Social Protection

Building social protection floors
and comprehensive social security systems

Mozambique

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Situation and Priorities

Social protection situation

Mozambique has been one of the fastest-growing economies in Africa over the last two decades and has a strong record of macroeconomic stability. Despite this, it remains one of the poorest countries in the world, with almost half of the population living in chronic poverty; high rates of unemployment, HIV prevalence and stunting; and recurrent food insecurity. Over the past five years, Mozambique has been challenged by a series of shocks, including a financial crisis that hit the country in 2016, the outbreak of an ongoing humanitarian crisis in the north in 2017, and devastating, regular climate shocks (such as cyclones, droughts, and flash floods), as well as global crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis. To address these multifaceted challenges in a context of rising poverty, the country has a number of social protection schemes and programmes for safeguarding income security of workers and people living in a situation of poverty and vulnerability.

Contributory social protection includes benefits in the event of old-age, illness, maternity, disability, and death. These benefits are available to private and public sector workers via social insurance schemes. In 2022, 994,422 workers nationwide were actively contributing to social insurance and were therefore covered in the event of a social risk, corresponding to 7.3 per cent of the labour force.

Non-contributory social protection includes cash benefits for older persons and persons with disabilities and chronic illnesses; support for vulnerable groups such as malnourished and orphaned children and people with HIV; a public works programme; and social services. Nearly 550,000 beneficiaries received support in 2022, a significant decrease as compared with 2021 when 1,746,079 beneficiaries were reached, most of them through a temporary programme activated in the context of the social protection response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most beneficiaries of social protection programmes are registered in the country's largest social assistance programme, the Basic Social Subsidy Programme (PSSB). The majority of the beneficiaries of PSSB are old-age persons (91.5 per cent), followed by persons with disabilities (5.9 per cent). Women represented 64.7 per cent of beneficiaries of social assistance programmes in 2022.

See also ISSA country profiles
COVID-19 and other crises

Government social protection measures to respond to the socio-economic effects of COVID-19 include:

  • Providing additional support to beneficiaries of Mozambique's three main regular social assistance programmes. The cash transfer was equivalent to three additional months of payments, covering approximately 592,000 households.
  • Establishing a new cash transfer programme (the Direct Social Support Programme - Post Emergency, known as PASD-PE COVID-19) for around 990,000 beneficiaries not previously covered by social assistance programmes. The programme provided MZN 1,500 (US$20) per month for six months to vulnerable households in urban, peri-urban, and border areas.
Visit the Social Protection COVID-19 Monitor
Government and social partner priorities

Despite the progress so far, significant challenges remain, including issues in implementation, limited financial capacity, and a need to improve the policy framework. The government is particularly seeking to:

  • Overcome administrative, financial and information barriers preventing own-account workers in the informal economy from accessing social security benefits.
  • Address the challenges, including those related to compliance, faced by formal (private sector) employees in accessing social protection.
  • Develop capacities for greater inter-institutional interoperability between social protection management information systems.
  • Improve the governance and administration of social assistance, including statistics, monitoring and evaluation, management information systems and payment efficiency, to enhance access to and delivery of social protection benefits.

Social partners are seeking to:

  • Campaign for the ratification of Convention 102 on Social Security (Minimum Standards).
  • Advocate for the implementation of the strategic plan on contributory social protection, including measures facilitating the access of workers in the informal economy to social security.
  • Promote the production of social protection statistics for evidence-based policy and decision-making involving key stakeholders.
  • Advocate for increased domestic fiscal space to support the expansion of the non-contributory social protection pillar.

ILO Projects and Programmes

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Results

In the first phase of the Flagship Programme (2016-2020), the ILO provided support to national constituents and other social partners across various areas, including through supporting the development of the National Basic Social Security Strategy, assisting in drafting the National Strategy for Contributory Social Security (2016-2018), and supporting the development of management information systems for non-contributory social protection in 2019.

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Funding gaps / Support the ILO

US$ 300 000

Assess the economic impact of social transfers on the local economy, and advocate to the Ministry of Finance for increased fiscal space for social protection

US$ 100 000

Share the country’s experience through country briefs and documentary films

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ILO Experts

IMG
Jasmina Papa
Social Protection Specialist
IMG
Nuno Castro
Social Protection Activity Coordinator - ACTION/Portugal Project
IMG
Vanádio Monteiro
National Project Coordinator
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