Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) and South Africa’s Rand Mutual Assurance (RMA) have opened talks on a strategic partnership aimed at strengthening workers’ compensation and social protection systems across Africa.
The move was announced on Tuesday when the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NSITF, Barrister Oluwaseun Faleye, received a delegation from RMA led by its Group Chief Executive Officer, Bilal Adam, at the Fund’s headquarters in Abuja.
Speaking during the visit, Faleye said the engagement marks the start of what both organisations hope will become a lasting relationship built around a common goal of protecting workers and strengthening social insurance systems.
According to him, cooperation between the two institutions could help drive improvements in workers’ compensation, occupational safety and health administration not only in Nigeria and South Africa but across the continent.
Faleye noted that RMA has a long history in the social insurance sector, having been established in 1894.
He said the organisation has grown over the decades into one of Africa’s leading workers’ compensation institutions, with a strong focus on prevention, rehabilitation and support for injured workers.
He described the visit as more than a routine exchange of courtesies, saying it provides an opportunity for both organisations to learn from each other’s experiences and explore practical solutions to challenges facing the world of work.
“Nigeria and South Africa are two of Africa’s leading economies, and I believe that our institutions have a unique responsibility to provide thoughtful leadership and champion best practices that will strengthen social protection systems throughout the continent,” Faleye said.
He identified digital transformation, claims management, occupational health and safety, rehabilitation programmes, return-to-work initiatives, capacity development, research and policy formulation as some of the areas where both organisations can work together.
The NSITF boss also used the occasion to reaffirm the Fund’s commitment to strengthening the Employees’ Compensation Scheme (ECS), which provides compensation and support for workers who suffer injuries, occupational diseases, disabilities or death arising from their jobs.
He said the scheme remains one of Nigeria’s key social protection programmes, offering medical treatment, rehabilitation services and compensation benefits to affected workers and their dependants.
According to him, the changing nature of work and emerging workplace risks make it necessary for social insurance institutions to continually improve their systems and adopt new ideas that place workers’ welfare at the centre of service delivery.
Faleye stressed that partnerships and the sharing of professional knowledge remain vital if workers are to receive prompt and adequate compensation when workplace accidents occur.
He added that the Fund is working towards building stronger systems that will not only protect workers but also help employers manage workplace liabilities in a structured and sustainable manner.
Faleye expressed confidence that a Memorandum of Understanding expected to be drafted and subsequently ratified by the Fund’s Management Board would formalise cooperation between both organisations.
He said the agreement would pave the way for deeper collaboration and contribute to the creation of safer workplaces, stronger institutions and a more resilient social protection system for workers across Africa.
“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.
Officials of NSITF and Rand Mutual Assurance are expected to hold a series of technical sessions during the visit, where both sides will exchange ideas and share experiences that could shape future areas of cooperation.
