SSNIT pays GH¢376m life insurance in 2021 – Director-General
The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) paid GH¢376 million as life insurance to contributors in 2021, Dr John Ofori-Tenkorang, the Director-General (D-G) of the Trust has said.
In addition, he said the Trust also paid disability insurance of Gh¢18.4 million to 1,536 People with Disabilities (PWDs), including the youngest pensioner aged 32 and the oldest pensioner of 80 years old.
The oldest pensioner, he explained was disabled 30 years ago, while the youngest was also incapacitated two years ago when they were in active service.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the side-lines of an educational engagement forum on the Trust’s pensions in Sunyani, the D-G explained the SSNIT Scheme was open to all workers in the country.
Dr Ofori-Tenkorang dispelled the wrong perception by a section of the public that the Scheme was limited to only workers in the public sector, saying currently, it had more private sector employees of about 63 per cent making contributions.
The Trust organised the forum to sensitize leaders of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) drawn from the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regions.
Dr Ofori-Tenkorang said the Trust was set up to provide part of lost income, and asked pensioners to be grateful and appreciate the Trust for its prompt payment of entitlement rather than criticizing the Scheme unconstructively.
On the merger of the SSNIT-Ghana Cards, the D-G said the blend would greatly improve the claim delivery system of the Scheme.
Dr Ofori-Tenkorang called on all SSNIT contributors to obtain and ensure that their Ghana Cards were merged for quality service delivery.
“In fact, we are going to rope in all workers in the informal sector. Our objective is to make sure that everybody is covered by the Scheme,” he stated, indicating that about 1.9 million contributors’ cards had so far been merged since 2021.
Dr Ofori-Tenkorang emphasised it remained a serious offence for employers to default on payment of employees’ monthly contributions and asked defaulting employers to refrain from that and either do the right thing or prepare to face prosecution.
Source: GNA