Reforms introduced by the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) are major steps towards strengthening the administration of the Employees’ Compensation Scheme (ECS), Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi, has said.

The minister gave the commendation when the Managing Director of NSITF, Oluwaseun Faleye, led a delegation of the Board of the Industrial Injuries Compensation Fund (IICF) of The Gambia’s Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation (SSHFC) on a courtesy visit to the ministry as part of a week-long study tour of the NSITF.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Dr Kamil Shoretire, Dingyadi said the visit by the Gambian delegation was an indication of the growing recognition of the reforms taking place at the Fund.

He noted that the NSITF had improved its compensation mechanism through digital transformation, resulting in faster claim processing and more efficient service delivery.

The Minister stressed the importance of collaboration between Nigeria and The Gambia, saying that both countries stood to benefit from exchanging ideas and best practices to improve workers’ welfare and expand social protection.

“Our own is an ongoing process. We have not reached where we want to be, and we also want to see what Gambia has been able to do so that our Fund will be able to scale up the best practices you are going to share with us,” he added.

Speaking during the visit, Faleye said the engagement was a continuation of the long-standing relationship between both countries and followed interactions at the International Social Security Association (ISSA) workshop hosted by the NSITF earlier this year.

He explained that the similarities in the demographic and labour market characteristics of both countries made collaboration necessary.

Faleye noted that the study visit provided an opportunity for officials from both institutions to exchange practical experience in the administration of employment injury compensation, social security operations, and institutional governance.

He stressed that the NSITF also viewed the engagement as an opportunity to demonstrate the close relationship between the Fund and its supervising ministry in driving policies to improve workers’ welfare.

The leader of the Gambian delegation during the courtesy visit, Pierre Gomez, expressed satisfaction with the progress made by the NSITF since his last visit about a decade ago.

At the end of the one-week study tour in Abuja, the NSITF assured the Gambian Industrial Injuries Compensation Fund of continued technical support and stronger institutional collaboration.
Speaking at the closing ceremony through the Executive Director (Administration), Samaila Abdu, Faleye said the partnership would extend beyond the study visit.

According to him, the study tour enabled both institutions to exchange experiences on the evolution of social security administration, employer registration, compliance management, contribution assessment, claims administration, rehabilitation, return-to-work programmes, research, actuarial planning and digital transformation.

He said discussions also focused on the deployment of the Employees’ Compensation Scheme Application (ECSA), which has improved operational efficiency, compliance and service delivery within the Fund.
Faleye said the most significant outcome of the engagement was the commitment by both institutions to sustain cooperation through continuous exchange of knowledge and technical support.

He welcomed an invitation by the Gambian authorities for the NSITF to undertake a reciprocal study visit, describing it as another opportunity to strengthen bilateral cooperation in social security administration.

Speaking on behalf of the Gambian delegation at the closing ceremony, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Trade and Employment, Lamine Camara, said the delegation was leaving Nigeria with valuable lessons that would help improve social security administration in The Gambia.

The week-long engagement, which included technical sessions, presentations and operational demonstrations, reinforced both institutions’ commitment to deepening cooperation to advance workers’ compensation, workplace safety and social protection across West Africa.