By: KALD | Voltaonlinegh.com |
Deputy Volta Regional Minister, Rev. Johnson Avuletey has pledged his support towards a campaign by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) to widen the coverage of its informal sector pension scheme across the region.
Mr.Avuletey, who was elated about the introduction of the tailor-made pension scheme by SSNIT, expressed his readiness to lead the campaign to get the hundreds of informal sector workers in the region enroll onto the scheme to secure their old age.
Speaking at a meeting with officials of the Ho branch of SSNIT, the deputy minister bemoaned the hardship experienced by some elderly people as a result of not having the benefit of formal employment which comes with pension.
According to him, ‘The elderly in the communities have contributed so much time, effort and hard work to the development of this country through their informal jobs, like farming, fishing, trading, etc. But just because some do not find themselves in formal employment, they are deprived of any source of future income or pensions when they are not able to work any longer.’
He therefore commended SSNIT for taking the initiative to bring onboard not just people in formal employment but the informal sector as well, which he believed will be a turning point for the nation in providing a secured form of income replacement in retirement.
On his part, Mr. Newlove Franklin Alorvor, the Ho Branch Manager of SSNIT stated that, since the initiation of the campaign, about 32 new establishments have been registered, with an active registered workforce of 430.
He indicated the commitment of SSNIT management under the leadership of Director-General, Dr. John Ofori-Tenkorang, to provide a sustainable support structure for the aged, for which they have introduced several innovations aimed at taking the services of the Trust closer to its members.
This include the use of digital and social media platforms to directly engage its members and respond to their inquiries and complaints in the comfort of their homes without the stress of travelling over long distances.
“Members are also able to request for educational engagements or visitations and in the case of our aged pensioners who are not able to visit the SSNIT offices to complete their life certificate, they can simply request for home visitation through the various online platforms’’ he said.
As a matter of convenience, Mr. Alorvor noted, the Trust will also be deploying a mobile money payment platform in the last quarter of 2019, which will allow members to directly pay contributions to the Trust no matter their location.
This, he added, will also give the opportunity to citizens who work far from the central business districts and major towns to also join and contribute at their convenience to enjoy the benefits of the scheme.
SSNIT currently has an active membership of 1.5 million, with a target to cover all 13 million active workers in Ghana, for which it has been embarking on a massive drive to expand coverage of the social security scheme to secure the future of all active workers in the country.
This has also led to a massive campaign nationwide to ensure compliance of registered establishments and registration of all who are gainfully employed.
Source: www.voltaonlinegh.com
