NASSIT Set for More Effective Service Delivery in 2024
National Social Security and Insurance Trust (NASSIT) has officially opened the inaugural meeting of the Steering Committee on the Informal Sector NASSIT Scheme.
The inaugurated Steering Committee comprises the Minister of Employment, Labour and Social Security, Mohamed Rahman Swaray as Chairman, the NASSIT Director General, Mohamed Fuad Daboh, Ministries of Trade and Industry, Finance, Social Welfare, Youth Affairs, Local Government, Justice, Economic Planning, among others.
The mandate of the committee, among others, is to oversee and guide the development and execution of all plans, policies, laws and regulations, programmes and activities related to the establishment of an appropriate Social Insurance Scheme for the Informal Sector population in Sierra Leone.
Though the process is challenging, it is believed that with maximum cooperation from most members of the Informal Sector they would succeed. Most of those engaged in the deliberations are optimistic that at the end of the process, the outcome would be accepted and easily implemented for maximum success.
It is understood that the Minister of Employment, Labour and Social Security, Mohamed Rahman Swaray, believes that apart from the Steering Committee, there is also a Technical Committee that shall provide technical leadership in the design of the proposed scheme.
Meanwhile these organs are mandated to develop and design a workable scheme to protect against critical socio-economic contingencies for the large majority of people not effectively covered by the existing NASSIT Act.
The Minister also believes that expanding social protection systems in countries such as Sierra Leone is challenging because of current trends of heightened uncertainty in the labour markets and, most importantly, the fiscal constraints of Sierra Leoneans which face extreme poverty and exclusion levels in society.
Social protection is a key element in the Government’s strategy for Human Capital Development, political stability and inclusive growth, that from a social protection perspective.
However, it is crystal clear that the Informal Sector and Self-employed who make up about 92 percent of workers would now be included in the NASSIT Scheme or covered by any other form of organized social security system NASSIT will formulate.