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Business Reporter

The National Social Security Authority (NSSA) raised the country’s flag high after winning three awards at a continental ceremony organised by the International Social Security Association (ISSA) in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, last week.

NSSA won three certificates of merit in recognition of various initiatives it has taken to enhance service delivery through innovative interventions.

The 2023 Good Practice Awards attracted 138 entries from 48 member organisations in 30 African countries.

The statutory pension fund won a Certificate of Merit, with special mention for Enhanced Compliance Enforcement through embracing information and communication technology (ICT) and collaboration with other statutory bodies/agencies.

 It also won a certificate of merit for the establishment of internet kiosks for ease of access to NSSA services.

The third award was a certificate of merit in recognition of implementation of the self-adjusting framework that is reviewed quarterly, and indexed against the cost of living.

Commenting on the awards, NSSA’s Acting general manager, Dr Charles Shava, said the accolades demonstrated the authority’s journey towards service delivery excellence.

“Our vision is to become a world-class provider of social security by 2030, in line with the national vision of becoming an empowered and prosperous upper-middle-income economy by 2030.

“As a major player both in the financial and social security sphere, NSSA has a special role to play toward fulfilling Zimbabwe’s socio-economic ambitions.

“For us to move forward at an accelerated pace, we need to invest in and embrace technology and utilise it for the benefit of our clients and stakeholders, and I’m glad that the recognitions we received confirm to us that we are on the right track,” said Dr Shava.

He said the NSSA Self-Service Portal, which was introduced in 2020 for both employers and contributors, made it convenient to do business with the entity. It was in stark contrast to the archaic manual system that prevailed before this breakthrough.

“Manual systems the world over are notorious for backlogs and inefficiency. This led to an accumulation of backlogs in terms of capturing employer and employee data thus negatively impacting data cleanliness levels and customer experience.

“The introduction of the Self-Service Portal has also allowed NSSA to leverage partnerships with other organisations in administering its schemes as recommended by Guideline 4 of the ISSA Guidelines on Administrative Solutions for Coverage Extension,” said Dr Shava.

Building on the digital journey, the NSSA self-service portal is being integrated into a one-stop-virtual-shop, the NSSA Contact Centre, which is currently undergoing pilot testing before being introduced to the market.

The contact centre is expected to further improve service delivery as customers will have diverse options of dealing with NSSA from wherever they are. It is an integrated platform that brings together voice and digital channels.