Dr. John Ofori-Tenkorang, the Director-General of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), has iterated the importance of the Ghana card, noting that the use of Ghana card as the single means of identification will save the state several millions of dollars in the long term.
According to the Director-General of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust, if the Ghana card is properly synced to capture the bio data of all working Ghanaians and their survivors, up to $126 million could be saved in the long term.
Dr. Ofori-Tenkorang made this known while speaking at the 2022 TUC/SSNIT Regional Engagement programme in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region. The Director General disclosed that the Ghana Card, which has effectively replaced SSNIT’s own ‘SSNIT Card’, were being printed at the cost of $7 per issue since the year 2014.
“We have been able to issue only 2 million SSNIT Cards to our contributors; this means that we will save some $56 million now that the Ghana Card is the sole biometric card to be used to register the remaining 8 million working Ghanaians onto the SSNIT system. That aside, about $70 million would be saved if each survivor of the 10 million potential contributors uses the Ghana card. This would save SSNIT $126 million overall, in the long term if all the 10 million working Ghanaians with at least one survivor each are registered and integrated into the SSNIT system using their national ID cards.”
Dr. John Ofori-Tenkorang
Dr. Ofori-Tenkorang Praises Dr. Bawumia
Dr. Ofori-Tenkorang lauded the Vice President of the Republic, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, for championing the digitization agenda, adding that it will make the system more efficient and robust. He thus, gave credence to the Vice President’s controversial statement that he will choose Ghana card over one thousand interchanges.
“I think this is the point that the Vice President was trying to make. So, it should not be taken out of context. If you think progressively about the benefits of the Ghana card to SSNIT in the long term, you would appreciate that what the Vice President said was apt.”
Dr. John Ofori-Tenkorang
Dr. Ofori-Tenkorang noted that only 2 million of the estimated 10 million working Ghanaians in both the formal and informal sectors are active SSNIT contributors and have been issued with biometric identity cards, while efforts are being made to get the other 8 million on board.
The Director General called on Ghanaians to join SSNIT in order to have a secured retirement. He explained that “The Trust pays you till you pass on and the Scheme provides a life policy by paying survivors when a member passes on.”
Since July 1, the Ghana card has been the only identification recognized by SSNIT. This is in compliance with Regulation 7(1) of the National Identity Register Regulations, 2022, L.I 2111 which requires the use of the Ghana Card as identification for “transactions pertaining to individuals in respect of pensions” and “transactions that have social security implications”.
Members of the Trust have had to merge their SSNIT and NIA numbers to be able to access pensions and other social security related services; employers are now required to use only the NIA numbers of their workers to process Contribution Reports and make payments. Voluntary contributors have to also pay their contributions using their NIA numbers only.
