Minister of Community Development and Social Services, Ms. Doreen Mwamba has underscored the need for African countries to rise up, and end poverty and vulnerability on the continent, through quality social protection.

She was speaking today when she officiated at the workshop sponsored by African Union and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, to promote rights-based legal frameworks on social protection for a resilient African charter on human rights of citizens to social protection and the African Union social agenda 2063.

Ms. Mwamba emphasized the need for the continent to hold hands in coming up with legal frameworks that speak to the African vision to promote social justice.

Ms. Mwamba said the discussion on the rights-based legal framework, resonates well with the pan African vision of an integrated, prosperous and peaceful continent whose people are self driven.

She however noted with concern, that human capital development in areas such as health, education, and water and sanitation, has been hampered due to poverty and vulnerability, and further compounded by poor nutrition which further takes away human capital potential and worsens the intergenerational transfer of poverty.

She therefore called on African countries to implement social protection programmes with a human rights approach coupled with a sound legal and policy framework.

And speaking earlier, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Country Representative, Mr. Fritz Kopsieker called for respective African Governments to work towards ratifying some protocols in order to enhance social justice in Africa.

Meanwhile, the African Union has backed calls to form partnerships to support the implementation of the AU Social Agenda 2063, and the ratification of the Protocol which requires approval of at least 15 countries, for it to come into force, to ensure that the rights and welfare of all citizens in Africa are included in the development of Africa.

AU Senior Social Welfare Officer, Mr. Lefhoko Kesamang made an appeal for countries to include in their advocacy, the signing and ratification of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa

“Remember that persons with disabilities grow old and older persons develop impairments that affect them in many ways including their mobility” he said.