KAMPALA – The International Social Security Association (ISSA) has elected the National Social Security Fund – NSSF as its focal point for the implementation of activities in East Africa.
ISSA is the world’s leading international organization for social security institutions, government departments and agencies, with over 320 member institutions from 160 countries. Its main objective is to promote excellence in social security administration through professional guidelines, expert knowledge, services, and support to enable its members to develop dynamic social security systems and policy throughout the world.
The ISSA Secretary General, Marcelo Abi-Ramia Caetano noted that the move will aid in sharing knowledge and implementation of Social Security in order to make the lives of people better.
“We will identify the social security needs in the regional member states through the newly opened regional center and collaborate with them to make lives better,” he said at the launch of the liaison office on Wednesday.
He noted that Social Security is so important, giving an example that his father was unemployed and via social security, they were able to get unemployment insurance which enabled him to study.
“My parents both get their pensions. My father passed away but my mother receives a survivor benefit from my father, so I do not need to send money to her in order to get her to continue living.”
Patrick Ayota, NSSF Managing Director said that the Fund was elected to host the ISSA’s regional office at the last World Social Security Forum in Marrakech, Morocco in October last year.
“The Liaison Office will be responsible for promoting dialogue and cooperation between ISSA members in the East Africa region, organizing technical seminars on regional priority topics, hosting ISSA Academy workshops, and promoting the sharing of good practices in line with the ISSA guidelines. We pledge to support the Liaison Office to execute this mandate to promote social security excellence in the region,” Ayota said.
The Fund also hosted its inaugural technical seminar under the theme “Leveraging digitalization and innovation to extend social security coverage in East Africa” as part of the launch activities of the center.
Reflecting on the theme, Domonic Gidudu, State Minister for the elderly challenged NSSF and the regional pension institutions to provide more value for their members in health, education, agriculture, and financial empowerment.
“From research conducted by the Fund, NSSF savers have over the years said that they would like to be empowered and derive more value throughout their journey with the Fund from the point of entry to exit. The Fund must therefore innovate products and services that address the short-term and long-term social security needs of the members if it is indeed to provide real social security.” He said.
Gidudu further challenged the institutions to innovate to ensure the sustainability of the social security sector in East Africa.
The regional office will cover member institutions in Uganda, Kenya, the United Republic of Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan.
