Uganda’s ratification of a new African Union protocol recognising social protection and social security as enforceable rights is a “historic milestone”, civil society groups said on Friday, while warning that major funding and coverage gaps threaten to blunt its impact.
The government ratified the AU Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Citizens to Social Protection and Social Security on September 18, aligning the country with a continental framework that obliges states to build comprehensive and sustainable social protection systems.
“This is a historic milestone that affirms social protection and social security as fundamental human rights and essential pillars of inclusive and sustainable development,” said Fredrick Bwire, chairperson of the Social Protection Platform Uganda (SPPU), during a press briefing in Kampala.
Uganda’s population now exceeds 49 million, with more than 75% under the age of 30, placing increasing pressure on jobs and household incomes, SPPU said.
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Between 70% and 75% of workers are employed in the informal sector and lack access to contributory social security, while less than 10% of the labour force is covered by formal schemes, largely through the National Social Security Fund.
“Without deliberate expansion, adequate financing and institutional reform, millions of Ugandans will continue to live without protection against poverty, vulnerability and economic shocks,” Bwire said.
According to SPPU, more than one in five Ugandans live below the national poverty line, while climate-related shocks such as floods and droughts are increasingly undermining livelihoods.
Public spending on social protection remains below 1% of gross domestic product, far below regional and global benchmarks.
The AU protocol is considered a “game changer” because it treats social protection as a legal right rather than discretionary welfare.
It obliges states to establish accessible and sustainable systems and requires special measures for women, children, older persons, persons with disabilities, as well as informal and migrant workers.
“Ratification therefore creates a clear obligation on the state to act,” Bwire said.
SPPU called on government and parliament to urgently domesticate the protocol through national legislation, increase and ring-fence financing for social protection, and expand programme coverage.
The platform urged authorities to scale up the Senior Citizens Grant nationwide, extend both contributory and non-contributory schemes to informal workers, and ensure gender- and disability-inclusive programme design.
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“Ratification alone does not put food on the table, protect workers from shocks, or guarantee dignity in old age,” Bwire said.
“These outcomes will only be realised through domestication, financing and effective implementation.”
SPPU said it was ready to work with government and development partners to translate the commitment into “real, measurable change” for Ugandans.
