African Social Security Card

I am unfamiliar with concepts of social security in Africa – families are natural social security to each other – but I know that technology-wise, Africans have no problems using smart devices. Now with the new ASSC (African Social Security Card) no one will ever need to go to feeding camps. Why? You may ask: Because it is a credit card! No need for aid to be given to sham governments anymore when the people can have the cash shared and dispensed electronically! All people need do is go to the shop that accepts the card, and since the card contains dollars, food from all parts of the earth will find their way to where the card is. There will be no need for complex and expensive charity operations, as capitalism will take its natural course. Interestingly, but sadly before I could get my thoughts and suggestions out to the public, the East Africa famine had begun and the 1980s tragic sight of starvation and “walking skeletons” re-emerged as a disgraceful reality of Africa in the 21st century. The feeding camps returned and the foreign, usually Western aid workers came to Africa’s rescue. O, I wish the ASSC was already in place. Part of the 60 – 80% of aid money that goes into the administration of the aid itself, would have been channelled into the ASSC.

Even individual philanthropy could use this technology: A personal donation from an individual anywhere in the world could go directly to an individual ASSC. It will be no different from the “sponsoring a child” programme that a lot of charities do, but more direct and cost-effective. It will deprive a lot of charity workers or their current administrative duties, but will create new and better jobs for the same charity workers and importantly, for Africans as well.

Every child at birth should be coded from hospital or at the registry. Maternity and hospital licensing will require coding technology. Children who attend school will have ASSC school cards at registration and uniforms with bar coding thereafter, which will automatically be scanned to register attendance. Such a card for African children will get most of them to take school more seriously. How nice will it be to deduct cash from these school cards for bad behaviour and top up the cards with cash for good behaviour and academic achievements? I would have made my parents some money in my time . . . if ASSC existed between 1976 and 1987. This is how in the 21st century Africa must account for her new generation. I was surprised, shocked with a sense of validation, to find out that thoughts that I had arrived at from my own meditations are not at all new. Indeed I have just described another version of “conditional cash transfer” and its immense benefits to the people. The scheme has met with resounding success in developing countries, so why has this type of programme not been rolled out aggressively across Africa? This critical question was posed by Dambisa Moyo.