By Omar Bah
The executive members of the Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation Pensioners Committee, led by Chairman Alieu Faal, made a courtesy call on the Corporation’s management to convey their gratitude for the significant achievements and milestones attained by the Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation in the recent past.
The Pensioners Committee congratulated the management for the envious and strong financial performance that culminated in the payment of financial incentive bonus to staff after meeting performance targets in line with the Government performance contract.
It could be recalled that members’ funds grew from D7.8 billion in 2022 to D8.3 billion in 2023 as per the audited financial statements of 2023, representing a commendable percentage growth of 6.4%.
Continuing his appreciation of the senior management, the Pensioners Chairman expressed gratitude to the Corporation for successfully hosting the Annual General Meeting in April where representatives from both public and private sectors, including members of the Federated Pension Scheme and the National Provident Fund met.
“It was gratifying to witness the recognition of twenty distinguished institutions with awards for exemplary compliance in employee contribution payments throughout 2023. Timely employee contribution payments is very important and I urge all institutions to maintain this standard of compliance,” Mr Faal said.
Mr. Faal further praised the Corporation for its exemplary commitment to ensuring timely pension payments, particularly during festive seasons, which significantly eases the process for pensioners. As the official representative of Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation pensioners, he highlighted the consistent positive feedback he receives from pensioners nationwide, praising the Corporation’s outstanding service and dedication to their well-being.
The pensioners’ delegation also noted significant improvements in claim processing times, reducing the duration from over a month to approximately ten days—a remarkable milestone achieved to date. They also expressed gratitude to the Corporation for implementing an efficient workflow system that ensures claim processing is meticulously tracked and managed.
The Pensioners Committee expressed their gratitude to the Corporation for its support to bedridden pensioners through food provisions, a commendable effort under the Corporation’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative.
The Chairman of the Pensioners further extended his heartfelt congratulations to MD Malang on his appointment to the International Social Security Association (ISSA) Bureau, the governing council of the ISSA. He also commended Malang for his role on the working group responsible for reviewing the ISSA constitution. The Chairman encouraged the Corporation to maintain its commitment to excellence, striving to enhance service quality and achieve superior results in line with the performance contract established with the Government.
The Managing Director of the Corporation, Mr. Saloum Malang, welcomed the pensioners’ delegation and reassured them of the Corporation’s ongoing commitment to addressing their needs. He emphasized that the welfare of pensioners is a central component of the Corporation’s Corporate Strategy and confirmed that its implementation is progressing as planned.
The MD also updated the pensioners on the Corporation’s drive to offer social protection for the informal sector. He indicated that the Corporation is committed to extending social protection to the informal sector. To advance this strategic initiative, a delegation from the undertook a benchmarking study tour to Lusaka, Zambia, where they engaged with the National Pension Scheme Authority to gain insights from the Zambian experience.
He said following this valuable learning experience, they established a task force with the mandate to evaluate the feasibility and framework for extending social protection to the informal sector. He added that the task force has proactively engaged with various segments of The Gambia informal sector, including women gardeners, taxi drivers, and tailors, among others. The qualitative data gathered from these consultations will be instrumental in shaping informed decisions and tailoring our service offerings to meet the unique needs of this diverse and vital segment.
The MD also updated the delegates on the successful impact of the SSHFC Family concept, designed to foster collaboration and resource-sharing among SSHFC subsidiaries for mutual benefit. This initiative encourages these entities to support and engage with one another. To further advance this objective, the leaders of all involved organizations were invited to actively participate, contributing to the continued success and positive outcomes of this collaborative effort.
The meeting provided a valuable platform for productive engagement between the Corporation and this key stakeholder, which is highly encouraging.
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