By Agencies
The National Social Security Authority (NSSA) is finalising a major reform program aimed at extending pension and social security coverage to more than three million informal sector workers including cross-border traders.
The proposed scheme targets workers operating outside formal pension structures, many of whom have historically lacked access to retirement and insurance benefits.
NSSA general manager, Charles Shava, said the initiative is now at an advanced stage of development.
“One of the key undertakings by the Authority is the introduction of the informal sector scheme, which is under construction and nearing completion,” said Shava.
He said the reform is intended to reduce vulnerability among informal workers, who are often excluded from existing social protection mechanisms.
“This will ensure that more than three million workers in the informal sector are covered by social security, thereby playing our role in eliminating poverty in our society,” he said.
Shava added that the design process is being guided by stakeholder consultations and technical assessments to ensure the scheme responds to the realities of the informal economy.
“The envisaged reforms seek to provide accessible and flexible social security solutions that cater to workers in the informal economy, such as self-employed individuals, small-scale traders, cross-border traders, and other previously excluded groups,” he said.
He noted that NSSA is conducting actuarial modelling to develop products suited to workers whose incomes are often irregular and seasonal.
“We are currently conducting research, stakeholder consultations, and actuarial modelling to design products suited to the realities of informal workers, whose incomes are often irregular and seasonal,” said Shava.
The reforms, he said, are aligned with the Government’s Vision 2030 agenda and broader efforts to strengthen social protection systems and reduce vulnerability among low-income households.
Shava said NSSA ultimately envisions a future where all workers, regardless of sector or income level, have access to meaningful social protection.
Apart from the informal sector scheme, NSSA is also pushing for the introduction of a maternity protection scheme, which is currently awaiting approval.
Shava highlighted that ongoing actuarial assessments indicate that the current pension schemes remain operationally sound despite economic volatility and changing employment patterns.
The planned reforms are expected to mark a significant shift in Zimbabwe’s social protection landscape by broadening pension coverage to millions of previously excluded workers in the informal economy.
