In 2010, social security policy was reviewed to include the requirement to extend coverage to over 70 per cent of the working population by 2015. The Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB) reviewed and examined strategies on how to extend coverage to the informal sector. These strategies included establishing joint working partnerships with key institutions dealing with the informal sector, designing benefit packages that are attractive to the informal sector, simplifying administrative procedures to reduce compliance costs and strengthening decentralization of services among others.

The implementation of the above strategies has resulted in an increase in coverage (from 7 to 18 per cent) in just one year and contributions have increased by 35 per cent. With this progress, we are convinced that we will achieve the objective of 70 per cent coverage by 2015.