Vision and Mission of ACRR

Social protection of any form must represent a poverty reduction tool and a vehicle to improving living standards of the aged, the vulnerable and people living with disability in society. Research has established that Africa is the poorest region of the world and has the youngest and least developed social security programs. According to International Labor Organization (ILO) and World Bank reports, most Africans are not covered by social security programs – it is the continent where the coverage of social security is at its lowest, and benefits adequacy to the covered population is a major challenge.

The continent’s ability to meet social security needs is largely attributable to lack of research-based social security policies, ineffective pension reforms, and lack of governments commitment to target, measure and implement policies that aim to achieve the main social security policy objectives which include benefits adequacy, pension coverage, and efficient administration and governance of the pension systems. International partners such as the UN, ILO, World Bank and IMF, ISSA, AfDB, OECD, coalition of donors and International NGOs etc. are constantly working to reduce societal poverty among elderly persons and the vulnerable by implementing research driven interventions that impact on basic living standards, healthcare, post-retirement longevity etc. These bodies achieve these objectives through funding policy research programs tailored to promote sound economic growth, strengthen social protection schemes and their governance and administration and the need to extend social security coverage particularly to the vulnerable among others.

There is the increasing need to augment research in areas bordering on the welfare of the vulnerable such as the aged, People with Disabilities (PwDs) etc. Social Security policy research is required to engender useful contributions to national policy dialogue and to help governments and developmental partners optimize decisions and interventions with regard to the overall social protection agenda. Think tanks that are set up as policy research organizations have major roles to play in providing research and offering better policy ideas to augment the effort of the governments and associate developmental partners. In spite of the overwhelming need for new innovative ideas to tackle the broad social protection policy agenda, it is imperative to note that the subject of ‘pensions and retirement’ under the broad umbrella of social protection is one of the most under-researched areas in Africa.

This is evident in the number of think tanks in Africa that focus attention on this critical area (almost none). The Africa Centre for Retirement Research (ACRR) is a non-profit policy research organization that is established to provide independent research and policy solutions on the subject of “Social Protection, Retirement and Pensions” through high-quality research.