In March 2020, the coronavirus pandemic broke out in Israel.

What began as a health crisis soon turned into an economic crisis, which led many workers to go on forced unpaid leave and went to the National Insurance Institute (NII) for assistance. There was a need to find creative solutions within the limits of the law and the data available to the NII, and to find workable and quick solutions that would allow the payment of unemployment benefits to unpaid workers.

The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) stands out as Nigeria’s foremost social security institution, with vast experience in the implementation of social security programmes in Nigeria. With a history that dates back to 1961, NSITF is famous for its continuous provision of social security to the Nigerian population. Between 2010 to 2019, i.e. the years covered by this good practice report, the NSITF has experienced tremendous improvement in its operational methods.

Phase 1 covered six Nigerian states (Sokoto, Niger, Gombe, Oyo, Imo and Bayelsa); Phase 2 covered a further six states (Katsina, Jigawa, Yobe, Bauchi, Ondo, and Cross River). So far in Phases 1 and 2 of the project, a total number of 1,545,646 pregnant women and children were covered as at March 2011. Of this figure 1,193,893 are still accessing care while 351,753 have exited the Project i.e. delivered or are above 5 years of age.