Published on 25 November, 2020.

The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), Dr. Kwame Addo-Kufuor has called on members of the National Pensioners Association to support the Trust’s efforts in educating the public on the SSNIT Scheme.

SSNIT Board Chair, Dr. Kwame Addo-Kufuor receiving honours from NPA 

Dr. Addo-Kufuor explained that the bane of most retirees was the low level of understanding on how the Scheme operated and how benefits were determined.

In his view, workers could only insist on the correct contributions being paid to them if they knew how that would impact their benefits.

Honours

He made the appeal when members of the Association honoured him and the Director-General of the Trust, Dr. John Ofori-Tekorang for their immense contribution to the welfare of pensioners.

The Association, in recognition of the distinguished service of Dr. Addo-Kufuor presented a citation to him, part of which read, “you are on record to have helped the Trust refocus its business on its key stakeholders, especially pensioners”.

The Director-General was also recognised by the NPA for implementing policies that have improved the image of the organisation since 2017.

Part of a citation presented to him stated that “the image of the Trust has improved considerably. Over the past three years, SSNIT has introduced initiatives that have made Clients and Members the centrepiece of their operation”.

Partnership

“Let me express my appreciation for the partnership and support we continue to enjoy from the NPA. While I commend you for your support, I must also ask you to complement SSNIT’s public education efforts so that the young ones who are currently working, take their social security contribution and retirement planning serious”.

“It is important that we pass on the message that, what you receive as pension is a portion of your salary, which is calculated based on the contributions you made to SSNIT while in active service. In other words, what you put in determines what you get”, Dr. Addo-Kufuor said.

Acceptance

In his acceptance speech, the Board Chairman indicated that the recognition being given him and the Trust indicated that members of the Association appreciated the work they had done so far.

He added that the Board and Management would continue to prioritise the welfare of pensioners.

“The welfare of pensioners is specifically very important to me and the Board, because after giving the country the best years of your life, you deserve to retire in dignity and relative comfort”, he said.

Unique leadership

According to the Acting General Secretary of the NPA, Mr. Stephen Baokye, Dr. Addo-Kufuor’s unique leadership and selfless dedication to the Trust had led to a reduction in the number of days retirees had to wait to receive their first pension.

“Prior to his appointment, pensioners had to wait for over two months after submitting their application for benefits before being paid, but now beneficiaries are paid in about two weeks”, he explained.

Mr. Boakye also indicated that it was under the Chairmanship of Dr. Addo-Kufuor that an amount of GH¢800,000 was donated to support the Pensioners Medical Scheme (PMS).

The PMS is an initiative of the NPA to cater for ailments that are peculiar to the aged, but not covered by the National Insurance Scheme.

For his part, Dr. Ofori-Tenkorang was grateful for the honour conferred on him, noting that SSNIT was there to ensure the welfare of workers, insisting it was imperative employers paid the right contributions of their employees to enable them to earn a decent pension.

Source: Daily Graphic, Page 25

Date: 25^th November, 2020