Informal sector players enabled to join NSSF

 Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: Benjamin William Mkapa Pension Towers - Mafuta House - Azikiwe Street - photo by M.Torres

Thursday, 07 February 2013 23:14

By Felix Lazaro
The Citizen Reporter
 

Dar es Salaam. The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) has teamed up with Vodacom Tanzania to enable informal sector players to make their contributions through a mobile transaction platform, M-pesa.
 

The NSSF managing director, Dr Ramadhan Dau, yesterday said the development was aimed at simplifying payments of contributions by its voluntary members.

“Currently, the anticipated groups include Tujijenge, Taff, Amsha Group, THT, Individuals and other organised groups in the informal sector,” he said. Currently, NSSF has more than 6,000 members registered from the informal sector.
 

For his part, Vodacom Tanzania’s Communications head Kelvin Twissa said the move demonstrated how much M-pesa has been contributing to the country’s development.

“We believe that this will go a long way in serving Tanzanians,” said Mr Twissa. The method will help contributors save time that would have been spent on queuing. The Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) was the first to collaborate with M-pesa for members from the informal sector.

Vodacom and GEPF had signed an agreement in October 2010 under the Voluntary Retirement Savings Scheme (VSRS).

Membership is open to employed or self-employed individuals.
 

Initially in 2010 GEPF aimed to acquire an additional 10,000 members. VSRS members make contributions by dialling the VSRS business number (700200) followed by an individual membership number to be assigned by GEPF.