The workshop emphasized the importance of implementing measures to enforce effective contribution collection and compliance systems in Southern Africa. Participants discussed how technological and administrative innovations had facilitated progress in this area. However, there is a need to further strengthen approaches and exchange on the latest strategies and good practices.

Progress in this field have been supported by the ISSA Guidelines on Contribution Collection and Compliance, and also the ISSA Guidelines on Error, Evasion, and Fraud in Social Security Systems, and the event aimed to identify and share innovations and good practices based on recent regional experiences.

Key issues and workshop discussions

The workshop addressed questions including the challenges and risks in enforcing contribution collection and compliance, recent strategies and learnings, the role of technology and partnerships, and future coordination for Southern African social security organizations. Major collaborative sessions were held on issues identified by the participants, notably partnerships, coverage extension, new information and communication technologies, governance, enforcement and prosecution, communication and data. Discussions focussed on identifying the most relevant ISSA Guidelines and how they could be mobilized to address selected themes, as well on ISSA Good Practices that could inspire methods to comply with these guidelines.

The workshop concluded with a plenary session where groups shared their findings and discussed the way forward for implementing these strategies and innovative approaches in their respective organizations. The ISSA General Secretariat and the Liaison Office for Southern Africa will continue their work with member organizations to strengthen contribution collection and compliance in the region.