The Governance of Urban Productive Safety Net Program in Lideta Sub City, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract

Ethiopia has been implementing and operationalizing the productive safety net program in rural and urban areas since 2005 and 2016, respectively, as an indispensable social protection initiative with the objective of ensuring food security, supporting livelihoods and building resilience. The program stands out as Africa's most significant social protection initiative due to its extensive nationwide coverage and substantial number of beneficiaries. The study was conducted with aim to explore the implementation of the urban productive safety net program and assess its alignment with the pillars of the good food security governance framework for food security established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. A qualitative research approach and case study research design were employed based on their appropriateness for addressing the research objective. Thematic analysis, supported by Maxqda software, was used for the data analysis. The findings of the study analyzed through the good food security governance framework revealed that the practical operation of urban productive safety net program exhibited notable strengths in governance principles including participation, accountability, transparency, equality, and fairness. Some of the key indicators include active beneficiary involvement in decision-making, awareness of rights and duties, and availability of program’s information. However, limitations were identified concerning the rule of law, efficiency and effectiveness, and responsiveness. Some of the manifestations include discrimination instances, inadequate startup capital and support after graduation, absence of public work compensation insurance and the average response time to beneficiary requests, highlight areas that require improvement for better governance of the program. Therefore, to enhance the successful operationalization of the program, the government should improve targeting processes to ensure equality and fairness by addressing instances of bias that exclude the poor. Moreover, increasing the startup capital in line with inflation indices and providing ongoing follow up and support after graduation will conclusively help graduates establish sustainable livelihoods. Furthermore, implementing health insurance for beneficiaries and ensuring timely responses to their requests will strengthen the program's responsiveness. Furthermore, the overlooked good food security governance principles such as accountability, rule of law, and participation shall be incorporated into the urban productive safety net program implementation manual as recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization.