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From Bimbola Oyesola
…As Faleye pledges technical support
The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening regional cooperation on social security, promising sustained technical support and knowledge sharing with The Gambia’s Industrial Injuries Compensation Fund (IICF) under the Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation (SSHFC).
The assurance came at the close of a week-long study tour by a high-powered Gambian delegation to the Fund’s headquarters in Abuja.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NSITF, Oluwaseun Faleye, said the partnership between both institutions would continue beyond the study visit, describing it as the beginning of a deeper collaboration aimed at advancing workers’ welfare and social protection across West Africa.
Represented by the Executive Director (Administration), Samaila Abdu, Faleye assured the visiting delegation that NSITF would continue to provide technical guidance, share institutional experiences and support The Gambia as it strengthens its industrial injuries compensation system.
“NSITF will continue to support the Industrial Injuries Compensation Fund under the SSHFC by sharing technical knowledge, exchanging experiences and providing guidance wherever we can. We see this as a partnership between brothers, working together towards the common goal of strengthening social protection and advancing the welfare of workers across our sub-region,” Faleye said.
He stressed that the relationship established during the study tour would not end with the closing ceremony but would instead evolve into a stronger institutional alliance built on continuous collaboration and mutual learning.
“This relationship does not end with today’s closing ceremony. Rather, it marks the beginning of an even stronger partnership between our two institutions,” the NSITF boss said, while asking the delegation to convey his goodwill to the management and staff of The Gambia’s Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation.
Faleye expressed appreciation to the Gambian delegation for selecting NSITF as the destination for the study visit, describing the decision as a vote of confidence in the Fund and a reflection of the growing cooperation among social security institutions within the West African sub-region.
According to him, the week-long engagement provided both organisations with an opportunity to exchange practical ideas, compare operational experiences and identify innovative approaches to improving employment injury compensation and social security administration.
“Beyond the presentations and technical sessions, what has been most rewarding has been the quality of our interactions. We have engaged in frank discussions, asked important questions and learned from one another. That, indeed, is the true value of a study visit,” he said.
The NSITF chief welcomed the invitation extended to the Fund to undertake a reciprocal visit to The Gambia, saying such exchanges would further strengthen cooperation and allow both organisations to monitor how lessons from the Abuja engagement are implemented.
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While acknowledging that NSITF itself continues to improve its operations, Faleye said the organisation remains committed to innovation and to sharing best practices in areas where it has recorded measurable progress.
He explained that the study tour exposed the Gambian delegation to the evolution of Nigeria’s social security administration—from the National Provident Fund to the establishment of NSITF and the Employees’ Compensation Scheme under the Employees’ Compensation Act 2010—while also providing insights into institutional governance and policy development.
Participants also received detailed presentations on employer registration, compliance management, contribution assessment and the deployment of technology to improve transparency, accountability and service delivery. Discussions equally covered claims administration, compensation payment, rehabilitation programmes and return-to-work initiatives for injured employees.
Faleye noted that research, evidence-based policymaking, actuarial planning and digital transformation featured prominently during the technical sessions, with the demonstration of the Employees’ Compensation Scheme Application (ECSA) highlighting the Fund’s drive towards greater efficiency and improved compliance.
“Together, we have reaffirmed that effective social security administration is not a destination but a continuous journey of learning, innovation and improvement,” he said, adding that the shared commitment to sustain cooperation remained the most significant outcome of the engagement.
Responding on behalf of the Gambian delegation, the Chairman of the Board of the Industrial Injuries Compensation Fund and Permanent Secretary in The Gambia’s Ministry of Trade and Employment, LamineCamara, described the study tour as highly beneficial and expressed optimism that it would strengthen his country’s social security system.
“We are very pleased, although not happy that this tour is coming to an end. We want to take this collaboration further in every area of social security. We are also looking at improving capacity from this collaboration,” Camara said.
He added that The Gambia was particularly interested in learning from NSITF’s experience in research, institutional development and operational efficiency, while extending a formal invitation for the Nigerian delegation to visit Banjul and witness the reforms that would emerge from the knowledge acquired during the study tour.
“We are eager to learn from the NSITF experience. We also want to improve the areas of research because we are behind in that area, and this collaboration will help us improve. At the same time, our own experience can also benefit Nigeria. We therefore invite NSITF to visit us in The Gambia, and we are very happy with this partnership,” Camara said.
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