By Foday Moriba Conteh
During a well-attended ceremony held at Radisson Blu Mammy Yoko Hotel, Aberdeen in Freetown, the National Social Security and Insurance Trust (NASSIT) has on Friday 1st April, 2021 officially launched its 20th Anniversary Celebration on the theme: “Improving Efficiency through Digitalization for National Development”.
Speaking during the ceremony, the Director General of the National Social Security and Insurance Trust, Mohamed Fuaad Daboh, noted that before 2001 the country used to have a pension arrangement that mainly covers the public sector which he said was largely not contributing and had challenges.
He added that Sierra Leoneans who has diligently served the nation were receiving ridiculous pensions upon retirement which he said had implications on the job market, adding that it against such a backdrop that the Government under the leadership of His Excellency President Ahmed Tejan Kabba decided to establish the National Social Security and Insurance Trust in order to address the long range of economic security in the country.
Mohamed Fuaad Daboh stated that the National Social Security and Insurance Trust strongly believes in the core values of respect, accountability, transparency and excellence since its inception in 2001, adding that as an institution they are gratified to officially launch the 20th anniversary celebration of the institution.
He pointed out that all workers in the formal sector, as long as there is an employer-employee relationship, it is the responsibility of the employer to make sure that the employee is registered and contributions are paid on his or her behalf adding that employers are required to pay their employees’ contributions on or before the 15th of every month otherwise it will attract interest and penalties.
The Director General maintained that since its establishment the institution has come a long way in realizing the dream of His Excellency Late President Ahmed Tejan Kabba in ensuring dignity at retirement as well as supporting economic development by investing in the financial sector, hospitality, real estate in post war Sierra Leone.
“20 years ago, the National Social Security and Insurance Trust was launched by His Excellency Late President Ahmed Tejan Kabba at the Lagoonda Entertainment Complex on Aberdeen in Freetown as a hope of every worker in the country after signing into law the National Social Security and Insurance Trust Acts of 2001,” he maintained.
Launching the NASSIT 20th Anniversary Celebration, the Minister of Labour and Social Security, Alpha Osman Timbo, commended the current and past leadership of the National Social Security and Insurance Trust for their tireless efforts in upholding the vales of the institution since its inception.
He said that the National Social Security and Insurance Trust started effective operations in January 2002 with the authority conferring on it by the NASSIT Act No 5 of 2001. He further described the ceremony as a special moment in reflecting on the successes and addressing the challenges of the scheme to ensure that it is kept on a good footing for the benefit of all Sierra Leoneans.
Alpha Osman Timbo recognized and applauded all Sierra Leoneans who actively participated in the establishment of the National Social Security and Insurance Trust that has attained 20 years of existence.
“After a careful look at the existing legal framework giving the employment situation in the world of work coupled with the adoption of several international instruments by the International Labour Organization and the United Nations specifies that every human being has a right to social security. Among these instruments is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 which in Article 2 states that “Everyone in society has the right to social security,” he averred.
The event was climaxed by the official launching of the 20th Anniversary Celebration of NASSIT by the Minister of Labour and Social Security, Alpha Osman Timbo.
