Ivan Quashigah, an award-winning filmmaker and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Farmhouse Productions, has advised movie actors and all individuals in the creative arts industry to join pension schemes, especially the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) to remain financially independent after retirement.

According to the CEO of Farmhouse Productions, many personalities from the creative industry retire with virtually nothing in their savings. The situation, he said, force them to live in untold hardship which forces most of them to become beggars.

Mr Ivan Quashigah’s comment came on the back of the death of Psalm Adjeteyfio, popularly known as T.T, noting that the several stories about the man begging for food and money could have been prevented if he was a SSNIT contributor.

“Psalm Adjeteyfio‘s story has been the story running through every veteran artiste’s mind. When they get to that age, unfortunately they become very miserable. There are a few things I can suggest. First, I will advise artistes or people in the creative space; we must consider putting ourselves on SSNIT or other pension scheme.”
Ivan Quashigah

SSNIT Is for Every Worker

The Creative Director indicated that not only creative industry players should join SSNIT but any Ghanaian who is earning an income. He noted that prospective contributors can explore other companies.

“Individuals can also do that, you can register and be paying monthly. If you are young now and making money, you can do some calculations; so that when you get to an age where you are unable to make more money, your saved funds will take care of you. There are also other private insurance policies you can also explore and see.”
Ivan Quashigah

Mr Ivan Quashigah, therefore, called for a collaboration between the industry players so that they can dedicate a small percentage of proceeds that accrue from a specific project to SSNIT.

“Elsewhere, they have this kind of residual benefits that are paid to artistes. An example is if you work in Things We Do For Love, 10 or 20 years down the line, things we do for love will still be making money; little percentages should come to you. We need to structure these things properly so that people can give off their best and know that even in times that they are not able to make money, they will still be receiving money.”
Ivan Quashigah

Mr Quashigah moreover, advised people in the creative space to start collaborating and pitching their strength together.

“We have a big problem and it’s difficult for one person to face and solve it. Start thinking that film is business and business can work better if people come together. I created Farmhouse movies to solve a problem all filmmakers in Ghana and Africa have.”
Ivan Quashigah

Recently, SSNIT has embarked on a campaign to educate the general population, especially the informal sector to consider joining the scheme.