United Republic Of Tanzania -Prime Minister's Office

SPEECH BY HONOURABLE MIZENGO P. PINDA (MP), PRIME MINISTER OF THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA, AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE SECOND EAST AND CENTRAL AFRICAN SOCIAL SECURITY ASSOCIATION (ECASSA) POLICY MAKERS’ WORKSHOP ON 29^TH JANUARY 2010, AT NYUMBANI HOTELS & RESORT IN MWANZA

Honourable Abdulwakil Hafidh, Chairperson of the East and Central

African Social Security Association (ECASSA);

Honourable Prof. Juma A. Kapuya - MP, Minister of

Labour, Employment and Youth Development;

Honourable Ministers from Member States;

Honourable Abbas Kandoro, Regional Commissioner - Mwanza;

Distinguished Delegates;

Invited Guests;

Ladies and Gentlemen.

It gives me great pleasure to join you in this Opening Session of the Second East and Central African Social Security Association (ECASSA) here in Mwanza. On behalf of the Government and People of the United Republic of Tanzania and on my own behalf, I wish to extend to you all, a warm welcome. To those who have come from outside the borders of Tanzania, I say welcome, in Kiswahili we say “KARIBUNI SANA TANZANIA”.

It is a great honour and privilege for us in Tanzania to host this important and historic Workshop. I believe that you will enjoy your brief stay with us and you will be able to spare sometime to visit tourist attractions of Tanzania. You are in the North Western Circuit of the Tanzania which has a lot of exciting historic sites like Bujora Cultural Centre, Mwalimu J.K. Nyerere Museum and the National Parks such as the seventh wonder of the World the famous Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the East and Central African Social Security Association Council for choosing Tanzania as the venue for the Second Social Protection Policy Makers’ Workshop. This is a clear testimony of the cordial relations between Tanzania and other East and Central African Social Security Association (ECASSA) Member Countries. Let me assure all of you that, we in Tanzania are encouraged by your participation in which we expect to share experiences and exchange ideas.

Distinguished Participants,

We are meeting here today to discuss one of the most topical and timely issue effecting the development of the Sub-region, that is Social Security and Protection. Every human being is vulnerable to risks and uncertainties with respect to income as means of life sustenance. To contain these risks, everyone needs some form of Social Security guaranteed by the family, community and the society as a whole. Such socio-economic risks and uncertainties in human life form the basis for the need of Social Security. Social Security is rooted in the need for solidarity and risk pooling by the society given that no individual can guarantee his or her own Security.

The Social Security concept has been changing with time from the traditional ways to modern ones. As societies became more industrialized as a result of technological innovations, more people are getting out of the traditional system of Social Security. These developments have prompted both Policy Makers and Experts to formalize Social Security systems that addressed the emerged social issues and needs.

Distinguished Participants,

I am told that East and Central African Social Security Association (ECASSA) provides a very important forum for Social Security Experts, Managers, Stakeholders and Policy Makers to share experiences and address challenges that are pertinent to the Sub-region. Most of these challenges emanate from different policies in the Region. The critical issue is on how these policies will be harmonized and coordinated so as to provide a level and better playing field in the Region for provision of meaningful Social Security and other Social Services to all people in the Region.

Distinguished Participants,

In addressing issues of harmonization and coordination of policies within the Region, the question of Good Governance in the area of Social Security is indeed very important. Given the fact that Social Security Governance is the main theme of your Conference, I believe that you are going to underscore the critical issues aiming at strengthening Governance in the areas of Social Security in the Region. You will also in my view, underscore the question of economic development in the Region given the complementarity between social and economic development policies. For that matter, issues related to income generation, poverty alleviation and provision of social wellfare are some of the issue that need to be well addressed.

Distinguished Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Social Security Sector in Africa and in particular the Sub-region of East and Central Africa has experienced some challenges which are results of social and economic dynamics in our Region and the world at large. Allow me to point out some of these challenges which this meeting of experts and future interactions of experts in our Region have to address:

i) Integration of Social Security Policies and Economic Policies: Our Countries are slowly building blocs of one community. We have started with a Common Market and we are progressing into other areas of co-operation. The challenge facing us is how to make Social Security benefits cross our borders;

ii) Weakening of Informal Social Protection System: Socio-economic developments taking place in the Region have resulted into a slow but steady disintegration of the kinship or family-based social support systems on which the majority of our people have depended for protection against contingencies. Economic hardships have made it difficult for individuals, families and/or kin members to provide assistance to each other in time of crisis and need. The high rate of urbanisation has also taken its toll on traditional social values and protection systems. There has been increasing fragmentation with families becoming more dispersed thereby eroding the capacity of extended families to function as Social Safety nets;

iii) Limited Growth of the Formal Employment: Public Sector Reforms have resulted into retrenchment of Workers and freezing employment in the Public Sector. The slow growth of our economies have not coped with the rate of unemployment. While the Private Sector is doing very well in creating jobs, those who have been left out in the Formal Sector are joining the Informal Sector where earnings are often inadequate and/or uncertain;

iv) Reduced Access to Social Services: Despite deliberate measures by the Governments to improve provision of social services to the public, we still have a considerable part of the population which have either limited or no access to these services;

v) Low levels of income: Incomes for the majority of the people in the Region are generally inadequate to meet their basic requirements and save for future use; and

vi) Declaration of Low Insurable Earnings: Some employers provide remunerations composed of Basic Salaries and Allowances, while deductions for Social Security are based on Basic Salaries only, leading to lower benefits from Social Security Institutions upon retirement.

These and many others are challenges which need political will and formulation of policies which will enable our people to be covered by Social Security Safety nets. We wish to see, from the society the right of all workers and their dependants access Social Security. We wish to see the right to social and medical assistance for the poor, and we need to see the right of every elderly person to social protection. Let us use this forum as one way of exchanging ideas and experiences so that we can be able to put in place mechanisms which will enable the majority of our people access Social Security benefits.

Distinguished Participants,

Our Region is slowly integrating into one labour market. We are removing borders for labour movement. Our experts will be able to move from Country to Country searching for employment. This labour mobility will bring to us the challenge of how to enable them continue accessing their Social Security or Pension Benefits. How can we enable a worker working and contributing to a Pension Fund in Uganda continue his pension benefits once he or she decides to move to Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi or Rwanda. We want to make it easier for our workers to access their Social Benefits regardless of their Countries of origin. I expect therefore that, Social Protection Policy Makers and Social Security Experts gathered here today will explore the possibility of devising ways of addressing the underlying challenges mentioned above in line with the Social Security needs in the Sub-region. It is our hope that, at the end of this meeting, you will be able to chart out strategies that will lead to increased Social Security coverage, and increased awareness and understanding of Social Security matters within our Region.

Mr. Chairman, Distinguished Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen,

In conclusion, I believe that there are vast untapped opportunities that can be utilised for the prosperity of the Member Countries and African Continent in General in the field of Social Security. Therefore, East and Central African Social Security Association (ECASSA) future role in taking active position is immense. As the Social Security Concept in the Member State grow, service offered by East and Central African Social Security Association (ECASSA) is even more important. East and Central African Social Security Association (ECASSA) need to offer more support to the Social Security Members in order to increase their shares and contributions for economic growth as well as social development to the people of this Region. Let me assure you that, the Government of Tanzania has confidence in East and Central African Social Security Association (ECASSA) and will support these initiatives.

Lastly, let me reiterate Tanzanias’ thankfulness to you all for honouring us by accepting the invitation to come for this Workshop. I would like to take this opportunity to once again invite all the Participants to actively participate to this very important Workshop that brings our desire for unity in this Region once more closer to reality. I wish you every success in your deliberations.

After these few remarks, I now have the pleasure to declare that the Second East and Central Social Security Association (ECASSA) Policy Makers Workshop officially opened.

I thank you for your kind attention.