East African countries are not spending enough on social protection forcing the region’s poor to remain outside the social safety net system, which in turn undermines efforts to reduce the poverty gap across the region.

Social safety nets are designed to provide regular and predictable support to poor and vulnerable people. They are also referred to as safety nets, social assistance, or social transfers and are a component of larger social protection systems.

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The region’s governments have relied on donors to subsidise their spending on social sectors, such as health and education, where budgetary commitments remain quite small compared with sectors such as infrastructure.