Poorer African countries are starting up welfare systems with impressive results, writes The Economist. In the five-year period between 2010 and 2015, sub-Saharan countries launched an average of 14 welfare schemes per year, up from five between 2001 and 2009. And the schemes are not small commitments: social safety-nets in these countries cost an average of 1.2% of GDP, just shy of the 1.6% average for developing countries. While funding for these schemes range from foreign donors bearing the full cost of welfare (as is the case with Tanzania) or by the government (Senegal), money does get to the people who need it, with local communities playing a large role in determining who gets cash and how much.

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