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

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

In his view, workers can only insist on the correct contributions being paid for them if they know how that will impact their benefit.

He made this appeal last Tuesday when members of the association honoured him and the Director-General of the Trust, Dr. John Ofori Tenkorang for their immense contribution to the welfare of pensioners.

“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 whiles in active service. In other words, what you put in determines what you get”, he said.

According to the Acting General Secretary of NPA, Mr. Stephen Boakye, Dr. Addo-Kufuor’s unique leadership and selfless dedication to the Trust has 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 benefit before being paid, but now beneficiaries are paid in about two weeks.

Mr. Boakye also indicated that it was under the Chairmanship of Dr. Addo-Kufuor 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 ailment that are peculiar to the aged, but not covered by the National Insurance Scheme.

The association, in recognition of his distinguished service, presented a citation to him. Part of the citation read “you are on record to have helped the Trust refocus its business on its key stakeholders, especially pensioners”.

The Director General of SSNIT, Dr. Ofori-Tenkorang was also recognised by the NPA for implementing policies that have improved the image of the Trust 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 centerpiece of their operations”.

In his acceptance speech, the Board Chairman of the Trust indicated that the recognition being giving him and the Trust indicates that members of the association appreciate the work they have done so far.

He added that the Board and Management will 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.

On his part, the Director General of SSNIT was grateful for the honour conferred on him. He noted that SSNIT is there to ensure the welfare of workers, insisting it is imperative employers pay the right contributions of their employees to earn decent pension.