The Director General of the National Social Security and Insurance Trust, Sierra Leone, Mohamed Fuaad Daboh, on Wednesday, 19th March 2025, called for global support for the establishment and operationalisation of the proposed Informal Sector Scheme in Sierra Leone.
Mr. Daboh made this appeal
during a high-powered Technical Committee meeting with the International Labour Organization (ILO) Regional Office in Abuja, Nigeria.
Speaking at the occasion, the Director General expressed his gratitude to the Director of the ILO office for Sierra Leone , Nigeria, Ghana and Liberia, Dr Vanessa Phala-Moyo for convening the meeting, and the ILO’s continued support and collaboration to Sierra Leone and NASSIT. He acknowledged with gratitude and appreciation the long-standing partnership between ILO and Sierra Leone particularly in strengthening social protection systems.
Mr. Daboh highlighted the enormous contribution and support of the ILO to the development of Sierra Leone in general and NASSIT in particular, in areas such as the Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP), capacity building on International Labour Standards, the ratification of several ILO Conventions and Protocols, Commitment to Job Creation, and the Promotion of and Technical Support towards establishing a National Health Insurance Scheme (SLeSHI).
The Director General spoke about the key support the Trust has received from the ILO, ranging from strengthening the social security administration, actuarial and policy advisory support to the current scheme and the extension of social security coverage to the Informal Sector.
“The tremendous speed at which the proposed scheme is going cannot be unconnected with the support of the ILO”, he said.
On the meeting, the Director General described the occasion as not only an opportunity to update the ILO on the status of the proposed Scheme but to also call for global support for the establishment and operationalisation of the much needed Scheme.
The NASSIT strongman spoke at length about the strides made in the extention of social security coverage to the informal sector in Sierra Leone. According to him, upon his appointment in 2018 and with the desired mindset of his team to change the trajectory, NASSIT engaged the International Labour Organisation (ILO) for technical support, upon which both internal and external structures were developed, such as the Steering and Tehchnical Committees and an in-house Informal Sector Secretariat.
This was followed by the inauguration and training of both committees, a diagnostic study to ascertain social security priority needs of informal sector workers and an inception actuarial valuation that provides various options including benefits package, contribution rate, etc and their corresponding costs.
Mr. Daboh went on to explain that the Technical Committee has put together a draft policy design of the new Scheme which was presented to the ILO for their input and validation.
He went further to say that during the formation of the current NASSIT scheme, the Government of Sierra Leone through the ILO had a Resident Technical Consultant who spearheaded the process and was very instrumental in the development of the NASSIT Scheme.
“It is in this context that I am tabling before the ILO our request to support the recruitment of a Resident Technical Consultant with extensive expertise in the design and implementation of informal sector scheme and social protection system,” he requested, while reaffirming NASSIT’s commitment to working closely with the ILO to enhance social security in Sierra Leone.
Mr . Daboh concluded his statement with the presentation of both the update on progress made with the proposed Pension Scheme for the Informal Sector and the draft policy design for the proposed scheme.
In his statement, Mr. Diop, who represented the Director, Dr. Vanessa Phala-Moyo congratulated NASSIT on the tremendous achievement and determination to cater for the welfare of the people. He emphasized on the urgent need to expand social security coverage to workers in the informal sector, advocate for adapted social protection mechanisms, legal framework adjustments, and a comprehensive strategy that prioritizes the needs of informal workers while also promoting formalization of the economy. Mr. Diop assured the Director General of the ILO’s continued commitment and support to NASSIT in this process.
On his part, the Senior Social Protection Expert, Bachali Duramane, expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the Director General for the commitment demonstrated in this process saying, “I am more than pleased to learn of the tremendous progress made so far”.
Duramane informed the meeting that ILO advocates for the expansion of social security coverage to workers in the informal economy, emphasizing that it is crucial for achieving universal access to social protection, thereby ending poverty.
Responding to the NASSIT request for a Resident Technical Consultant and continued technical assistance, Duramane acknowledged that the need for a Resident Technical Consultant was a brilliant strategy and advised that the potential recruit should have a hands-on experience in Informal Sector Social Security Administration.
On Capacity building, Duramane assured NASSIT of the ILO’s full support in identifying courses that are germane to the growth of the Scheme and where possible facilitate experience sharing and staff exchange programmes with excellent centers in the administration of pension schemes for the informal sector.
The ILO Specialist further informed the meeting that ILO supports governments and social partners in expanding social security coverage to the informal sector through a combination of mechanisms such as promoting rights-based legal frameworks, and facilitating transitions to the formal economy.
The meeting ended with a deep conversation between the host ILO team and the NASSIT on critical issues such as membership, the nature of the Scheme, the development of the legal framework, the right tools, social marketing and communication, portability of the Scheme and bilateral and multilateral collaboration between and amongst sister institutions.
In another development, the NASSIT team paid a courtesy call on the Sierra Leone High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr. Julius F. Sandi, at his High Commission office in Abuja.
In a brief statement, the High Commissioner expressed gratitude to NASSIT for the Herculean task of administering Sierra Leone’s pension Scheme. He shared his experience on the value of NASSIT to retirees and called on stakeholders to jealously safeguard NASSIT for the good of Sierra Leone. He promised that he will use his good office to create a relationship with especially the ILO in order to continue with the engagement of establishing a scheme for the majority of workers in the labour force of Sierra Leone.*
The High Commissioner concluded on a clarion call for national unity and the culture of togetherness and tolerance that once characterized the beauty of Sierra Leone, and pledged to make the best use of his office to project Sierra Leonean representation in Nigeria.
In his response, the NASSIT Director General appreciated the hospitality of the High Commissioner and committed his full efforts to guiding the NASSIT Scheme which he described as the nation’s greatest partners in times of need.
NASSIT, We Care!
