The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), in partnership with the University Students Association of Ghana (USAG), has held the fifth edition of the SSNIT Info Shop at the University of Development Studies (UDS), Wa Campus.

The SSNIT Info Shop is a public education campaign aimed at informing university students to prepare and take charge of their social security, during their working life. The theme of the campaign is ‘SSNIT, Your Security for Tomorrow’.
The event which was held on October 20, 2018 attracted over 1,500 students, lecturers and non-teaching staff.

The campaign is an initiative to educate and activate the interest of students on the various campuses in social security and retirement planning. It is also intended to help students appreciate how SSNIT can help them prepare, secure and take control of their lives before and beyond age 60 or in the event of permanent invalidity.

The event at UDS marked the end of the first phase of the SSNIT Info Shop. Prior to the event, there was a float on campus by the students and discussions the benefits of paying SSNIT contributions on Puopeli Radio.

The Director-General (DG) of SSNIT, Dr. John Ofori-Tenkorang stated that the mandate of SSNIT is “to ensure retirement income security for workers (that contribute to the Scheme) and ensure that every contributor receives retirement and related benefits, as and when they come due. Everyone is exposed to the contingencies of old age, invalidity and death. It is therefore within this context, that social security is necessary.”
“I strongly urge you to register today with our officers who are here, and start your contributions; because you see, the scheme that we run, is set up to receive contributions from members as young as 15. And there is great value for starting early”. He further added.

The Principal, Professor Seidu Alhassan, expressed his gratitude to the Management of SSNIT for choosing the UDS Wa campus as part of the phase one of the SSNIT Info Shop. “I must confess, that as a SSNIT contributor, I am better informed than I was at the beginning of the event” he said. “With the information available to these students, they have the opportunity to enjoy a better retirement in future”. He added.

Facilitators at the event emphasized that access to social security is a basic human right of every worker. The national Pensions Act, Act 766 also makes it a criminal offence for employers to engage workers without paying their monthly contributions. Final year students who attended the event had the opportunity to register into the scheme to make them ready for the job market.

One of the students at the event, Mr. Richmond Akwasi Adomako, indicated how he has benefited from SSNIT. “My university education is being financed by my mom with her SSNIT pension. But for her SSNIT benefits, I wonder where I would be by now”. He said.
The general clerk of General Assembly of the SRC, Ms. Mercy Adepa Afful also said, “I am joining the Scheme now because I personally know a number of pensioners whose lives have been impacted positively by SSNIT”.

Four (4) universities, namely Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), University of Cape-Coast (UCC), University of Ghana (Legon) and Methodist University have so far benefited from the exercise.