Dr Emmanuel Ulayi
When delegates from across West Africa converged on the Abuja Continental Hotel April 22-23, 2026, the agenda was clear but ambitious: to rewire how social security services reach the people who need them most. For two days, the International Social Security Association (ISSA) 2026 West Africa Technical Seminar put one tool at the centre of that mission — effective communication. The seminar brought together key stakeholders to confront persistent gaps in reach and understanding — and to position communication as the bridge to truly inclusive coverage.
Under the theme, “Improving inclusiveness and accessibility of social security services through effective communication in West Africa”, policymakers and administrators brainstormed on a simple question: What good is a safety net if the people it’s meant to catch don’t know it exists, or can’t reach it? Of course, for millions across West Africa, social security remains a promise that feels out of reach — lost in complex forms, unfamiliar language, or simply never heard of. The gathering united social security institutions under a shared goal: to use better, clearer communication to tear down barriers and make services genuinely inclusive and accessible for all.
One of the discoveries at the ISSA 2026 was that social security in West Africa has a coverage problem. But NSITF has an answer. At the seminar, NSITF showcased how it moved from protecting office workers to enrolling market traders, artisans, and gig drivers — groups once written off as “too hard to reach.” The shift is technical, political, and deeply practical. And it’s forcing a new question across ECOWAS: if Nigeria can do it, why can’t everyone else?
Setting the tone for the seminar, the Managing Director/Chief Executive of the NSITF, Barrister Oluwaseun Faleye, in his welcome address, told delegates that the gathering represents an important moment of continuity within the ISSA West Africa family. “Many of us will recall that in 2025, our colleagues in the Republic of Guinea graciously hosted the annual Technical Session of the ISSA West Africa Region in Conakry. My team and I were privileged to attend that meeting, which brought together sister institutions from across the sub-region in a spirit of openness, peer learning, and regional solidarity. The discussions were open and deeply reflective of our common realities, coverage gaps, informality, financing pressures, and the accelerating pace of change in the world of work”.
He said the theme of the seminar speaks directly to the moment: accessibility, effectiveness, inclusiveness, and the strategic use of digitisation in social security administration. These, according to him, are not abstract ideals. They are practical measures of whether institutions can keep pace with the changing lives and livelihoods of the people they exist to protect.
In his words, “Accessibility challenges us to rethink how services reach workers whose employment falls outside traditional structures. Effectiveness demands that benefits are delivered promptly, transparently, and predictably, because delays erode trust and inefficiency weakens credibility. Inclusiveness requires that women, persons with disabilities, migrant workers, and those in informal and non-standard forms of work are not treated as marginal, but as central to our mandate. Digitisation offers powerful tools in this regard, but only when guided by sound policy, institutional discipline, and a clear commitment to fairness”.
He emphasised that Nigeria, with a large and youthful population, a dynamic labour market, and one of the largest informal economies in Africa, required a responsive and strong social protection system, disclosing that the NSITF, under the Employees’ Compensation Act of 2010, carries a statutory responsibility to provide compensation for work-related injuries, occupational diseases, disabilities, and death.
“At NSITF, we have come to recognise that delivering on this mandate in today’s environment requires deliberate transformation. Over the years, we have embarked on a progressive digital journey, moving away from fragmented, paper-based processes toward more integrated systems that enhance integrity, improve service delivery, and strengthen public confidence. We are investing in platforms that support faster claims processing, improved data management, stronger actuarial planning, and more transparent engagement with employers and beneficiaries.
“At the same time, we remain clear-eyed about the challenges. Digital transformation is not a one-off project; it is a continuous process that demands skills, governance, cybersecurity, and above all, institutional culture. This is why gatherings such as this Technical Session are invaluable. They allow us to learn from one another, to adapt tested solutions, and to avoid costly missteps”.
The MD commended ISSA for offering a springboard for the region, saying, “ISSA has long provided a vital platform for this exchange. Through its standards, guidelines, and knowledge-sharing mechanisms, it has helped social security institutions navigate complexity with confidence. We are deeply grateful for the trust reposed in Nigeria and in NSITF to host this session, and we do not take that trust lightly”.
While declaring the Seminar opened, Nigeria’s President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, said West Africa stands at a historic crossroads as one of the youngest regions in the world, blessed with extraordinary human energy, entrepreneurial drive, and demographic promise. He lamented that despite the resources, “Yet we are also a region where vulnerability remains a daily reality for millions, vulnerability to economic transitions, to health shocks, to workplace accidents, to unemployment, and to the quiet insecurity that follows uncertainty”.
The president, who stressed why social security matters, “not as theory, not as policy jargon, but as the thin line between stability and despair”, admitted that Nigeria’s journey with social security has not been a straight line but a process of hard lessons, aggressive reforms, and continuous renewal.
“Today, under the oversight of the National Pension Commission, over 10 million Nigerian workers are actively contributing to the Contributory Pension Scheme, with pension assets now exceeding ₦25 trillion, according to data published by the National Pension Commission. Now, those figures are impressive, but the true success of the pension reform cannot be measured merely in trillions of naira. What those assets represent is trust, the hard-earned savings of Nigerian workers who now have confidence that after a lifetime of service, retirement will not mean hardship, uncertainty, or loss of dignity, but security and peace of mind.
“Through the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, we have fundamentally strengthened workplace injury protection. Today, over 7.5 million Nigerian employees are covered under the Employees’ Compensation Scheme, ensuring that when workplace accidents or disabilities occur, families are protected from sudden economic ruin. Every compensation payment sends a clear message: those who serve this nation will not be abandoned”.
Tinubu, represented by the Minister for Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu, said since assuming office in 2023, they have driven the Renewed Hope Agenda with a clear objective: to restore opportunity, protect livelihoods, and rebuild confidence in our economy.
On the theme, the president reiterated that “Communication is not public relations. It is the bridge between the government and the citizens. It is the architecture of trust. If we are to communicate social security effectively in West Africa, we cannot rely solely on technical circulars. Our people communicate through community, culture, conversation, and shared experience.
“In Nigeria, information often travels faster through the marketplace than through billboards. That may sound light-hearted, but the lesson is serious: communication must be culturally intelligent. We must speak in the language of communities, markets, and workplaces, not only in policy documents”.
He advised the delegates that “West Africa must move beyond copying global models. Long before the gig economy became a global buzzword, our informal sector was already thriving through innovation and resilience. Our communication strategies must reflect our realities. The ISSA provides an invaluable platform for shared learning and collaboration. This seminar is not merely about messaging techniques; it is about strengthening the social contract between governments and citizens”.
In his words, “When communication improves, trust grows. When trust grows, compliance improves. When compliance improves, coverage expands. And when coverage expands, poverty and vulnerability decline”.
Also speaking at the event, Nigeria’s Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, said the theme was a reminder that social security is not merely a safety net, but a fundamental pillar for social justice, industrial harmony and sustainable economic growth. In a rapidly changing world defined by technological advancements, the expansion of the informal sector and evolving employment relationships, the urgency to adapt and strengthen our social protection systems cannot be overemphasised.
He assured that the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment remains committed to its constitutional mandate of formulating and implementing policies that safeguard the welfare of Nigerian workers. “Central to this mandate is our supervisory role over key institutions, particularly the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF). The NSITF, as empowered by the Employees’ Compensation Act, 2010, serves as a critical vehicle for delivering social security to workers by providing compensation for workplace injuries, disabilities and death. Through effective oversight, we ensure that the Fund remains aligned with international best practices, including those championed by ISSA, while fulfilling its statutory responsibility of protecting Nigeria’s valued workforce”.
In a goodwill message, Dr. Vanessa Phala, Director, ILO Office for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Liaison Office for ECOWAS, restated their desire to support member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in their quest to gain universal and well-communicated social systems.
Phala, who spoke during one of the technical sessions, said the path toward universal, accessible, and well-communicated social protection systems in West Africa is within reach, but it requires decisive action, sustained investment, and above all, a shared commitment to leaving no one behind.
“The ILO Abuja Country Office and Liaison Office for ECOWAS remain steadfast in its commitment to supporting member states in this journey. Through technical assistance, policy advice, and capacity-building, we stand ready to help translate vision into reality”, she stated.
She urged all the stakeholders to seize the opportunity of the seminar to accelerate progress, strengthen cooperation, and build systems that truly serve all the people, stressing that social security is a human right and a social and economic necessity.
Presenting a keynote address, the Secretary General of ISSA, Mr. Marcelo Abi-Ramia Caetano, appreciated ISSA’s long-standing and fruitful collaboration with Nigeria and our member institutions in your country. “This collaboration has had many positive results, and we are grateful for your commitment to international exchange as part of our unique regional and global social security community”.
He informed that the ISSA is the world’s leading organisation of social security institutions and ministries, revealing that “Today, we bring together more than 340 member institutions in 165 countries. To effectively support our members, our activities are based on three pillars, namely to provide relevant and practical knowledge resources, to give access to valuable networks and finally to promote social security and the role of social security institutions at different levels.
“This Seminar is fully in line with what ISSA is all about: we will share highly relevant knowledge on a key issue in social security, we will have ample opportunity to exchange and network, and we will send a key message about the commitment of social security to reach out to all population groups.
“It is part of the wider ISSA activities in Africa of which a true highlight is upcoming. I am pleased that our membership of 109 institutions from 48 countries in Africa will soon come together at the Regional Social Security Forum for Africa (RSSF Africa 2026) in Kampala, Uganda, from 1-3 September this year,” he further stated..
The ISSA 2026, which ended on a high note was attended by delegates and stakeholders from across the world including the Director General, SSNIT, THE Manager, ISSA Liaison office, West Africa, Nana Asor Ampem Asare, representative of social security institutions, ministers and heads of agencies and parastatals across the region, the President of ISSA, West Africa Region, representatives of governments across West Africa and beyond, members of the Diplomatic Corps, development partners and technical experts.
. Ulayi, PhD, is of the Corporate Affairs Department of NSITF
