The Plight of Social Pension Provision to Older People in Tanzania

Abstract

This paper attempts to examine the plight of social pension provision to older people in Tanzania. The main objective of this paper is four folds namely to examine the social and economic condition status of older people in Tanzania, to highlight the main contributions made by old people in social and economic development, to examine the challenges faced by older people and to examine the relevance of social pension provision among the older people in Tanzania. In an attempt to achieve the above objectives the paper used a desk review approach by reviewing different research papers, books and articles on social protection and ageing. The major findings reveal that whereas the old people are not homogenous their vulnerability revolves around their accessibility of income, social services, disabilities, gender and where they live (e.g. urban and rural areas). The findings further reveal that despite older people’s contribution to the national economy as small farmers, fishermen, pastoralist and provision of other services they are excluded in formal pension system. The paper concludes that, extreme poverty amongst older persons is a reality in every region including Tanzania, lack of access to income, increased need for health care and dependency within the household are some of the factors that expose older persons to poverty. It is therefore argued that unless action is taken, the situation will deteriorate. The traditional reliance of many governments on contributory pension systems as the main source of social security in old age has left a significant portion of older persons unprotected. The study recommends that, the government must recognize social security as a human right issue and therefore they need to establish appropriate legal frameworks and design social pension schemes progressively to ensure access to social security for all. The paper further recommends that policy makers should see social protection as one of the essential component of a broader development strategy and thereby adopting a comprehensive and holistic approach to poverty reduction.