The event gathered 110 participants from 28 institutions in 19 countries in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire from 22 to 23 May 2024 and was hosted by the Social Insurance Institute – State Employees’ General Retirement Fund (Institut de prévoyance sociale – Caisse générale de retraite des agents de l'Etat – CGRAE).

In his opening speech, Adama Kamara, Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Employment and Social Protection emphasized the crucial importance of fighting fraud in social security and strengthening contribution collection in order to ensuring strong and sustainable systems. ISSA Secretary General Marcelo Abi-Ramia Caetano stressed the importance of sharing experiences between countries and institutions, as well as the value of the ISSA Guidelines to guide the implementation of measures and procedures.

Some of the key insights from the technical seminar included:

• Importance of efficient contribution collection systems: Participants unanimously recognized the critical role of efficient collection systems and effective anti-fraud policies in ensuring the financial and social sustainability of social security systems.
• Innovations: Social security institutions showcased notable innovations in the Western and Central African region in areas such as risk mapping, portfolio management, profiling, leveraging Big Data and Data Mining, biometric cards and electronic payment methods.
• Digitalization and automation: Digitalization and process automation are essential for effective contribution collection and fraud prevention, and leveraging technology can streamline procedures whilst enhancing accuracy.
• Communication and awareness: Communication, awareness campaigns and fostering a culture of social security are important, while effective communication helps build trust and encourages compliance.
• Continuous training and ethical guidelines: Ongoing training for personnel and the development of ethical guidelines were highlighted as crucial elements in maintaining high standards of service and integrity.
• The value of the ISSA Guidelines: The adoption and implementation of the ISSA Guidelines in the areas of contribution collection and compliance, and error, evasion and fraud (EEF) were evident across all the experiences presented.

In connection with the technical seminar, meetings were held by the Steering Committees of the Liaison Office for West Africa and the Liaison Office for Central Africa on 22 May. The meetings aimed to assess their ongoing activities and discuss their work plans until the end of the 2023–2025 triennium.