Extension of social protection coverage to workers in the informal economy in Sudan

This study reviews how social protection could be extended to workers in the informal economy by undertaking a comprehensive analysis of the existing social protection schemes, their design, and their delivery mechanisms in Sudan.

This study analyses existing demand- and supply-side barriers for workers in the informal economy in Sudan to access social protection schemes, and outlines a comprehensive set of policy options for extension of coverage.

The detailed analysis of the design of social protection schemes and their key delivery mechanisms provides useful insight into the strengths of existing schemes that future reform efforts could build upon, as well as their current shortfalls and bottlenecks that need to be overcome to further extend the coverage of the social protection system, with a particular focus on the extension to workers in the informal economy.

This Report represents a collaboration between three ILO programmes in Sudan; namely, the African Development Bank’s Sustainable Community-Based Safety-Net Platforms in North Kordofan and White Nile (ILO-CAPISUD) project, the European Commission funded Social Protection project, and the Partnership for Improving Prospects for Forcibly Displaced Persons and Host Communities (PROSPECTS) project funded by the Kingdom of the Government of the Netherlands.

Together, these ILO programmes are working to provide a more integrated approach to address vulnerability and seek greater social and health protection coverage for those at risk; particularly those working in the informal economy.