State of the Africa Region

Boosting Resilience in Turbulent Times: The Role of Social Protection

As Sub-Saharan Africa is slowly recovering from the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, the region is facing new economic threats, including new virus variants, global inflation, supply disruptions and climate shocks. At the same time, the recent pandemic experience has demonstrated the critical role social protection can play in responding to covariate shocks such as those resulting from epidemics, climate change, natural disasters, or conflict.

This State of the Africa Region event will provide an opportunity to review the macro-economic situation in the Africa region, given the recent fluctuations in commodity and food prices, and focus on social protection strategies that can help build resilience in African economies and create jobs, as they recover from multiple shocks in current troubled times. It will focus on how social protection programs can help build the resilience of poor and vulnerable households by supporting them through investments in education, health and infrastructure and to build human capital.

The discussion will highlight critical issues that countries are coping with in their economic recovery efforts and bring in a broader audience to advocate and act on this agenda. The event will feature remarks from the World Bank’s Senior Management in the Africa region and discussions with a distinguished panel of African policymakers, leaders, entrepreneurs, civil society organizations and youth.