Social protection is increasingly seen as a promising intervention for promoting inclusive growth and development by enhancing the ability of individuals and households to generate income, cope with risks and shocks, gain access to services, and stabilise livelihoods.
Since June 2010, Uganda has been implementing the Expanding Social Protection Programme through the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development and has undertaken the rollout of the Senior Citizens Grant.
The country has started to establish policy and regulatory frameworks that underscore the importance of social protection in addressing risks and vulnerabilities among individuals and households. While these interventions have registered significant initial achievements, social protection programmes in Uganda, and the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), are generally poorly funded in national budgets due to an increasing focus on infrastructure.
In addition, they tend to be primarily driven by development partners and thus have limited sustainability. More resources and stronger political will is required to scale up and sustain these components beyond donor support.
In light of this, the Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC), Uganda’s leading think tank in economic research and development policy, in partnership with the INCLUDE Knowledge Platform, a multi stakeholder knowledge platform on inclusive development established by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, have organized an international conference on “Social Protection for Inclusive Growth in Africa,” to deliberate on the business case for public financing for social protection and discuss policy issues and modalities for implementation of social protection programmes in SSA.
Specifically, the conference aims to increase awareness of the (cost) effectiveness and complementarity of social protection programmes for inclusive growth and development in SSA; discuss modalities for the implementation of social protection in the region; promote the utilisation of available research on means to achieving effective and efficient social protection; and finally, to identify knowledge gaps requiring further investigation in terms of design, implementation, financing, and sustainability.
The conference is to be opened with welcome remarks from Isa Baud, INCLUDE Steering Group Member, and Henk Jan Bakker, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Uganda, followed by the opening address from Hon. Janat Mukwaya, Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development for Uganda.
The subsequent programme consists of various presentations from representatives of INCLUDE, Development Pathways, and the Economic Policy Research Institute, South Africa, followed by a Q&A session. The conference is set to take place on the 21st of June, 2018 at Naguru Skyz Hotel, and will bring together over 80 delegates from Uganda, Benin, Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Rwanda, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Belgium, Netherlands and the United States of America.
Those attending are drawn from a wide range of sectors, including government officials, diplomatic corporations, and representatives from civil society, private sector, think tanks, academia, and media.
Are you able to attend the conference? Or do you need more information? Please contact Elizabeth Birabwa, Programme Manager, EPRC: ebirabwa@eprcug.org
Tel: +256-772589002
EPRC: http://eprcug.org/ INCLUDE: www.includeplatform.net
Twitter: @EPRC_official Twitter: @IncludePlatform
Facebook: @EPRCUganda Facebook: @IncludePlatform
Blog: eprcug.org/blog
About EPRC
The Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC) is Uganda’s leading think tank in economics and development policy. We are a recognized leader in providing timely evidence based research responsive to user needs for policy and good governance. The Centre was established in 1993 as an autonomous not-for-profit organization limited by guarantee to fill fundamental voids in economics research, policy analysis, and capacity building for effective in-country contributions to Uganda’s policy processes.
About INCLUDE
INCLUDE is a unique Knowledge Platform consisting of 27 distinguished members from African and Dutch-based knowledge networks, NGOs, private sector and policy stakeholders. It was initiated in 2012 by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Its unique characteristics as a multi-layered network with a focused set of activities make it a strategic partner to promote evidence-based policy making for inclusive development in Africa.