Experts have called on the public to overcome the wrong perception that insurance and social security in most parts of Africa only covers employees in formal employment. 

Patrick Ngwila, the manager of research and training at East and Central Africa Social Security Association (ECASSA), said even most staff of social security institutions still think that the scheme only caters for white-collar jobs.

He was speaking in Kigali on the sidelines of a five-day training organised under the theme, "Delivering results through effective customer relationship practices within Social Security Institutions.”

"Social security institutions should cover everybody irrespective of what they do. People like journalists, lawyers, farmers, hawkers…everybody; they need to be part of social security. Even a peasant needs to be part of social security,” said Ngwila.

He added that they were currently training players in the social security sector how to enhance service delivery and customer satisfaction, by attracting more customers from the informal sector by providing relevant social security products.

The training attracted participants from four of the seven member states; Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya, and Zambia.

Other member countries of ECASSA include Uganda, South Sudan and Burundi.

"The need for member institutions to extend coverage by going into the informal sector makes it important to build relationships in order to enable members enhance loyalty to the institutions,” Ngwila pointed out.

ECASSA general-secretary Frederic Ntimarubusa said it requires professionalism and high level of customer relations to get low income earners contribute to social security scheme.

"Social security needs to make friendships and make such low income earners understand why they should be part of social security and show them the advantages of being onboard,” Ntimarubusa said.

Ngwila said Kenya’s Mbao pension plan has been designed to specifically suit low-income earners, where an individual contributes at least Ksh20 (about Rwf143) to the social security fund.

"This small amount contributed daily or weekly can accumulate and help someone pay school fees, or get small loans, among other benefits. This is what we should focus on as social security institution; building relationships with the public to have impact someone’s future,” he said.

Comparing Rwanda with other ECASSA member states, Ngwila said it a "role model”, especially on health insurance.

The country has consistently achieved 90 per cent of coverage in health insurance, and this has not been done in any of the member states so far, he said.

During an insurance policy makers’ conference two weeks ago in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Rwanda’s healthcare insurance was used as a case study.

"Seeing what is happening in Rwanda, other countries are trying to borrow a leaf, like in Kenya, there is a plan of having a universal health insurance, in Tanzania there is community health fund targeting every family,” said Dr Ntimarubusa, adding that training centres had already been established in Arusha, Tanzania, to offer professional courses in social security.

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