The new Management of the National Social Security and Insurance Trust (NASSIT) under the leadership of Mr. Joseph Sedu Mans Jr. has operationalised the Biometric Registration System (BRS) for its pensioners. The system uses a service-oriented architecture for central biometric data storage collected from contributors and pensioners alike.
“The objective of this system”, according to the Acting Director General, “is the efficient identity management of members of the scheme, and the prevention of identity fraud with the use of a widely approved biometric identification mechanism”.
“The operationalization of the Biometric Registration System will drastically minimize the monetary loss caused by identity fraud during pensions and benefits payment. This zero pension fraud system will save the Government hundreds of millions of leones”, Mr. Mans Jr. affirmed, adding, “it will also support the efficient management and administration of the Trust and is a catalyst for improvements to our processes and procedures. This will now lead to a significant increase in operational efficiency, quality and transparency”.
Explaining how the system works, the Director of Systems and Technology, who is also Acting Deputy Director General (Administration), Amara Kargbo, said it uses the finger as the primary tool for biometric recognition, and facial recognition as the secondary means of verification. The system captures three fingers from both hands of the pensioner or member.
“The need for using multiple fingers from both hands”, according to Mr. Kagbo, “is to increase the accuracy of the search results, as the system uses a one-one and one-to-many search, and also to create options for injuries that may lead a pensioner or member to lose a finger etc.
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Mr. Kargbo further stated that for those pensioners or would be pensioners who are sick or incapacitated and unable to come to any of the NASSIT offices for pensions registration and verification, the Trust has put in place mobile Biometric Registration kits in which the NASSIT team will visit the premises or location of any of the pensioners in order to have them registered and verified with the Biometric Registration System.
The Biometric Registration System is tightly integrated with the Trust’s NASSIT Area Pensions Operating System (NAPOS) application, thus ensuring effective use of identity management at various levels of contribution management, benefits processing and pensions payment
The system can help to verify identity of respective members during contingency management, claims management and pensions, along with other enterprise-wide services, avoiding possible monetary loss through mistaken identities and false contingency claims.
Sources: StANDARD TIMESPRESS
