions that provide universal coverage lead to broader development of a country?

Mauritius: Affordability and sustainability

  1. What are the factors that determine if a universal pension is affordable, and was this true for Mauritius?
  2. What factors enabled the sustainability of the pension, and do these exist in your country?
  3. What impact has the pension had on the way people in Mauritius perceive old age?

Kenya: Delivering cash to older people in remote areas

  1. How can technology increase the security and accessibility of a cash transfer to older people?
  2. What are the potential additional development impacts of using the "agency model"?
  3. What potential benefits (or challenges) are there in contracting a private-sector payment service provider?

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Facts and figures: Namibia

  • The Namibian government transfers the equivalent of US$8 million every month to people over 60 (14.5% of average income) at a cost of 1.36% of GDP.

  • The social pension over 93% of eligible individuals, despite Namibia being the most sparsely populated country in Africa.

Facts and figures: Mauritius

  • The non-contributory old age pension has been attributed to contributing to the "Mauritian economic miracle" by the IMF.

  • The old age pension provides the equivalent of 18% of average income to everyone over 60 at a cost of 1.9% of GDP. (The total cost of all social assistance pensions is 3.2% of GDP.)

Facts and figures: Kenya

  • Difficulties older people may have in collecting the pension can be overcome by technology. The personal information of an alternative recipient (such as a family member) who is more mobile can be stored on a smartcard.

  • Using the "agency model" to distribute the pension brings wider developmental benefits by building the capacity of small traders and increasing the range of financial services available to poor households (such as savings schemes). 

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