Government keen on undertaking pension reforms to improve member benefits and operational efficiency – Tambatamba

Minister of Labour and Social Security, Honourable Brenda Mwika Tambatamba, has urged stakeholders in the pension industry to heed President Hakainde Hichilema’s call for dialogue in finding solutions that will help the country to come up with a sustainable and responsive social security system that secures the social and economic wellbeing of the workers. The Minister said dialogue was key to unlocking ideas and initiatives that can shape Zambia’s pension system into one that can be admired by the region. The Minister was speaking when she officially opened the second NAPSA Stakeholders Forum 2024 at Garden Court Kitwe.
The event brought together various stakeholders, including employees and employer representatives, cooperating partners and the business community, under the theme “Strengthening Social Security Through Sustainable Growth and Resilience.”
“This event could not have come at a better time than this when we are seeing a resurgence of economic activity following the New Dawn Government’s resuscitation of key mining operations on the Copperbelt creating the much-needed jobs. With jobs come better incomes, improved livelihoods, and access to social security benefits like the NAPSA pension, which ensure that the Zambian people have dignity in retirement,” said Hon. Tambatamba.
The Minister commended NAPSA for its proactive engagement with stakeholders through its annual stakeholders’ forum, a true sign of the Authority’s commitment to transparency, accountability, collaboration and partnership with its members and the Zambian citizens.
“As we engage in discussions today, let us remain focused on how we can collectively improve the lives of the Zambian people through social security, decent work, and sustainable economic development,” she urged.
The Minister informed the gathering that the government was engaging stakeholders on the ongoing pension reforms with a view to coming up with a system that provides improved benefits to members and makes the system more efficient. She urged the delegates to deliberate freely and extensively and reiterated that the feedback from the forum would be considered during the ongoing dialogue.
In his welcome remarks, NAPSA Director General Muyangwa Muyangwa restated NAPSA’s commitment to transparency and accountability demonstrated by the second stakeholders’ forum and other initiatives that the Authority has implemented to make information about the performance of the fund available to the public.
“The main purpose of this forum is to foster dialogue, collaboration and reflection between the Board as representatives of the members, staff of NAPSA as managers of the scheme and members, the owners of the scheme, and other stakeholders on how best to secure the social and economic wellbeing of the people of zambia post their active employment life. As NAPSA, we believe that a robust and inclusive pension system that benefits the members can only be achieved through collaborative thinking and collective decision making.
Mr. Muyangwa highlighted the Authority’s recent accomplishments such as the Penalty reduction, Penalty waiver, launch of the online compliance certificate, system integration with other key players, support towards the implementation of biometric ID project and investment in high impact projects aimed at supporting sustainable economic growth.
The NAPSA Board Chairperson, Mr Shipango Muteo presented highlights of the NAPSA 2022-2026 Strategic Plan and the financial statements which showed exponential growth of the scheme to the delight of the members who commended NAPSA to continue investing prudently for the sustainability of the scheme.
The stakeholders urged NAPSA to continue improving its customer service and operational efficiency to enhance customer experience.
The stakeholders forum was hailed as an important platform for dialogue and must be replicated across the country.