National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA) of Zambia signs Memorandum of Understanding with Seven (7) Informal Sector Associations
The International Labour Organization witnessed the signing of MoUs between the National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA) and seven informal sector associations at the Hilton Garden Inn Hotel in Lusaka, Zambia, on 9th August, 2018. The joint signing ceremony was to facilitate extension of social security coverage to informal sector workers.
The National Pension Scheme Authority working within government’s agenda on extension of coverage commenced work to promote social security for informal workers within the Extension of Coverage for the Informal Sector (ECIS) Project. The project aims at implementing initiatives that will support extension of coverage to the informal sector workers. The project focuses on five priority sectors, namely:
Speaking at the signing Ceremony, Mr Yollard Kachinda, Director General of NAPSA, expressed the Authority’s vision to ‘secure the social economic wellbeing of the people of Zambia through the provision of social security’. He reverberated that “Social Security is a fundamental means for creating social cohesion and is a contribution to human dignity, equity and social justice through national solidarity”.
The International Labour Organization, Director for Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique, Mr. Alexio Musindo was in attendance to witness the signing ceremony. A representative of the Association for the National Association for Small and Medium Scale Contractors, Mr. Danny Simumba, speaking on behalf of the Associations, highlighted the importance of ensuring workers’ social security coverage as one of the means of providing decent jobs. He also commended NAPSA for attaining such a critical milestone and made commitment to closely work with NAPSA in the actualization of the MOUs through collectively devising mechanisms to support the extension of coverage work.
The above milestone also complements extension of coverage work under the Social Protection for Informal and Rural Economy Workers, SPIREWORK, Project where NAPSA in partnership with the Finish National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) with support from the International Labour Organization (ILO) is working towards extension of social security to small scale farmers and rural agriculture workers. SPIREWORK is cognizant of the fact that agriculture is the backbone of rural economic activities and it is therefore imperative to promote decent work that encompasses provision of social security to small scale farmers and rural informal workers.
- Domestic Workers,
- Bus and Taxi Drivers
- Saw-millers,
- Marketeers
- Traders.
Speaking at the signing Ceremony, Mr Yollard Kachinda, Director General of NAPSA, expressed the Authority’s vision to ‘secure the social economic wellbeing of the people of Zambia through the provision of social security’. He reverberated that “Social Security is a fundamental means for creating social cohesion and is a contribution to human dignity, equity and social justice through national solidarity”.
The International Labour Organization, Director for Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique, Mr. Alexio Musindo was in attendance to witness the signing ceremony. A representative of the Association for the National Association for Small and Medium Scale Contractors, Mr. Danny Simumba, speaking on behalf of the Associations, highlighted the importance of ensuring workers’ social security coverage as one of the means of providing decent jobs. He also commended NAPSA for attaining such a critical milestone and made commitment to closely work with NAPSA in the actualization of the MOUs through collectively devising mechanisms to support the extension of coverage work.
The above milestone also complements extension of coverage work under the Social Protection for Informal and Rural Economy Workers, SPIREWORK, Project where NAPSA in partnership with the Finish National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) with support from the International Labour Organization (ILO) is working towards extension of social security to small scale farmers and rural agriculture workers. SPIREWORK is cognizant of the fact that agriculture is the backbone of rural economic activities and it is therefore imperative to promote decent work that encompasses provision of social security to small scale farmers and rural informal workers.