Dr. John Ofori-Tenkorang (middle) together with some SSNIT regional officials
The Director-General of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), John Ofori-Tenkorang, has disclosed that the government has exempted its members who pay their contributions through mobile money from the electronic transfer levy (E-levy).
He explained that his outfit had had some engagements with the government, and once SSNIT’s electronic payment system is ready to allow contributors pay through their mobile money accounts, then such payments like the E-levy will be exempted.
Dr. Ofori-Tenkorang further revealed that SSNIT would soon be launching an App that will be available on Google playstore and apple-store to allow people to use the App as an interface to make contributions and also track their SSNIT payments.
“The roll out of the SSNIT App will ensure transparency and accountability. It will also ease congestion at our offices because our clients can use the App to transact business with SSNIT without coming to our offices. This is all part of commitment to deepen and extend coverage of the Basic National Social Security Scheme to self-employed persons and informal sector workers to ensure every worker in Ghana receives pension in the future,” he said.
He pointed out the unique benefits of the Scheme, stating that the benefit pay-outs under the scheme is unparalleled by any other pension scheme in the country. He was hopeful that when every worker joined the scheme, it would help reduce poverty and over-dependence on family relations and friends during old age or in the event of permanent invalidity.
He made this disclosure yesterday at a stakeholders’ consultation in Koforidua under the theme “Extending pension coverage to the self-employed and informal sector workers.”
The event
The participants commended management of the Trust for taking the initiative to reach out workers in the informal sector which has provided them a broader understanding of the scheme.
Some of them raised concerns about their inability to join the scheme due to age limit of 45 years and lack of education on SSNIT benefits. They therefore entreated management of the scheme to make education key ensure that the youth will not be deprived of the benefits of SSNIT scheme.
The event involved leaders of the various self-employed and informal sector worker groups in the Eastern Region as part of measures to expand and deepen coverage of the pension scheme to self-employed workers.
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