Social policy in sub-Saharan Africa: a glance in the rear-view mirror

In this article we take a retrospective look at social policy in post-colonial sub-Saharan Africa and account for two distinct phases. The first phase, from 1960 to 1980, is the nationalist phase; the second, framed by the neoliberal policy regime, marked the last two decades of the 20th century. We argue that social policy in the nationalist phase played a transformative role – intrinsic and instrumental. Investment in education and healthcare, rather than social protection, was the key policy instrument. The weaknesses of the period included a growing authoritarianism and failure to transform the inherited colonial political economies. The retrenchment of the public realm under the neoliberal regime led to massive entitlement failure, and the crisis of citizenship and statehood. We argue for a return to a broader vision of social policy, underpinned by the ethos of democratic and socially inclusive development.