This report examines the current situation in five countries in West and Central Africa with regard to fiscal space, with a view to identifying scope for the sustainable financing of additional spending on social protection. It starts from the premise that, although such programmes may be desirable from the point of view of poverty reduction and politically and institutionally possible at sector level, spending decisions need to be taken from a 'whole of government' perspective, explicitly taking into account the need to maintain fiscal and macroeconomic stability.