The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) has been adjudged the Outstanding Ghanaian-owned Corporate Organisation of the year 2019.

This was at the just-ended Seventh Made-in-Ghana Awards organised by Entrepreneurs Foundation, Ghana. SSNIT was found to have refocused the trust's business to position it as a "credible and high performing institution!'

Deletion

The trust in 2019 implemented measures which resulted in the deletion of over 12,000 non-existent pensioners from the pension payroll, saving over GH¢106 million.

The board and management of SSNIT is also credited with carrying out a comprehensive value-for- money audit which led to a review of its investments and also saved the Trust tens of millions of dollars.

Commenting on the awards, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of SSNIT, Dr Kwame Addo Kufuor, said upon the assumption of office over three years ago, the board and management had worked hard to improve the image of the trust by prioritising its key stakeholders and made deliberate efforts to be more inclusive of them.

That, he said, had led to meaningful engagements with stakeholders such as pensioners, organised labour, employers and the media.

Attention

"I am a pensioner myself, and I am happy to say that attention has been given to issues concerning my colleague pensioners. Access ramps and wheel chairs have been provided in all SSNIT offices to assist retirees with mobility challenges. We have also assisted the pensioners’ associations by providing offices in trust-owned buildings to enable them to run their affairs, but most importantly, we have donated an amount of GH¢800,000 to the National Pensioners Association to aid in their medical care," he said.

Mr Kufuor added that pensioners priority desks had also been introduced in all SSNIT branches so that pensioners who walked into SSNIT offices did not queue before being attended to.

He said pensions were now being paid within 14days as compared to the two months it took previously.

"old Age Lump Sum and Survivors' Lump Sum benefits were processed even much faster, within 10 and 8 days respectively," he added.

Strides

The board chairman of SSNIT said the strides made by the trust were as a result of the collective efforts of the board, management and staff.

Dr Addo Kufuor said he believed that it was not by sheer coincidence that the trust had been recognised and given numerous awards since the current board took over.

"I know that the board, management and staff have strived to improve the fortunes of the trust and to achieve these feats and I commend them for the work they've put in. These awards are a testament to the fact that Ghanaians are capable and with the right competence, integrity and patriotism, we can effectively run our affairs and compete on a global scale," he said.

He dedicated the award to the board of trustees, management and staff of the trust for their commitment to the cause of the trust and its members and clients.