ISSA Advocates for Advanced Digitization in NSSF to Boost Savings

The need for innovation and digitization to increase the numbers of social security savings has taken the center stage for discussion between the International Social Security Association (ISSA) members and Uganda’s National Social Security Fund- NSSF.

This came up during a meeting in Kampala organised by NSSF, a member to the association.

ISSA is part of the international labor organization, aiming at improving social security services among member states.

Marcelo Abi-Ramia Caetano the ISSA Secretary General highlighted that there is a big challenge in promoting social security in the informal sector which has a large number of the working population.

He stated that through technology and innovation, they can persuade several people in the informal sector to take on social security savings.

Patrick Ayota the Managing Director of NSSF on the other hand said that they are to pick lessons from countries that are working better than Uganda’s social security fund so that they can improve and increase the numbers of people saving with the fund.

Ayota also stated that NSSF will also leverage digitization and innovation to boost several strategies that the fund has put in place to improve long-term saving
“Smaller enterprises have continued to subscribe to NSSF, in line with the law, which is a positive gesture to social security in the country”. Ayota stated.

Lionel Ngendakuriyo, the Chief Technology Officer of the Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB), said that social security in Rwanda started with community health insurance, which was included in the local leaders’ performance assessment, hence pushing it within their people.

Ngendakuriyo also explained that Rwanda has adopted digitization where members’ contributions are collected electronically, get real-time information as well as collaboration with the various cooperatives in the informal sector.

In Kenya, NSSF is collected from the online transactions that the nationals make on mobile money due to the high levels of digitization where the members don’t feel a pinch.
The two-day meeting brought together ISSA members including Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Burundi, Ethiopia, and South Sudan, and delegates from Switzerland. ISSA the East and Central Africa regional offices are to be housed at NSSF Uganda headquarters.