KIGALI - Four top officials from Tanzania’s Parastatal Pension Fund (PPF) are in the country on a three-day visit aimed at studying issues of social security in Rwanda.

Led by the PPF Director General, William Erio, the officials are particularly interested in learning how the Social Security Fund of Rwanda (SSFR) has succeeded in the use of ICT in their daily activities.

"We want to learn from our Rwandan colleagues on how they have managed to use IT in handling issues like membership particulars and contributions. We want to see how they did this and how we can adopt it or do better,” Erio said during a meeting at Kigali Serena Hotel on Monday.

He decried the low coverage rates in his country and the untimely contributions. Erio attributed that to the large number of employees who are not yet mindful of the benefits of saving for the future.

SSFR Director General Henry Gaperi said that the two countries have common challenges. He observed that unless African countries fully solve the problem of unemployment, social security coverage will remain a big challenge.

"Unlike in the West where almost ninety percent of the population is usually employed, in Africa it is the opposite. We therefore have to solve this before ensuring full social security,” he said.

SSFR’s Principal Communications Officer, Daniel Ruti Kayonga, said the visit was in the framework of the East and Central Africa Social Security Association (ECASSA), a regional body of national social security fund institutions.

Ends