Charles Akwei Garshong, the Acting Public Affairs Manager for the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), has indicated that it is the responsibility of SSNIT to provide and secure a better future for every Ghanaian worker regardless their profession.
According to the Acting Public Affairs Manager for SSNIT, the establishment of the institution by the constitution of the country is to serve as “hope” for retired Ghanaian workers. This, he said include the informal sector workers such as waakye sellers and others.
“Irrespective of the occupation, every Ghanaian worker is entitled to be a beneficiary of SSNIT. The Waakye seller, the fisherman, market women, and farmers all have the right to join SSNIT. Most of the time, Ghanaians have misconstrued the concept of SSNIT to be beneficial to just office workers. However, that is not the case. Once you’re a Ghanaian worker, the law makes it clear that you’re eligible to join SSNIT, so that once you are on retirement, you can receive your monthly pensions”.
Charles Akwei Garshong
The Primary Responsibility of SSNIT
Mr Garshong explained that the primary responsibility of the Trust is to replace part of lost income of workers in Ghana due to old age, invalidity or death of a member. Nonetheless, he indicated that there are are situations where some dependants receive lump sum payments from the Trust. On foreigners, he stated that the Trust is responsible for the payment of emigration benefits to non-Ghanaian members who are leaving Ghana permanently.
“Our work or core mandate is to ensure that every Ghanaian worker who goes on retirement would get their pension. The Law and government created SSNIT to give future hope to Ghanaian workers so that in any event that Ghanaian workers can no longer work, SSNIT comes through for them every month till they meet their demise.”
Charles Akwei Garshong
SSNIT Reviews Pension Benefit
The Public Affairs manager therefore, called on the public to walk into any SSNIT office with their Ghana card to register in order to be a member of the SSNIT family. He noted that the upward review of the pension benefit by 10 percent by the Trust early this year should be a motivation factor for every working Ghanaian to be a member of SSNIT.
It can be recalled that SSNIT reviewed its monthly pensions benefit upwards by 10 per cent for 2022. This move, according to the scheme, is to help boost the purchasing power of pensioners amidst soaring inflation levels and the high cost of living in the country.
This adjustment was as a result of a consultation between SSNIT and the National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA) and in line with Section 80 of the National Pensions Act 2008 (Act 766) where they agreed to index pensions upwards by 10% for the year 2022.
Mr Garshong posited that the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) is a statutory public Trust charged under the National Pensions Act, 2008 Act 766 with the administration of Ghana’s Basic National Social Security Scheme. He said its mandate is to cater for the First Tier of the Three-Tier Pension Scheme.
The Trust is currently the largest non-bank financial institution in Ghana. The Pension Scheme as administered by SSNIT, has an active membership of over 1.6 million as at January, 2021 with over 226,000 pensioners who regularly receive their monthly pensions from SSNIT.
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