Government policy on care for the aged: a comparative study of Nigeria and South Africa.

Abstract

The population of older people throughout the world is increasing at a very rapid rate. It is expected that the number of older persons would have reached the 2 billion mark by 2050.The most rapid increase is taking place in the developing world, with Africa alone projected to have between 204 and 210 million older people by the year 2050. Continental efforts to address the challenges resulting from an ageing population in Africa started at the 1999 Session of the OAU Labour and Social Affairs Commission that was held in Windhoek, Namibia. The partnership between Help Age International – Africa Development Centre and the then OAU and now African Union has, over time, seen the drafting and finalization of the AU Policy Framework and Plan of Action on Ageing in Africa. The policy received its final seal of approval during the 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Durban, South Africa in July 2002. The Policy Framework that binds all AU member countries to develop policies on ageing is already being used as a guide in the formulation of national policies to improve the lives of the continent‘s older people. As such, advocacy efforts need to improve the adaptation and domestication of the policy and encourage appropriate consultations with older people in these processes. Policies on care for the aged in Nigeria and South Africa are considered the governments‘ intention to provide quality living to older persons. A comparative study on care for the aged policies centers on the review of the policy approaches, the similarities and differences in policy making, the impact of the policy issues and lessons learnt in accomplishing the objectives of care for the aged in South Africa and Nigeria. This study recognizes care for the aged as a social welfare responsibility of the governments in South Africa and Nigeria, respectively. In Nigeria, the policy is not well enacted, thereby giving room to family and faith-based organization to care for the aged. The methodological approach allows for an in-depth review of policy documents in both countries. In Nigeria, pockets of local government area implemented the Older Person 1989 Act of policy put in place by the government. In South Africa, the identification of care for the aged as a public problem by the post-apartheid government led to an integrated policy framework that focuses on balancing economic concerns with social considerations; this government used public administration agencies to play a key role in service delivery to the aged. Recommendations of the study are mainly derived from the South African experience on care for the aged and are intended to offer some policy-lessons to Nigeria. The study contributes to new knowledge in the discipline of public administration by opening up new panoramas for a comparative review of aged policy issues in both countries in the context of public welfare, thus contributing to the existing body of knowledge in this area.