The Sahel Adaptive Social Protection Program (SASPP) has launched its third phase for the 2025–2030 period, aiming to expand sustainable adaptive social protection systems across the Sahel region. The initiative will support Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal in strengthening systems that provide economic opportunities, resilience, and social stability for millions of vulnerable people.
The new phase of the program comes as the Sahel continues to face interconnected challenges including rapid population growth, widespread inequality, food insecurity, fragility, conflict, and displacement. According to the World Bank, adaptive social protection systems are designed to respond to these challenges through integrated approaches that combine social safety nets, economic inclusion measures, and temporary support during shocks and crises, with particular focus on women and youth.
The program seeks to strengthen household resilience by helping vulnerable populations protect and build human capital, improve skills development, access better employment opportunities, and manage the impacts of economic and climate-related shocks. The approach also supports governments in creating stronger national systems capable of delivering assistance efficiently, even in fragile and conflict-affected environments.
During its third phase, SASPP will focus on strengthening core national social protection infrastructure across participating countries. Planned interventions include improving social registries, expanding digital payment systems, developing secure data platforms, and reinforcing institutional frameworks that support employment, economic inclusion, and resilience-building efforts.
The program will also prioritize testing and scaling proven interventions related to social safety nets, economic inclusion, and shock-responsive support mechanisms. These measures are intended to help households stabilize their livelihoods, invest in productive activities, and participate in income-generating opportunities that can improve long-term self-reliance.
In addition to strengthening national systems, the new phase aims to mobilize financing and partnerships by aligning humanitarian, development, and climate-related resources around adaptive social protection frameworks. The initiative seeks to create more predictable and sustainable pathways toward employment, resilience, and economic inclusion across the region.
The World Bank emphasized that adaptive social protection has already demonstrated its ability to connect vulnerable populations to economic opportunities while supporting human capital development and job creation. The institution noted that investments in strong national systems can help governments scale these benefits more effectively and contribute to inclusive growth, peace, and stability in the Sahel.
SASPP operates as a multi-donor trust fund managed by the World Bank and is supported by the governments of Denmark, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The program is hosted under the Sahel and West Africa Countries Umbrella Program administered by the World Bank.
Since its establishment in 2014, the Sahel Adaptive Social Protection Program has allocated more than $277 million toward government investments, technical assistance, capacity building, knowledge generation, and support for nationally owned adaptive social protection systems across the Sahel region.
