By| Goodluck E.Adubazi, Abuja
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Barrister Oluwaseun Faleye, has said that the emerging partnership between the Fund and South Africa’s Rand Mutual Assurance (RMA) will significantly strengthen social protection systems across Africa.
Faleye made the declaration on Tuesday while hosting a high-level delegation from Rand Mutual Assurance, led by its Group Chief Executive Officer, Bilal Adam, at the NSITF headquarters in Abuja.
He described the visit as the beginning of a strategic alliance between two of Africa’s leading social insurance institutions, united by a common commitment to advancing workers’ compensation, occupational safety and health, and social security administration on the continent.
According to Faleye, the collaboration presents an opportunity for both organisations to exchange experiences, adopt best practices, and develop innovative solutions to emerging workplace challenges.
“Your visit marks the beginning of what we hope will evolve into a mutually beneficial and enduring relationship between our two organisations and highlights our shared commitment to advancing workers’ compensation, occupational safety and health, and social security administration on the African continent,” he said.
The NSITF boss praised RMA’s long-standing legacy, noting that the South African insurer, established in 1894, has evolved from a specialised compensation scheme for the mining industry into one of Africa’s foremost social insurance institutions with a strong focus on prevention, rehabilitation, care and value creation.
He stressed that collaboration, innovation and knowledge-sharing remain critical to the future of social protection, adding that Nigeria and South Africa, as two of Africa’s largest economies, have a responsibility to champion best practices capable of strengthening social security systems across the continent.
Faleye identified key areas of potential cooperation to include digital transformation, claims administration, occupational health and safety, rehabilitation and return-to-work programmes, capacity building, research, and policy development.
He also reaffirmed NSITF’s commitment to strengthening the Employees’ Compensation Scheme (ECS), describing it as one of Nigeria’s most important social security interventions.
According to him, the Scheme provides compensation, medical care, rehabilitation services and support for workers and their dependants in cases of workplace injuries, occupational diseases, disabilities or death arising from employment.
The NSITF chief noted that the changing nature of work and emerging occupational risks require social insurance institutions to continuously improve their systems and adopt innovative approaches that place workers’ welfare at the centre of service delivery.
“These areas are essential to building a modern and responsive compensation system that protects workers while supporting employers and contributing to national productivity,” he stated.
Faleye further emphasized that the Fund remains committed to building resilient systems that promote workplace safety, reduce occupational injuries and facilitate the rehabilitation and reintegration of injured workers into productive employment.
He expressed optimism that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), expected to be drafted and presented to the NSITF Management Board for ratification and signing, would formalize the partnership and usher in a new era of cooperation between both institutions.
“Together, let us continue to build stronger institutions, safer workplaces and a more inclusive and resilient social protection system for the benefit of workers across Africa,” he said.
As part of the visit, both organisations are expected to hold a series of engagement sessions aimed at sharing experiences and exploring practical areas of collaboration to enhance workers’ compensation and social protection systems in their respective countries.
