News from frontline

BOLSA targets several vulnerable groups, including: (i) the elderly; (ii) the disabled; (iii) street people/ beggars; (iv) the poor; and (v) commercial sex workers. There is a special focus on the disabled and the elderly, recognized as the most vulnerable groups. It was also noted that BOLSA targets homeless children, but they are not their own category. Clearly, there are efforts to better serve the vulnerable but there is need to make the current strategy effective. Additionally, it is unclear how the current registration and identification system is affecting the provision of social services. With a growing population, the city is challenged to provide adequate services to meet the demand of the residents. The disabled are a big target group in terms of social and community protection. Most of the disabled are people who experienced an accident in the workplace (construction sites, factories, etc.) therefore, stricter safety regulations in workplaces would benefit the city by reducing the number of accidents resulting in disabilities. This is a serious problem because of the vast number of people working in jobs with high accident rates, especially construction. This was noted during site visits and consultative group discussions. According to a recent public expenditure review, Ethiopia spends approximately 3 percent of GDP on social protection programs. This includes general subsidies, safety nets, social insurance, and labor market interventions. At the national level, social safety nets and subsidies are the largest social protection programs. Safety nets are primarily financed by donors but the government would like to eventually be the main contributor to social programs. Safety nets and subsidies do not currently target Addis Ababa, therefore, the Urban Productive Safety Net Program will be essential to support the GoE in providing access to effective safety nets and livelihood services to the poor in selected urban areas, including Addis Ababa