Ouagadougou: The Goulmou Regional Directorate of Labor and Social Protection organized an awareness session on voluntary insurance for informal economy workers this Saturday, July 25, 2026, in Diabo, Gourma Province. The initiative aims to raise awareness of this social protection mechanism, which allows self-employed workers to prepare for their retirement.
According to Burkina Information Agency, the regional director of Labour and Social Protection of Goulmou, Issoufou Ou©draogo, explained that voluntary insurance is a system put in place by the State to allow people with an income, in particular traders, artisans, and other workers in the informal sector, to benefit from social security and a retirement pension, like workers in the formal sector.
He indicated that to subscribe, the applicant must provide a copy of their Burkinab¨ National Identity Card, a certified copy of their birth certificate, and the registration declaration form. The amount of contributions varies from 6,300 FCFA to 112,000 FCFA, depending on each insured person’s ability to pay.
According to Mr. Ou©draogo, a retirement pension is granted to insured persons who have contributed for at least 15 years and have reached the age of 56. Otherwise, they receive an old-age allowance. He also specified that benefits are provided to beneficiaries in the event of the insured’s death, including a pension or survivor’s allowance.
The regional director also stressed that contributions can now be paid remotely via Orange Money through the CNSS platform, thus avoiding frequent trips to Fada N’Gourma for insured persons.
At the end of the meeting, several participants praised the initiative. Seamstress Mamounata Yoni confided that the session had helped her better understand the importance of preparing for her future by contributing to a retirement fund. For his part, trader Emile B. Niki©ma considered that voluntary insurance constitutes a real guarantee for self-employed workers when they are no longer able to carry out their activities.
Issoufou Ou©draogo has called on all actors in the informal economy and invited them to subscribe massively to voluntary insurance in order to ensure a dignified old age. The regional director of Labour and Social Protection of Goulmou, recalled that several people in the region are already benefiting from this system, proof of its effectiveness.