The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) says it has deactivated about 2,237 ‘ghost’ pensioners from its payroll in a move aimed at preventing the Fund from being abused financially.

SSNIT is also considering clearing additional 6,129 retirees this month, with those affected so far being pensioners aged between 72 and 80.

Director-General of SSNIT, Dr John Ofori-Tenkorang, who made this known in an interview with journalists on Saturday in Accra on the sidelines of a forum organized by SSNIT for students of University of Ghana (UG) on the importance of social security, said the deactivation exercise had yielded positive results for the Trust.

The forum dubbed, ‘SSNIT Infoshop’ and organized in collaboration with the University Students Association of Ghana (USAG), was designed to help tertiary students understand the importance of social security as they prepare to enter the world of work.

According to the Director-General, an amount of GH¢1.5 million was being saved monthly after the Trust began the exercise to deactivate pensioners who had failed to adhere to its directives to register biometrically with the Trust.

He explained that “in February this year, we started deactivating pensioners, who after several attempts to get them register biometrically failed but this has given the trust some significant improvement in its payroll.”

The Trust, has since August 2017, asked pensioners on the scheme to register biometrically in a move to protect the fund from being financially abused by non-existent retired pensioners.

Dr. Ofori-Tenkorang encouraged the students to take keen interest in social security issues for a better future after working life.

Lecturer of the Economics Department of UG, Dr. D.K. Twerefour, indicated that the forum was timely and thanked SSNIT for holding it.