
Nigeria is set to host a crucial regional conversation on social protection next week, with the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) saying the focus will be less about talk and more about fixing what is not working.
At a media briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, the Managing Director of NSITF, Oluwaseun Faleye, said the country is ready to convene stakeholders across West Africa under the 2026 ISSA Technical Seminar, with a clear aim to make social security systems actually work for the people they are meant to serve.
The seminar, themed “ _Improving Inclusiveness and Accessibility of Social Security Services through Effective Communication,”_ is expected to draw policymakers, employers, labour leaders and development partners from across the region.
He admitted that while Nigeria has made some progress, especially through the Employees’ Compensation Scheme and expanded workplace injury coverage, there are still obvious gaps.
“We have moved, yes, but not far enough,” he said. “Coverage is still shallow in many areas. Access can be frustrating. And in some cases, people simply don’t trust the system.”
That trust issue, he suggested, is at the heart of the problem.
Across West Africa, millions of workers, particularly those in the informal sector, remain outside any form of structured social protection. Not always because schemes don’t exist, but because many people either don’t understand them, can’t access them, or don’t believe they will work.
“The question is no longer whether social security is important,” Faleye said. “It is whether we are delivering it in a way people can see and feel.”
He stressed that communication will be a major talking point at the seminar, arguing that awareness is still low and processes are often too complex for the average worker or small business owner to navigate.
“Communication is not just about messaging,” he said. “It’s about making the system easier to understand and easier to access. That is how you build confidence.”
The NSITF boss also pointed to the shared realities across West Africa, including large informal economies, a young workforce and shifting labour patterns, saying countries in the region must stop copying foreign models blindly and start building systems that reflect local conditions.
Participants expected at the seminar include representatives from the Federal Ministry of Labour, PENCOM, NECA, MAN, the Nigeria Labour Congress, the Trade Union Congress, as well as international bodies like UNESCO and the International Labour Organization.
Faleye said improving social protection will require everyone to play their part, with governments setting the right policies, institutions delivering efficiently, employers complying and workers staying informed.
He added that the meeting is expected to produce practical outcomes, not just communiqués, including ideas that can improve service delivery and strengthen collaboration across the region.
“At the end of the day, this has to move beyond theory,” he said. “Social security must become something people can access, understand and trust.”
The two-day seminar will hold at the Abuja Continental Hotel from April 22 to 23, 2026.




