In a significant step towards strengthening social security in West Africa, the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) has hosted a two-day technical seminar in Accra, Ghana.
The event, organised under the auspices of the International Social Security Association (ISSA), aimed to explore innovative solutions for extending social security coverage in the West African sub-region through the use of digital and mobile technologies.
Despite progress in strengthening legal frameworks and administrative structures for social security in West Africa over the past decade, a substantial portion of the population, especially those in the informal sector and self-employed workers, still lacks social security coverage.
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for digital solutions to provide services to insured persons and reach those in remote areas.
It is within this context that the ISSA technical seminar was convened, with a specific focus on leveraging digital and mobile technologies to include self-employed individuals and informal sector workers in social security programs.
The Secretary-General of ISSA, Marcelo Abi-Ramia Caetano expressed gratitude to Côte d’Ivoire for hosting ISSA’s Liaison Office and to Ghana for agreeing to host the office for the next three years.
Ghana was selected as the host for the 2023 Seminar and the ISSA Liaison Office due to SSNIT’s commitment and leadership in social security administration, which has contributed to enhancing social protection in the country.
The Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius Baffour Awuah, acknowledged that the region’s challenges in expanding social security coverage are partly rooted in the absence of digitised registration processes.
He emphasised the critical importance of leveraging digitalisation to bridge the coverage gap and called on social security institutions in West Africa to embrace digital technologies to achieve this goal.
The Director-General of SSNIT, Dr John Ofori-Tenkorang, urged participants to prioritize technology that enhances service delivery and access to social security. He emphasized the urgency of this endeavour, highlighting Africa’s relatively low social security coverage despite its rapidly growing population.
Dr Ofori-Tenkorang stressed the need to use technology and other interventions to extend social protection to a larger portion of the population.
In addition to discussions on extending social security coverage, the seminar marked the transfer of the ISSA Liaison Office from Côte d’Ivoire to Ghana.
Ghana will host the office from 2023 to 2026, located at the Trust Emporium in Accra.
This office will play a crucial role in promoting excellence in social security administration, developing dynamic social security systems and policies, and facilitating communication between the West African sub-region and the ISSA General Secretariat.
It will also gather region-specific information on interests, needs, and challenges.
The seminar and the transfer of the ISSA Liaison Office represent significant steps towards realizing the goal of extending social security coverage to more individuals in West Africa.
By embracing digital innovation and fostering collaboration among member countries, the region is poised to make substantial progress in providing social protection to its citizens, particularly those in the informal sector and self-employed workers.
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