As part of the registration drive, the teams from National Social Security Fund- NSSF and Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development have toured and registered the Fine Spinners Uganda Limited employees in Bugolobi. Fine Spinners company processes locally-grown cotton to produce world-class, 100% African, sustainable, traceable garments.
Sections 7 & 13 of the NSSF Act as amended provides for mandatory contributions for all workers regardless of the size of the enterprise or the number of employees.
The Fund’s Acting Managing Director Ayota Patrick flanked by the Minister of Gender, Labor and Social Development, Hon. Betty Amongi spearheaded the registration of employees at Fine Spinners Uganda Limited.
Speaking at the event Patrick Ayota said, “As you recall, on 28th March the Fund launched a mass registration drive dubbed NowYouCan aimed at registering all employers in Uganda, irrespective of the number of workers employed. This was done in line with sections 7 and 13 of the NSSF Act as amended.”
Ayota added, “Honorable Minister, I am glad to inform you that as of today over 1,468 employers have so far registered with the Fund since we launched the mass registration drive. This drive is a multi-stakeholder initiative by various partners.”
The Fund has partnerships with most government agencies to ensure that employers regularize their status with NSSF before they do business thus engaging all regulatory agencies to ensure that entities are compliant before licenses.
“It’s now 9 days to the end of the period that we extended to non-compliant employers. However, we were implored by some employers to extend the registration deadline. Today we announce a 60 days extension, with the new deadline being 28th June 2023,” Ayota cautioned.
He further called upon all unregistered employers across the country to take advantage of the extension to regularize their status with the Fund to avoid penalties. This is an opportunity for every employer to support their staff to retire with dignity.
Hon. Betty Amongi said the government recognizes that social protection is crucial for achieving national development goals and promoting equity.
“As the largest social security scheme in Uganda, NSSF must take the lead in recruiting all eligible working Ugandans into the social security net. The new law has expanded the social security landscape & empowered the Fund to innovate and introduce new products,” Amongi said.
Uganda has a labor force of 16.3m people, of which 13.9m are working. Only 85% of paid workers in the country are employed in the informal sector, without formal contracts or social security. The NSSF Act as amended seeks to turn the events around.
