Self-employed persons advised to secure retirement with SSNIT

The Director-General of Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), John Ofori-Tenkorang, has advised self-employed individuals to join the scheme as voluntary contributors to secure their retirement.

He explained that the SSNIT scheme is open to all working-class Ghanaians, whether they are public servants, private employees, or self-employed, and that they are all eligible to join and contribute to safeguard their future after retirement.

According to the Director-General, an estimated 80 percent of Ghanaians are informal labourers, and that there is a need to pay attention to them, explain the programme to them, and, most importantly, insure a portion of their income for them in the near future.

Dr Ofori-Tenkorang made the call yesterday in Koforidua during SSNIT’s annual mobile service programme, which allows branches to set up camp at strategic sites within their jurisdictions to bring SSNIT services closer to valued members and clients.

Advice

The SSNIT Director-General said during his visit to certain centres in the Northern and Eastern regions, he observed that many people were unaware of the scheme.

“Most of the people didn’t know what SSNIT offers. But it’s our job to make them understand that SSNIT is the only place that you can be assured to be getting paid after retirement till you’re dead. I therefore entreated every person in the informal sector to join SSNIT today and be rest assured of a better life after retirement,” he added.

Speaking to the Daily Statesman, the GPRTU branch chairman at the Koforidua-Madina Station, Moses Twinefour, said he wished he could join the SSNIT scheme, but he is in his late 50s and that it is too late for him because he was unaware of the services SSNIT provided until now.

He however advised colleague drivers to register with the scheme and contribute towards a better retirement.

SSNIT pitched camp at the Koforidua-Madina GPRTU station in Koforidua to sensitise members of the public who are not yet insured with SSNIT on the need and importance of joining SSNIT’s scheme, as well as the available package when voluntary contributors contribute monthly to secure their retirement.

The programme, which started on August 30, will end on September 3, 2021, it is under the theme “Retirement security for the self-employed: Join SSNIT today as a voluntary worker”. It has provided the branches the opportunity to educate members and the general public about their rights, responsibilities and benefits under the scheme. It also serves as a good role for workers to assist members merge their SSNIT and NIA numbers, and while educating clients on the importance of the SSNIT-NIA numbers merger.