Extension of social security coverage in Ghana and Senegal

The development objective of the project is to enhance social security coverage, particularly access to health care, in the informal economy and in rural areas in Ghana and Senegal. Building on previous and ongoing work, this proposal will strengthen institutional technical and administrative capacity so that the necessary conditions are in place to ensure to the extent possible the viability of social security schemes and their responsiveness to the needs of members. The immediate objectives of the project are: Immediate Objective 1: Diagnostic tools are developed that enable the government, social partners and other stakeholders to systematically evaluate needs and opportunities and to take informed decisions on the extension of social security. Immediate Objective 2: Innovative ways to extend social security to the indigent population and other groups of the poor are developed, notably access to health care. Immediate Objective 3: The technical capacities of public authorities, social partners and other stakeholders are enhanced in order to improve their participation in the social dialogue process on the extension of social security coverage. The outputs of the project which are linked to the immediate objectives are: • Output 1.1 (Ghana): Updated Health Budget model as a tool to plan expenditures and financing for the entire health care system in the medium term. • Output 1.2 (Senegal): Social Protection Expenditure and Performance Review (SPER) as a sound factual basis for policy reforms and strategy formulation. • Output 2.1 (Ghana): Monitoring mechanism and results on the effect of the subsidisation of health insurance premiums on the nature and quality of the access and utilisation of health care for the poor for the pre-pilot project in Dangme West. • Output 2.2. (Senegal): Feasibility study on the possibility of establishing a national health insurance mechanism for the rural population. • Output 3.1. (Ghana): National officials (Ministries of Labour, Health and Finance) as well as representatives of social partners and other stakeholders are trained on using the monitoring mechanism and the health budget model for health policy planning. • Output 3.2 (Senegal): Key decision makers in the Commission Nationale du Dialogue Social, the Conseil National de Concertation et de Cooperation des Ruraux (CNCR), and the Union national des cooperatives agricoles (UNCAS) and other stakeholders are trained on social security issues, based on the results of the SPER and the feasibility study.

Project symbol

RAF/05/56/SID

Admin unit

SEC/SOC

Start date

25/11/2005

End date

30/09/2008

Total allocation

521176

Total expenditure

Status

Closed

521176

Development Partners

Sweden, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency

Country/Countries

Western Africa

Outcomes

Social Security