NSSF targets to cover 50% of working Ugandans
NSSF wants to target workers in the agricultural sector to increase the number of members. Photo / File
What you need to know:
- NSSF has about 800,000 active members out of a working population of about 12 million people
The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) has said its target is to recruit at least 50 percent of the working population in the next 10 years.
Speaking during the second Agribusiness Mkutano (conference), held in Kampala on Tuesday, Mr Alex Rumanyika, the NSSF head of strategy, said the fund has about 800,000 active members out of a working population of about 12 million people.
“With this, you can see that not enough people have social security. Our mission in the next 10 years is to cover at least 50 percent of the working population, and between six and seven million of these should be farmers,” he said, noting that it is inevitable for NSSF to get into the agriculture space to achieve its objective.
However, he said, this will take some serious initiatives such as mobilizing farmers through a national marketing effort, through which they will help farmers to address the issue of market access, standards, and certification.
Uganda has a very low social security uptake with majority of the adult population exposed to old age challenges.
Available data indicates that there are about three million Ugandans who have retirement schemes.
Mr Rumanyika said NSSF is looking at different options such as investing in a national marketing company, through which farmers will be mobilized for market access.
The Fund also indicated it will seek to support smart agriculture to ensure sustainability and protection of the environment.
“We want to invest in agriculture that is sustainable and friendly to the environment. We want to ensure that workers’ money is prudently put in investments that do not violate the environment,” he said.
