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Leonard Ncube, [email protected]

The National Social Security Authority (NSSA) is developing a range of products aimed at empowering ordinary citizens, particularly small and medium enterprises, and informal workers, with financial inclusion skills and social security.

NSSA was established in accordance with the NSSA Act of 1989, Chapter 17: 04, and is a statutory corporate body mandated by the Government to provide social security. It is tasked with administering every scheme and fund established under this Act.

Through this Act, NSSA is authorised to create social security schemes to offer benefits to all employees, both active and pensioners.

The two primary schemes are the Pensions and Other Benefits Scheme, providing pension benefits to formally employed individuals up to the age of 65, and the Accident Prevention and Workmen’s Compensation Scheme, which focuses on workplace safety and provides financial assistance to employees in cases of work-related injuries or accidents.

NSSA is currently engaged in various initiatives aimed at financially including SMEs and other participants in the informal economy. An example is the Informal Sector Social Security Scheme, developed in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation and other partners to establish a tailored social security scheme for the informal sector.

“Exciting developments are on the horizon for next year. We aim to extend social security benefits to millions of informal workers and improve health services. Our goal at NSSA is to deliver world-class social security by 2030,” stated Ms Nyaradzai Tasaranarwo, acting director of actuarial and data services at NSSA. She made these remarks during a welcome reception at the 15th annual conference on health organized by the Association of Health Funders of Zimbabwe in Victoria Falls.

NSSA is empowered by the Factories and Works Act to regulate occupational health and safety in the country. It covers four out of nine contingencies of social protection, with National Health Insurance set to address other health-related issues, while the remaining contingencies fall under social assistance programmes.

NSSA plays a direct role in achieving the National Development Strategy (NDS1), Vision2030, and Sustainable Development Goals. It contributes to various goals, including Goal 1 (ending poverty), Goal 3 (ensuring healthy lives and well-being for all ages), Goal 5 (achieving gender equality), Goal 8 (promoting sustainable economic growth, full employment, and decent work for all), and Goal 10 (reducing inequality within and among countries).

NSSA operates alongside other occupational pension schemes, serving as a primary safety net to supplement pension income from these schemes. It follows a “Partially funded Pay-As-You-Go” model, where current worker contributions support current pensioners and beneficiaries, with any surplus directed towards investments for future financial commitments.

Investments include compliance, inspections, investigations, rehabilitation services, assistive devices, vocational training, as well as institutions like Ekusileni Hospital in Bulawayo, the Workmen’s Compensation and Rehabilitation Centre in Bulawayo, and CitiMed Hospital in Chitungwiza. Additionally, NSSA is involved in the construction of accessible homes for severely disabled pensioners, with over 100 homes and ablution facilities already completed. Pensioners also have access to medical care through mobile clinics.