The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Muhammadu Dingyadi, has commended the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) for reforms transforming the administration of Nigeria’s Employees’ Compensation Scheme, saying the changes have improved claims processing and service delivery for workers.
Dingyadi made the remarks on Tuesday in Abuja while receiving a delegation from The Gambia’s Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation (SSHFC), led by the Industrial Injuries Compensation Fund Board. The delegation, accompanied by NSITF Managing Director, Oluwaseun Faleye, was on a courtesy visit aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation on employees’ compensation, social insurance, and workers’ protection.
Speaking through the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Dr. Kamil Shoretire, the minister described the reforms introduced under Faleye’s leadership as transformative for the administration of the Employees’ Compensation Scheme.
He said the visit would strengthen cooperation between Nigeria and The Gambia while creating opportunities for both countries to exchange ideas and enhance their social insurance systems for the benefit of workers.
According to Dingyadi, Nigeria has strengthened its compensation framework through reforms and digital technology, enabling claims to be processed more quickly and improving service delivery to beneficiaries nationwide.
“Our compensation mechanism has improved, and a lot of digitisation is happening now to ensure that claims are attended to as soon as possible,” he said.
“A lot of transformation has been going on in the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund under the present leadership,” he added.
The minister emphasised the importance of continued collaboration and the exchange of best practices to improve workers’ welfare and strengthen social security institutions in both countries.
“It is very important that the two countries exchange ideas on how to improve the lives of their citizens, particularly the working population our institutions serve,” he said.
Dingyadi added that Nigeria remains committed to improving its social insurance system while remaining open to learning from The Gambia’s experience.
“Our own is an ongoing process. We have not reached where we want to be. We also want to learn from what Gambia has achieved,” he said.
Responding, NSITF Managing Director, Oluwaseun Faleye, thanked the minister for receiving the Gambian delegation and reaffirmed the Fund’s commitment to strengthening regional cooperation on employees’ compensation and workplace safety across West Africa.
Faleye said Nigeria and The Gambia share similar demographic characteristics and labour market realities, making collaboration essential to addressing common challenges affecting workers and social security institutions.
“This exchange of ideas has been in the making for a long time. We readily accepted the request because our countries share similar challenges and opportunities,” he said.
He recalled that the Gambian delegation had participated in the International Social Security Association (ISSA) workshop hosted by NSITF earlier this year alongside delegates from other West African countries.
According to Faleye, the study visit will enable both institutions to deepen technical cooperation through practical engagements between their operational departments and the exchange of institutional knowledge.
“We do not see this as learning from us alone. The interaction also enables us to understand their peculiar situations and learn from them,” he said.
He added that NSITF remains committed to strengthening regional partnerships while promoting workplace safety, hazard prevention, and effective compensation systems for workers across the sub-region.
Also speaking, the leader of the Gambian delegation, Pierre Gomez, commended the reforms introduced by NSITF and described Nigeria as an important partner in knowledge exchange.
“Nigeria is our big brother. We are here to share experiences, learn from your successes and take that knowledge back home,” Gomez said.
He said he had observed remarkable progress since his previous visit to Nigeria about a decade ago, adding that the transformation reflects NSITF’s commitment to institutional development and improved service delivery.
“I have seen a lot of changes happen. It is imperative to come back, acquire this knowledge and share it with our colleagues back home,” he said.
