What have we learned about the impact of social protection and jobs policies in the Sahel over the last 10 years? - Key findings and policy implications

Jul 19, 2026

Evidence over the last decade in the Sahel indicates that multi-faceted economic inclusion programs can meaningfully expand livelihoods and reduce extreme poverty. Built on regular cash transfers, these programs combine micro-entrepreneurship and life skills, savings groups, coaching and psychological support, and start-up or expansion grants. Results also suggest improved resilience to climatic shocks, stronger employment prospects, and greater women’s empowerment. By contrast, cash-for-work effects are mainly seasonal and do not sustain food security or resilience, while shock-responsive transfers accelerate recovery but require longer-term resilience strategies supported by complementary human capital and cross-sector market access measures.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

Summary of main messages

Regular safety nets and economic inclusion

Cash-for-work program impacts

Shock-responsive cash transfer timing

Complementary human capital and cross-sector linkages

Introduction and Outline

Effectiveness of regular safety nets

Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized What have we learned about the impact of social protection and jobs policies in the Sahel over the last 10 years? Chloë Fernandez (Research Officer, DIME2) and Patrick Premand (Senior Economist, DIME2) Summary of main messages The evidence strongly supports the scale-up of multi-faceted economic inclusion programs to boost livelihood diversification and reduce extreme poverty. Building on social protection systems providing regular cash transfers, these programs integrate micro-entrepreneurship and life skills training, savings groups, coaching and psychological support, and a grant for start-up or expansion of income generating activities and have shown significant positive results. Combined, they not only reduce extreme poverty but also improve resilience to climatic shocks, enhancing employment opportunities, and promoting women’s empowerment. As these programs are scaled up in the Sahel, it will be crucial to continue tracking costs and cost-effectiveness, tailor their content and delivery to new populations (e.g., displaced and host populations) and contexts (e.g., settings with higher incidence of conflicts) . The impact of labor-intensive cash-for-work programs have been mixed. While these programs can promote land recuperation or tree planting, and contribute to increased agricultural production as well as food security, their effects are primarily seasonal. They increase the land area under cultivation, affecting livelihoods through agriculture. However, the impacts on food security do not persist during the lean season nor do they build resilience over the medium run. There is potential for improvement, but more consistent results on their medium to long-run impacts, cost and cost-effectiveness is needed before scaling up. Responding early to shocks is crucial for populations lacking long-term social protection coverage. Cash transfers delivered soon after a shock and well before the lean season can accelerate short-term impacts and household recovery. These shock-response programs can lead to short-term improvements and expedite recovery from the negative impacts of climatic shocks. However, adjusting the timing of transfers alone is insufficient for fostering longer-term resilience. Building household resilience and capacity to absorb shocks require longer-term approaches, such as the economic inclusion programs that promote livelihood diversification, saving or social support. To fully realize the developmental benefits of social protection and jobs policies, complementary improvements in supply-side human capital policies including health, education and nutrition services are needed. Additionally, linking social protection programs to other sectoral policies that promote market access (e.g., value chains) and private sector development can be valuable. The impact of these cross-sectoral linkages and synergies has not yet been fully documented, but they can contribute to social protection and jobs policies building resilience, enhancing livelihoods, and promoting sustainable development in the Sahel. Introduction and Outline This note summarizes the impact of various social protection programs implemented by the Social Protection and Jobs and Urban, Resilience, and Land Global Practices (GPs), and the World Food Programme (WFP), over the last 10 years in the Sahel. The note begins by examining regular safety net programs, and their foundational role in improving outcomes for vulnerable populations. It then explores how adding economic inclusion interventions—such as savings groups, micro-enterprise trainings, psychosocial support and cash grants —further strengthen program impacts in multiple dimensions across different contexts and groups (including women, displaced individuals, and youth) . Next, it considers evidence on the impacts of social protection programs on human capital and psychosocial well-being, demonstrating how additional

FAQs

What do the findings suggest about scaling up economic inclusion programs in the Sahel?

The evidence supports scaling multi-faceted economic inclusion programs that build on regular cash transfers, combining entrepreneurship support, life skills, savings groups, coaching, and start-up grants to reduce extreme poverty and improve resilience.

Why are cash-for-work program impacts considered mixed?

Cash-for-work can help with land recuperation or tree planting and may increase agricultural production, but benefits are largely seasonal and do not persist for food security during lean periods or build resilience over the medium run.

How should shock-responsive cash transfer programs be designed to maximize benefits?

Deliver transfers soon after shocks, well before the lean season, to improve short-term outcomes and speed household recovery. Timing changes alone are insufficient; longer-term resilience requires additional approaches such as economic inclusion and social support.

Jul 19, 2026

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