By: Saidu Jalloh
In a landmark initiative aimed at protecting the long-term welfare of legal professionals, Tuma Adama Gento-Kamara, President of the Sierra Leone Bar Association (SLBA), has successfully facilitated the enrollment of privately practicing lawyers into the National Social Security and Insurance Trust (NASSIT) scheme.
For years, many private lawyers in Sierra Leone were excluded from the national pension system, often retiring without financial support. Fulfilling a key promise in her campaign manifesto, Gento-Kamara prioritized the integration of private legal practitioners into NASSIT to ensure a secure and dignified retirement.
“Private practice, though potentially rewarding, comes with many uncertainties,” she remarked. “Some of our retired colleagues, despite years of service to justice, ended up without any pension benefits simply because they were not enrolled in the NASSIT scheme.”
Gento-Kamara emphasized that the initiative not only provides financial security but also restores dignity to retired lawyers who served outside the public sector.
Representing the Chief Justice, Hon. Justice Michael P. Mami supported the initiative, highlighting its human rights implications. He encouraged all private lawyers to embrace the scheme, especially in light of the growing number of entrants into the legal profession.
“When we were called to the Bar in 2002, there were only five of us. Today, over 500 lawyers are called annually,” he said, underscoring the need for structured financial planning in a competitive and challenging economic environment.
NASSIT Director General Mohamed Fouad Daboh described the scheme as the “central nervous system” of retirement preparedness. “Saving is not a cultural norm in Sierra Leone, so social security helps compel us to prepare for the future,” he explained.
Speaking on behalf of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Solicitor General Robert Kowa applauded the SLBA’s efforts. He stressed that private lawyers, like all professionals, deserve financial protection in retirement.
“The NASSIT pension scheme provides more than just income—it brings peace of mind. Private lawyers are just as vulnerable to economic hardship as anyone else,” he added.
This milestone marks a historic step toward improving the welfare and financial security of legal professionals in Sierra Leone’s private sector.