The Principal Investigator of the Gender Equitable and Transformative Social Policy for Africa (GETSPA) project and professor at SOAS, University of London, Professor Dzodzi Tsikata has urged African policymakers to enact bold reforms that position social policy as an engine of development, not an afterthought.
Speaking at the project’s 3rd Annual Conference, Prof. Tsikata argued that core social sectors including housing, education, health, and social protection must be fundamentally reframed to be consistent with continental development goals.
Prof. Tsikata stressed that current social policy making across the continent is too cautious and often relegated to correcting economic failures.
”What we want policymakers to take out of this is that social policy making right now in Africa is too timid and many times is seen as an afterthought to economic policies,” she stated. “It should not be trying to correct the mistakes of economic policy, but we should understand that it is only by transforming social policy that we can actually build the cohesive and confident and prosperous Africa that we want.”
To combat high inflation and poverty, Prof. Tsikata called on governments to move immediately beyond the narrow framework of the minimum wage. She argued that the current minimum wage is both inadequate and poorly enforced, leaving millions struggling.
”We have to have what we call a living wage, not a minimum wage,” she insisted.
She emphasized that this living wage must be enforced across all sectors, ensuring that every worker, from domestic staff to informal laborers like the ‘kayayi’, can earn enough to live with dignity.
Furthermore, she urged policymakers to address the cost of living directly by focusing on reducing taxes and high service charges that disproportionately affect the poor.
The conference, which brings together a Pan-African network of researchers, reflects a growing, continent-wide push to reimagine social protections and build a more resilient Africa.
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Story by Ruth Besang and Kelvin Owusu Andam| univers.ug.edu.gh
Edited by Deborah Owusu
