Social security in Africa: regional integration, collective resilience, and the road ahead
Tuesday, July 28 2026 1:28 pm
By Meshach B. Bandawe ASSA Secretary General
The African Social Security Association (ASSA), formerly known as the East and Central Africa Social Security Association (ECASSA), is a regional membership-based umbrella body which was established in March 2007 in Kigali, Rwanda with the mandate to foster cooperation and promote development of social security in East and Central Africa. The Association was registered under the registrar of Societies under Section 10 of the Societies Act of 1968 of the Government of Kenya on 18th September, 2007 and in 2016 it was officially headquartered in Arusha, Tanzania, which is the seat of the East African Community (EAC).
ASSA was officially registered in the United Republic of Tanzania on 18th July, 2023 with Registration Number 23656 under Societies Act (CAP. 337 RE.2022) as a replacement of ECASSA with a broader scope to its vision and mission towards implementing its mandate virtually to the entire content of Africa. The historic decision to transform ECASSA into ASSA was unanimously made during the 27th ECASSA Governing Council held on 26th April, 2023 in Livingstone, Zambia.
Applause for NSSF
The Governing Council of the African Social Security Association (ASSA) extends its warmest congratulations to the Board, Management, and Staff of the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) Uganda, as well as to the Government of the Republic of Uganda, for the remarkable transformation and progressive reforms undertaken within the Fund.
We commend NSSF Uganda for its visionary leadership and commitment to strengthening social protection systems through significant institutional reforms, enhanced governance frameworks, and improved service delivery. The extension of social security coverage and the deliberate inclusion of workers in the informal sector represent a major milestone in advancing financial security and social protection for all citizens.
These transformative efforts reflect a strong national commitment to inclusive growth, economic resilience, and the realisation of universal social protection. By broadening access and deepening participation, NSSF Uganda continues to set a commendable example for the region and the continent at large.
ASSA recognises and applauds the Government of Uganda for providing the policy direction and enabling environment necessary to achieve these milestones. The collaborative leadership demonstrated by the Board and Management of NSSF Uganda stands as a model of excellence in social security administration.
Social security, recognised as a universal human right under the UDHR and ILO conventions, began as formal-sector, contributory insurance in European Bismarckian and Beveridgean models. Globally, it has shifted toward rights-based, non-contributory systems, such as the ILO’s Social Protection Floors, providing basic income and health coverage for all. As these norms spread globally, they were adapted to differing economic, demographic, and political contexts. In Africa, this has resulted in hybrid social protection systems that combine contributory and non-contributory mechanisms to address informality, fiscal constraints, and development priorities, while aligning with global social security agendas, including the Sustainable Development Goals, ILO social protection standards, and the Social Protection Floors framework.
