NECA, NSITF Deepen Partnership For Safer Workplaces

The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) and the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) have reaffirmed their partnership to strengthen occupational safety and health standards across the private sector, with a renewed focus on voluntary compliance, risk prevention and workplace injury reduction.

The commitment was restated yesterday at a briefing to announce the Safe Workplace Intervention Project (SWIP) 2025 Interactive Enlightenment Fora and Awards Ceremonies, an initiative jointly driven by both organisations under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.

Director-general of NECA, Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, said the collaboration had become more imperative following the elevation of occupational safety and health to a core convention of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), making it binding on all member states.

He noted that the private sector’s approach to workplace safety had evolved from a regulatory obligation to a human rights concern, stressing that injuries and unsafe practices carried lasting consequences for workers, employers and the wider economy.

Oyerinde explained that SWIP was designed to promote voluntary compliance by recognising organisations with exemplary safety practices while encouraging others to align before enforcement measures and penalties become inevitable.

He added that emerging realities such as remote work, artificial intelligence and changing workplace models would require a redefinition of what constitutes a workplace and how safety obligations are measured.

He said, “Health and safety has moved from being a regulatory requirement to a core international obligation, especially since the ILO elevated occupational safety and health to the status of a core convention binding on all member states.

From the private sector perspective, workplace safety is no longer just about compliance; it is fundamentally a human rights issue because labour is not a commodity and the wellbeing of workers must be protected.

Through the Safe Workplace Intervention Project, our focus is to encourage voluntary compliance by recognising organisations that do the right things, while pushing others to align before enforcement and penalties become unavoidable.”

Managing-director of NSITF, Oluwaseun Faleye, described the partnership with NECA as critical to deepening compliance with the Employee Compensation Act, which provides for compensation, rehabilitation and support for workers injured in the course of employment.

He said sustained engagement, rather than enforcement alone, had proven effective in improving compliance and awareness within the private sector.

Faleye said the 2025 SWIP activities would recognise compliant organisations across the six geopolitical zones, encourage best practices and reinforce behavioural change among employers and employees.

“Our partnership with NECA has been instrumental in driving deeper compliance with the Employee Compensation Act, particularly in the private sector, through sustained engagement rather than enforcement alone.

The Employee Compensation Act provides certainty for employers and protection for workers, ensuring that workplace injuries do not derail the future of employees or their families.

By recognising compliant organisations across the regions, the Safe Workplace Intervention Project promotes awareness, behavioural change and a culture of safety that ultimately benefits workers, employers and the national economy,” Faleye said.