The Cape Verdean Centro Nacional de Pensões Sociais (CNPS) (National Social Pension Centre) closed on February 2nd, a financial management contract with Caixa Económica de Cabo Verde (CECV) to manage the Social pension Beneficiaries Mutual Fund. The contract signing is the outcome of a competition launched among financial institutions to manage the Mutual Fund, in accordance with article 13 of DL. n.º 2/2006, approved on January 16th. The financial management aims at providing the allowance scheme coverage.

The Mutual Fund was created in the context of the reform of the social protection non contributive scheme, through the above mentioned decree-law. Its main purpose is to ensure to social pensions beneficiaries the payment of preventive, recovery and rehabilitation healthcare services, as well as pharmaceutical assistance and the allocation of a funeral grant to a relative or legal inheritor of the deceased beneficiary.

Portugal: The new contributive code is in effect
from January 1st 2011

A year later than initially intended, the new Portuguese contributive code is now in effect. With this new code, and for the first time, the government managed to gather in the same code all the rules that regulate the material relations of rights and obligations between the social security previdential system and its beneficiaries and contributors, which were previously scattered in several laws and regulations. Among the new measures feature the increase of the number of allowances subject to retention and also the increase of the social protection level, which now covers sickness.

Independent workers with higher incomes will be the most affected by the retention measure, while those who most benefit from the extension of the coverage are the ones with lower incomes, who will now also contribute less to the state.

Brazil: The number of formalized workers through the Entrepreneur Programme rose up to 800 thousand

From the point of view of the then Minister of Social Security, Carlos Eduardo Gabas, the number of enrolments demonstrates that actions carried out to promote the formalization of those workers were on the right track. «By joining the programme, workers such as the popcorn salesman, or the rubber worker and similar other activities are now covered by social security which is very important from our point of view», stated the Minister. On the Entrepeneur’s website (www.portaldoempreendedor.gov.br) it is possible to view the list of activities in which the individual entrepreneur may fit into, and the guidelines to enrol the programme. Furthermore, any questions regarding the formalization programme may be answered through the telephone number 0800 570 0800 (Sebrae Brazil).

Mozambique: sons of beneficiaries and pension holders receive school supplies

The sons of beneficiaries and pension holders are now receiving school supplies such as books, pens and other materials. The distribution of supplies results from a study carried out by the provincial delegations and falls within the scope of the Sanitarian and Social Action Programme approved for last year. Overall, more than 18200 kits were handed out to the beneficiaries, with a total amount cost of 393.652,92 meticais.