Three challenges of social protection in sub‐Saharan Africa: informality, climate change and pandemics

This article provides an overview of social protection challenges in sub‐Saharan Africa. It explores three main challenges: the integration of informal workers, the management of climate change and pandemics. Despite the proliferation of social protection programmes in sub‐Saharan Africa, effective coverage remains low. About 76.3% of the population is not covered by any formal social protection mechanisms. Following the principle of qualitative comparative analysis, this article offers a twofold contribution. Firstly, it provides an overview of the diversity of social protection mechanisms in sub‐Saharan Africa. This article proposes to describe the three categories of social protection using the concept of social protection mix: formal, semi‐formal and informal. Secondly, using this concept, this study explores three major challenges of the social protection mix in sub‐Saharan Africa. Finally, this article suggests ways to strengthen social protection systems that address new challenges and incorporate the diversity of social protection mechanisms.