Africa Social Security Association
about us
The Background
The African Social Security Association (ASSA), formerly known as the East and Central Africa Social Security Association (ECASSA), is a regional membership-based umbrella body which was established in March 2007 in Kigali – Rwanda with the mandate to foster cooperation and promote development of social security in East and Central Africa. The Association was registered under the registrar of Societies under section 10 of the Societies Act of 1968 of the Government of Kenya on 18th September 2007 and in 2016 it was officially headquartered in Arusha – Tanzania, which is the seat of the East African Community (EAC). ASSA was officially registered in the United Republic of Tanzania on 18th July 2023 with Registration Number 23656 under Societies Act (CAP. 337 RE.2022) as a replacement of ECASSA with a broad scope to its vision and mission towards implementing its mandate virtually to the entire content of Africa. The historic decision to transform ECASSA into ASSA was unanimously made during the 27th ECASSA Governing Council held on 26th April 2023 in Livingstone – Zambia.
The Vision & Mission
The vision of ASSA is to be “the preferred Institution in the promotion, management and development of social security for all in the region” and its mission is “to foster cooperation and promote the management and development of social security for optimum stakeholder benefits”. The Association upholds the following core values and guiding principles which define how ASSA pursues its strategic objectives towards meeting the needs and expectations of its members and other relevant stakeholders;
- Commitment
- Integrity
- Teamwork
- Equity
- Creativity and Innovation
Objectives
The ultimate aim of ASSA is to bring together formal social security institutions all over Africa to share innovative experiences and best practices (with their deep-rooted common objectives) to work more closely in the interest of improving the quality and effectiveness of social security services delivery to the people of Africa and to contribute to the achievement of social security coverage for all. Since its inception (as ECASSA), ASSA has continued to play a significant role in fostering cooperation, promotion and development of social security and related matters in the Eastern and Central Africa region which have led into policy changes and institutional reforms in the sub-region. Today, ASSA, which consists of a constellation of 19 social security institutions from eight countries in the sub-region, provides a concrete platform for its members and social security policy makers to engage in social security development through policy influence, research, training and capacity strengthening. The association works closely with National Governments, regional and international organizations plus key stakeholders in promoting good governance and best practices in the administration of social security systems, schemes and programmes.