Annual Delegates Conference 22nd to 24th October 2015- Kigali, Rwanda
Umubano Hotel
SOCIAL PROTECTION AND DEVELOPMENT
Africa Platform for Social Protection wwwafricapsp.org
ANNUAL DELEGATES CONFERENCE
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1.1 Introduction
The APSP Annual Delegates Conference was organized in collaboration with the Rwanda
Civil Society Platform and the Government of the Republic of Rwanda on 23rd and 24th
October 2015. The annual conference brought together representatives of government,
Civil Society Organisations, National Social Protection Platforms, International
Development Partners and Intergovernmental Organisations to reflect on APSP’s past
and future prospects as well as the progress made in promoting Social Protection (SP) in
Africa.
The 2015 Delegates conference had the following objectives;
1. To explore the opportunities and brainstorm on the role of National Platforms in
accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals through
Social Protection.
2. To create a forum for sharing lessons and experiences emanating from the
projects on Social Accountability in Social Protection in Kenya, Uganda, Ghana,
Zimbabwe and Zambia.
3. To examine the role that National Platforms can play to promote the
implementation of the AU’s Agenda 2063.
4. To explore the role of SP in promoting health outcomes, especially at the
community level.
1.2 Opening Remarks – Dr. Tavengwa Nhongo -Executive Director, APSP
The session was led by Dr. Nhongo who began by setting the mood for the Annual Delegates
Conference, providing an opportunity for the delegates to get to know one another and run through
the agenda for the two days.
1.2.1 Mr. Ebenezer Adjetey-Sorsey -Chairperson APSP
The Chair of the APSP took the floor to open the session by welcoming the participants to the Annual
Delegates Conference (ADC). He underscored the importance of setting the pace for Social
Protection in Africa. “We can be the example in the development agenda” he said. He urged
Conference participants pose for a photo outside Umubano hotel, Kigali Rwanda.
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participants to participate fully during the length of the meeting and interact with one another to
build on the networking opportunities afforded by the conference. Each delegate brought their
expertise to the ADC which is but one of the many platforms that the delegates can explore to
continue engaging with one another.
1.2.2 Ms. Peace Murungi -Secretary -Rwanda Civil Society Platform
The Secretary of the Rwanda Civil Society
Platform (RCSP) and the Vice Chairperson of
the APSP; welcomed participants to Kigali with
open arms. She said that Rwanda offered a
most conducive environment for the ADC and
welcomed participants to enjoy the hospitality
of Kigali city. She went on to give a brief about
the RCSP stating that it was the umbrella body
of CSOs in Rwanda and Social Protection was
one of its key activities. She added that the
underlying principle was to make a difference
in the work done and the people represented.
She then officially declared the meeting open and wished participants fruitful deliberations.
1.2.3 Dr. Tavengwa Nhongo _Executive Director, APSP
Dr. Nhongo began by communicating a resolution adopted by the APSP Board regarding the change
of the format of the ADC. The new format as that the Annual General Meeting where office bearers
were elected would be held at the end of
the term of the Board rather than mix
the conference with the AGM. That
change was intended to give more time
to delegates to deliberate over the
salient issues on Social Protection that
essentially brought the delegates
together. This was a departure from
previous conferences that got bogged
down in administrative matters. He then
proceeded to walk through the draft
agenda item by item.
Delegates Conference 2014 - Ebenezer Adjetey -Sorsey
The Chairperson began by giving a recap and update from the 2014 Annual General Meeting (AGM)
and the Annual Delegates Conference (ADC). The theme for 2014 was, “Grassroots Participation in
Social Protection”. The AGM and ADC were attended by forty (40) delegates from each of the five
regions as designated by the Africa Union (AU). He went on to recount the details of the meeting
including the presentation by the Guest of Honour, Hon. Esther Murungi, who looked at the role of
Ms. Murungi looks on during conference proceedings.
Delegates follow proceedings of the meeting
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members of parliament in promoting social protection. In addition, he spoke about the organisation
of the APSP including key documents such as the Rules of Affiliation, Guidelines for Establishing
National Platforms and the governance structure of the organisation. He also recounted the launch
event of the report on “Privacy of Information in Social Protection programmes”, during the last ADC
meeting which attracted representatives from both government and development partner agencies.
The crowning moment of the previous ADC was the ushering in a new Board of Directors who were
tasked with making amendments to the constitution as their maiden duty in office. Of note, he said,
was the fact that for the first time, the
AGM had attracted the participation of all the regions and led to the election of a board member
from Tunisia to represent the Magreb region.
The Chair also reported that the Strategic Plan for 2015-2017 had been concluded and sent out to all
National Platforms as soft copies, and hard copies handed out during the current Conference.
Role of Social Protection in Development – Mr. Simon Nhongo
The Board member for Southern Africa began by equivocally stating that the basis for engagement
in/on Social Protection was to overcome poverty. This primary preoccupation gave impetus to Social
Protection as a tool and mechanism contributing to the Human Development indicators which
among others, served to reduce
vulnerability stemming from shocks and
stresses. Social Protection in
development is linked to building
resilience especially for vulnerable
groups who often bear the brunt of the
effects of poverty. He then went through
the concept of Social Protection and
gave examples of safety nets designed
for specific vulnerable groups. He laid
emphasis on the fact that not only does
Social Protection have a direct impact on
the lives of the poor but also has a
promotive function that builds assets
and regularises incomes for vulnerable
households. Social Protection
contributes to specific Human
Development Indices including health
and education outcomes to name but a
few. Other important roles played by SP include psychosocial benefits that improve dignity and self
esteem. In conclusion, he stated that a comprehensive Social Protection program brings harmony
within the society, reduces poverty and enhances productivity.
Mr. Simon Nhongo, APSP board member, making his
presentation.
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Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the role of Civil Society Organisations – Mr. Boniface
Deagbo
Mr. Deagbo started off his presentation with an affirmation from delegates of their participation in
the development of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He went on to give the context of
the SDGs by going through the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as the precursor to the SDGs
and drew a comparison based on the focus areas and the element of continuity. He went on to look
at the progress of the MDGs between their inception in the year 2000 and in 2015. Even with the
great progress made, he remarked that much still needed to be done. The identified gaps provided
the basis for the successor 17 item Sustainable Development Goals.
To underpin his presentation, he delved into the role of CSOs in their interaction with SDGs, even
though these are targeted at governments. He indicated that CSOs have to accompany government
in this strategy. The SDGs speak to human rights which are the mainstay of CSOs’s, work and should
therefore be linked to the access of entitlements. Specifically, he pointed out that advocacy would
be important for the realisation of the SDGs. CSOs have the tools to put to work the SDGs such as in
the awareness creation of the SDGs, and popularising these at the different levels of society. In
addition, a comprehensive approach to the engagement with SDGs has to be embodied in the work
of CSOs who can link skills, knowledge and expertise in the realisation of specific global goals. Last
but not least, CSOs can play a key role in monitoring the implementation of the SDGs to ensure that
lessons and progress are well documented and shared. This will inform the path to realisation of the
goals and also hold leaders accountable for progress. In conclusion, he said that the onus to realise
the SDGs was not squarely placed on government alone, but rather through a concerted effort from
government, civil society and the private sector.
Mr. Deagbo, looking at the SDG pictogram during his presentation
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The African Union Agenda 2063 _ Dr. Tavengwa M. Nhongo
The presentation by Dr. Nhongo looked at the overview of Agenda 2063 which he described as a
plan for Africa’s structural transformation agreed upon by the African Union (AU) in May 2013.
Coincidentally, the plan was agreed upon during the AU’s commemoration of 100 years of existence.
He proceeded to read out and speak to the details of Agenda 2063 including; infrastructure
development, political unity, social outcomes in sectors like health and education, respect for human
rights and the rule of law, Africa at Peace and a cultural renaissance.
The aspirational document underscores the important role to be played by its people including
women and youth who are a key resource of the continent. Additionally, the AU also envisages a
more prominent role in international discourse shaping the global agenda. He underscored the
importance of CSOs in Agenda 2063 who are explicitly mentioned within the document. He however,
sounded a caution to CSOs who act as a stumbling block to their engagement with regional bodies
and with governments either by being in competition with each other or duplicating work rather
than
complementing
action. He
urged
participants to
keep abreast
with
technology
especially those
that are
concerned with
communication
to ensure that
they are well
informed and
can maximise
on the different
channels of
engagement. Lastly, he recommended to CSOs that they needed to ensure that they have the
capacity, skills and knowledge to engage with the various processes that exist, in order to capitalise
on the numerous avenues to accentuate the voice of the poor and vulnerable.
Mr. Martin Mbuvi from APSP together with other participants listening to Dr.
Nhongo’s presentation.
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Social Protection and Health _ Mr. Edmond Odaba, Project Manager, APSP.
He started off by giving a brief story that
looked at the importance of accessibility of
medical services, infrastructure and the
underlying principle of financing access to
healthcare. In his submission, he said the key
is a comprehensive approach to ensure that
quality healthcare is available as and when it
is needed. To give context to his presentation,
Mr. Odaba, stated that out of pocket
expenditure dominates the financing
spectrum of expenditure on healthcare in
Africa presenting a key challenge to access. He
went on to state that some of the principles
underpinning Social Health Policy are based
on equity, justice and solidarity to enable
access through risk pulling and cost sharing..
He gave a few examples of financing
mechanisms giving both pros and cons for
each including: Community Health Financing,
Private Health Insurance Schemes, Social Health Insurance and Tax Financed Systems. He said that a
mixture of different schemes improves access to healthcare and gave the example of Rwanda which
leads the way with about 80% coverage. He went on to look at the different Social Protection
interventions that build on the access to health care including waivers, cash transfers, etc. Examples
include free maternal care, universal access for children under 5 years, etc.
Mr. Odaba then presented an analysis of expenditure from a cash transfer by households which
demonstrated clearly that health was one of the prominent expenditures including food, education,
savings and investment. There is evidence supporting healthcare investment including reduced
infant mortality rates as exemplified by Rwanda which leads in coverage on the continent and also
has one of the highest impacts in reduction of infant mortality. In conclusion, Social Protection in
Health Promotion leads to improved health status of people, prevents impoverishing healthcare
expenditures, substitutes for insufficient coping mechanisms etc. Universal health coverage requires
a mixture of health financing tools and strategies. The poorest can be reached by tax financed
approaches whereas other segments of the population can take advantage of other existing
schemes. The underlying principle is that system has to be holistic in its approach and medical care
affordable, a two tier health system emerges when issues of affordability are concerned leading to
exclusion and discrimination.
Plenary Session
Dr. Abiola Tilley-Gyado from Nigeria was first to speak. She underscored the importance of research
to respond to doubts from the sceptics. She reiterated the important role of evidence in advocacy. In
Mr. Edmond Odaba, Programme Manager APSP,
reiterates a point during his presentation
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addition, she said that citizens have a key role to play in the development discourse especially
holding governments to account.
Dr. Djermakoye Ide, from Niger, spoke about the importance of a basic minimum package for health
that is comprehensive in its reach and approach.
Mr. Amacadou Diouf, spoke of the health system in Senegal which he said had a universal approach
and drew from global practice linking clearly with social protection objectives. He also underscored
the importance of the role being played by the private sector, an untapped resource that can be
explored to increase coverage.
Ms. Mirana Rakotomalalala inquired on how knowledgeable government was on the interplay
between health and social protection. The machinations of the two can be an asset especially if
looked at as complimentary to deliver maximum effects for vulnerable groups. She was quick to
point out that a clear strategy to engage government has to be drawn to promote health coverage
and build on synergy and complementarity between social protection and other sectors.
Dr. Tavengwa M. Nhongo said that it was important to ensure that CSOs share data and information
with government to build on learning and evidence. Mr. Odaba, also touched on the role of the
private sector saying they are indeed a key partner although the burden still rests with government,
the issue would be on how to harness synergies between government and the private sector.
Ms. Patrica Sewe, from Kenya, picking up on Mirana’s point underscored the importance of ensuring
that human rights are guaranteed by governments even as CSOs continue to push for increased
access to healthcare.
Mr. Enock Nkurunziza from Rwanda, said that CSOs are also vulnerable and need to be protected
and promoted to enhance their participation in increasingly shrinking political space.
Mr. Melvin Gotyana explained that the South African NGO Council (SANGOCO) had taken part in the
development of the Agenda 2063 and can attest to the role of the APSP, which was mentioned
during some of the consultation sessions. He however, urged for more structured avenues to engage
both the AU and governments to sustain interaction.
Mr. Ebenezer Adjetey - Sorsey said that opportunities to participate exist and it is our responsibility
to take up these opportunities. He also underscored
the importance of evidence and research to bolster and
advance the cause of social protection.
Social Audits Presentations
This segment focused on country presentations on the
progress of implementation of the Social Audits in:
Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The
project whose objective was to enhance the
participation of grassroots in social protection also
served to build transparency and accountability of
government run programmes. Cross cutting issues from Ms. Keziah Mukasa (Uganda Social
Protection Platform)
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presentations included training of civil society organisations on social protection and in social
accountability. Ms. Keziah Mukasa from Uganda reported that they had managed to train 26 CSOs.
One issue that stood out is that knowledge and information on social accountability and social
protection programmes had been shared with communities and beneficiaries of programmes. In
addition, knowledge derived, enabled beneficiaries of
the programme to choose appropriate social
accountability tools and develop relevant indicators.
Mr. Jeleel Odoom from Ghana reported that 10
indicators were developed. Interestingly the issues of
concern for beneficiaries included timeliness of
disbursements, adequacy of the transfer and coverage
of social protection in the countries. Ms. Patricia Sewe
from Kenya, in her presentation reported that
beneficiaries often had to travel long distances to
access pay points but the government of Kenya was in
the process of rolling out a biometric payment system
that brought payments closer to beneficiaries. Ms.
Esther Yati from Zambia, in her submission, pointed
out that there were lessons to be drawn from the
social accountability projects that demonstrated the
impact of social protection, the need to expand
programmes and the role that can be played by civil society in enhancing access to social protection
services by the most vulnerable. Mr. Simon Nhongo on the other hand pointed to the importance of
having government as a key partner in programme implementation. Civil society needs to ensure
buy-in from government especially in instances where the programmes are being run by government
because the value to be offered by citizen participation in programme design and implementation
cannot be overlooked or underestimated.
Plenary Session – Day 1
Mr. Amacadou Diouf from Senegal pointed out that governments have a primary responsibility to
ensure accountability and transparency in accordance
with the social contract. He added that given the relative
success of the project on social accountability, National
platforms can sell the idea of the social audit as a
mechanism to improve the functionality of service delivery
and in fact, the APSP has a great opportunity to promote
grassroots participation in Social Protection.
Mr. Erastus Maina from Kenya reiterated the fact that
CSOs need to look at government as a strategic partner
and not as an aggressor in the work that they do. He
recounted the initial tension that existed in Kenya during
the commencement of the project but attributed it to
misunderstandings which were sorted out through
consultations and in the end collaboration was the
Ms. Esther Yati (Platform for Social
Protection_Zambia)
Mr. Erastus Maina (SPAF_ Kenya)
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operative word that saw buy - in and support ensuring success and value addition to service delivery.
He advocated for the escalation of the project to more countries and regions.
Mr. Adjetey-Sorsey, in his submission, said that the projects demonstrated capacity development
and that good “pilots” work. The ADC had provided a forum where colleagues had been presented
with an opportunity to share their findings which can be used as evidence in programme and
proposal development.
Day 2
The session began with a recap of the outstanding
issues discussed during the previous day, and was
led by Mr. Edmond Odaba. This gave way to the
second session of the day that was chaired by Dr.
Djermakoye Ide, a gallery walk. The Gallery walk
was a picturesque display of each country’s
activities for the year. Participants had an
opportunity to walk round the room reading
through and discussing with representatives from
the specific countries strategies and programmes
carried out during the course of the year. This was
followed by an open plenary session where
Platforms engaged with each other on various
issues. Mr. Lamin Saidykhan from the Gambia, for
example, wanted to find out from the Kenyans
how they had managed to conduct a budget tracking exercise. Ms. Regine Goma from the Republic
of Congo, noted that Central Africa was lagging behind compared to other regions (West, East and
Southern Africa) and requested that support should be accorded to share learning and expertise to
push forward the National Platforms in the region. Mr. Jeleel Odoom from Ghana was happy to
share that the National Platform in Ghana was
regularly consulted on the Social Protection
discourse in the country and that the Platform was
increasingly becoming the focal point of
consultation for both government and development
partners. Mr. Erastus Maina from Kenya pointed
out that he was impressed by the innovative
models that other national Platforms were engaged
in, for example in Zambia there was a Poor People’s
Parliament that provides a platform for sharing
experiences and learning.
Delegates go on a gallery walk of National Platform
activities
Mr. Saidykhan (Gambia Social Protection
Platform) participates in the plenary discussion
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Social Health Insurance
This segment of presentations was geared at showcasing the different healthcare financing models
available. Ghana and Senegal made presentations looking at the models in their respective
countries. Ghana’s presentation was made by Mr. Ebenezer Adjetey-Sorsey, while Senegal’s was
made by Mr. Amacadou Diouf. Mr. Adjetey-Sorsey spoke of the National Health insurance Scheme,
looking at the legislative environment,
administrative structure, financing
mechanisms and coverage. In his
presentation, he looked at the
evolution of the healthcare in Ghana,
specifically the transformation in
financing models from pulled funding
schemes, private health financing and
government financed health insurance
schemes. Mr. Diouf’s presentation
looked at Senegal’s Universal Health
Coverage that sought to increase
coverage and make medical care
accessible to all. In his presentation, he
noted that previous health insurance schemes had been dogged by poor contributions, poor
governance structures and low coverage, especially for the poor and vulnerable. Some of the
principles underlying the scheme include non-discrimination and equity.
Both presentations underscored the importance of creating linkages with other sectors to embody
Alma-Ata’s sentiments regarding health: “physical, mental and social wellbeing, and not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity.”
The session was opened up to plenary and remarks from Dr. Abiola Tilley-Gyado from Nigeria drew
on the similarity between the presentations from Ghana and Senegal, remarking that the same
situation prevailed in Nigeria. She explained that the key challenge for accessing healthcare was the
financing component of Health Insurance Schemes to boost coverage, especially for the poor.
Issues were raised on the capitation system used to finance healthcare insurance and how its
management had been compromised leading to the loss in monies that could have been used to
deliver more services and cover more people. Another concern revolved around sustainability of
funding, which was a key challenge especially where funds supporting the schemes came from
sources external to the state. Lastly, the challenge of schemes running across different ministries
created issues of turf wars hence poor coordination which delayed disbursement of funds and
caused inter-ministerial conflicts.
Mr. Amacadou Diouf (Senegal) presenting on Social Health Insurance
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Child Sensitive Social Protection – Mr. John Njoka
The Director for the Regional and Multi-country Programme Unit began by stating that Save the
Children (SCI), as the name implies, focuses on children. SCI programmes look at full spectrum
programming to deliver
maximum impacts for
children.
The focus vis-a-vis social
protection was based on
addressing child
poverty. The dimensions
leading to the focus are
based on harmful
impacts of poverty on
children that have long
term impacts on the
development and
wellbeing of the child
including: low self
esteem, dashed
ambition and hope,
intergenerational
poverty cycle, etc. He added that the issue of relative poverty cuts across both low income and high
income economies and therefore gives credence for investment in children. He affirmed that the
number of children under poverty will not change drastically unless there is a break in
intergenerational poverty cycle through three breakthrough areas including child survival, improved
learning and child protection. One way of arriving at this is through buffering family income shocks
and reducing disparities in society for example statistics showed that children from different
economic brackets tended to stay in school for varied amounts of time i.e. children coming from
higher income groups tended to stay in school for longer and vice versa. This realisation occasioned
a rethinking of how to engage with social protection which has a positive impact on education,
health, income regularisation, mitigation from shocks and stresses. In engaging with Child Sensitive
Social Protection, Mr. Njoka, pointed out to three focus areas for Save the Children:
Child sensitive social protection – securing basic incomes
Child sensitive livelihoods – manage threats to income and assets
Transitions to work – access to services e.g. education, health etc.
These he added, needed to be underlined by a robust monitoring and evaluation framework which
can ascertain attributable impact of the programmes on children. In conclusion, he asserted that
Child Sensitive Social Protection means maximising benefits for children and minimising harm.
Mr. John Njoka making his presentation on Child Sensitive Social Protection.
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Social Protection Policy in Madagascar - Rakotomalala Mirana
This presentation was a demonstration of the commitment to uphold the values of protecting the
poor and vulnerable through the policy process which tends to elicit debate on financing and
sustainability, definition of what social protection can and should encompass as well as the
minimum package of social
protection benefits. The
presentation focused on
Madagascar’s path to
development of a social
protection policy. She
explained that the document
had borrowed from several
policy documents both national
and international and finally
culminated in a National Social
Protection Policy on 22nd
September 2015. She explained
that the policy aimed at
preventing shocks, assuring basic social security and access to social services. She added that the
Policy had three guiding principles of prevention, protection and promotion of the well being of the
poor and vulnerable people through access to social services, social assistance and social security.
Some of the programmes articulated in the policy include: social security both public and private,
health enterprises, programme for accessing and maintaining students in the education system,
access to health services, social transfers during natural catastrophes (Madagascar is prone to
cyclones), cash transfers to manage extreme poverty and social transfers to the vulnerable groups.
Ms Mirana elaborated that the policy defined a coordinating mechanism for the different social
protection interventions due to the cross cutting (Ministerial mandates) nature of interventions. It
envisions a centralised management of social protection programmes in the country with technical
committees constituted to operationalise the Policy in all the regions in Madagascar.
The presentation ended with a look at some of the challenges and gaps that exist and which require
attention. These are:
An efficient policy system needs to have a high threshold for coordination and integration of
social protection interventions to ensure maximum benefits.
Graduation mechanisms and the evaluation of programme impacts need deliberate effort
and capacity.
Ms. Rakotomalala Mirana (Social Protection Policy_Madagascar)
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Progress in Delivering Social Protection Measures in Tanzania – Ms. Juliana Bernard
Ms. Bernard, in her presentation, explained that Social Protection programmes in Tanzania were
founded on legislative and policy principles. Advocacy for the development of a social protection
policy, however, continues and one such effort was based on
establishing a universal older persons’ pension scheme. Efforts
were founded on a feasibility study done in 2010 by HelpAge
International in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and
Employment, exploring the gap in income security among
Older Persons. The findings demonstrated the need for a
universal pension leading up to lobbying and advocacy from
both civil society and development partners. In 2012, the
Social Security Regulatory Authority was commissioned to look
into the viability of a universal social security scheme to which
recommendations for a universal pension were made. Ms.
Bernard stated that lobbying for the implementation of the
scheme was sustained and this led to advancement of the
political buy-in through its incorporation into political
manifestos. A universal transfer to persons above 70 years was
slated to start in Zanzibar in 2016 and it was hoped that this
would influence a similar rollout in Mainland Tanzania.
Constitutional Amendments proposed in 2014 – Mr. Ebenezer Adjetey-Sorsey
This session was chaired by Peace Murungi – Vice Chair, who welcomed Mr. Adjetey-Sorsey to
report back to delegates on the proposed amendments to the constitution.
Amendments to the constitution were as follows:
2.2 Mission – expansion of the mission
4. Article III – Objects – looked at the mode of
operation and collapsed the objectives to become
APSP method of Operation (Objects changed to
Method of Operation)
o There was a proposal to create a committee
for sociology to advise on key areas
o Ebenezer said committee creation is already
a preserve of the Board and it is advised not
limit the Board’s power but rather maintain
the board discretion in establishing pertinent
committees for work
5 Part III – Membership and Governance
o 5.1 Membership mention of marginalised
groups and prescribed a few within the text
of the constitution.
Ms. Juliana Bernard (Tanzania)
making her presentation.
APSP board chairman, Mr. E. Adjetey-
Sorsey making his presentation.
15
o 5.2 – Governance – it was suggested to separate the two membership and
governance rather than have it together as was in the previous constitution. In
addition, policy articulation was specified within the text on governance with regard
to the Board’s functions.
2.1.2.1 Number of Board Members
o A minimum number of Board members was put in place to ensure a functional
Board but also an upper limit of 11 members was established to allow for co-option.
Abiola Tilley-Gyado suggested that the upper limit be done away with and
instead add two categories for women and the youth.
Peace Murungi, in support of Abiola, proposed that these categories be
specified in the constitution.
Ebenezer Adjetey-Sorsey reiterated that by having the minimum threshold the
constitution did not preclude
any group from being
represented and therefore
maintaining the provision as is
allows for the incorporation of
representatives from different
interest groups.
Article X – Office Bearers
o This section put in place timeframes
to ensure smooth transition of Board
members preserving institutional
knowledge and safeguarding
continuity
Article XIV – General Meeting
o This clause looked at creating a distinction between the Annual Delegates
Conference (ADC) and the Annual General Meeting (AGM) the AGM was favoured
during the election periods.
After deliberations, a motion to adopt the changes was proposed by Jeleel Odoom from Ghana. This
motion was seconded by Dumisani Mnisi from Swaziland.
With the motion on the floor, the Chair Mr. Ebenezer Adjetey-Sorsey moved for a vote for or against
the motion by delegates, each National Platform had a single vote.
Eligible voters Votes
For the motion 15
Against the motion 1
Abstained 1
Total tally 17
Eligible Voters 17
The motion was carried by the majority
Dr. A. Tilley-Gyado (Nigeria) makes a remark as
Mahendranath Busgopaul (Mauritius) looks on
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Way Forward
The way forward was structured in a manner that allowed delegates to air their views in plenary. The
session was kicked off by Ms. Patricia Sewe from Kenya who urged delegates to incorporate the
SDGs into strategies for work. Dr. Djermakoye Ide from Niger was grateful for the opportunity to
share and learn, urging delegates to explore opportunities to work together. Mr. Jeleel Odoom from
Ghana on a lighter note remarked that he understood that financial constraints and other
obligations could not allow delegates to extend their stay but proposed that the Constitution be
translated into various languages to accommodate participants from Non-Anglophone and Non-
Francophone countries. Ms. Regine Goma from the Republic of Congo plead for support for the
Central African region; hers was a request that sought to advance the Social Protection agenda by
expanding the reach of the APSP in the region and by taking cognisance of regional dynamics.
The Chairperson of the Board, Mr. Adjetey-Sorsey, suggested that the new constitution be sent
round to National Platforms who can interrogate it further and raise any issues in the following
Delegates
Conference. He
added that members
have the right to
interrogate and
influence the agenda
of the coming
meeting.
He added that there
are numerous
opportunities to
engage with the SDGs
and pointed out to
the data generated
during the social
audits as a viable source of evidence to bolster work and engage with the SDGs. He said that the
Board was working on visiting as many National Platforms as possible and urged members to also
keep the APSP Secretariat in mind as they mobilise for resources.
In conclusion, he said there is need to create more space and time to deliberate over salient issues
during the ADC given the level of interest and discussions generated during the sessions. He
proceeded to thank delegates for attending the conference and the secretariat for organising a
successful meeting.
Peace Murungi, officially closed the meeting; thanking members for their active participation. She
reiterated the importance of sustainability for the organisation basing it on the efforts of the
members. She challenged the organisation to continue to rise and to become a force at the highest
levels in Social Protection policy discourse. With this, she declared the meeting officially closed.
Ms. Regine Goma (Republic of Congo)