February 2022

Ghana. Campaign to register private, informal sector workers to roll out in April – SSNIT

Pension schemes are for all workers-SSNIT The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) has revealed that it will commence a sensitization campaign in April to encourage informal and private sector workers to patronize the pension scheme. Read also Tunji Andrews is Building Awabah, a Pension Platform for Nigeria´s Informal Sector Acting Public Affairs Manager of SSNIT, Charles Akwei Garshong, speaking on JoyNews’ The Law, on Sunday said the campaign will specifically target celebrities and all those in the informal sector, to enlighten...

Impact Investing Ghana receives RISA funding to support Research and Industry

Impact Investing Ghana (IIGh) has received GBP 109,536 from the Research and Innovation Systems for Africa (RISA) fund to foster research-industry connections in Ghana. The project aims to ‘strengthen synergies between research and industry to unlock pathways to financing innovation that will improve integration and coordination, as well as support demand for the financing by supporting Enterprise Support Organisations (ESOs). Strengthening the connections between research and industry is essential for innovation, commercialisation, and dissemination of research results. While Ghana has research...

January 2022

Financial Attitude and Pension Savings Among Informal Economy Workers in Ghana: Application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour

By Dominic Buer Boyetey, Francis Enu-Kwesi The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) was applied to examine the financial attitude of informal economy workers in pension saving. This was against the background that informal economy workers were left out of formal pension schemes while micro pension schemes (MPS) remain as options that can guarantee economic security after retirement for people with the right financial attitudes. We used interview schedules and interview guides to collect quantitative and qualitative responses concurrently on key...

Ghana. Some retirees under Second Tier receiving less than what is due them – Haruna Iddrisu

Minority Leader in Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu, has revealed that some retirees who are under the Second Tier pensions scheme are receiving less than what is due them at the moment. He described this as a disturbing situation that must be addressed immediately. The Second Tier is a defined contributory Occupational Pension Scheme mandatory for workers with 5% contribution made on behalf of members. The contribution is managed privately by approved Trustees. Speaking on the New Day on TV3 with Johnnie...

Ghana. NPRA to prosecute firms that refuse to pay 2-tier contribution for employees

The Manager of the National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA) for the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Region, William Ohene-Adjei, has indicated that his outfit is ready to prosecute institutions that refuse to pay the tier two contribution of their employees. Mr. Ohene-Adjei gave the indication during a sensitisation programme in Sunyani for the leadership of Anglican Dioceses of Sunyani on the need for people in the informal sector to embrace the 3-tier pension scheme. He urged the leadership of the church...

Ghana. Lack of Pension plan for informal sector workers puts financial burden on youth and retirees

Workers in the informal sector face a lot of problems as they get older and retire. Many people have hung on to misconceptions and falsehoods about pensions throughout the years. But the failure to set up a pension plan frequently places a financial burden on the children of retirees. Many in the informal sector cringe at the mention of pension or end of service benefits. Seventy-four-year-old Obaapanin Yaa Ampomaah sells yam at Ayigya Market in Kumasi. She has been selling this food stuff...

November 2021

Ghana. Parliament asked to address imbalance in SSNIT finances

The Africa Centre for Retirement Research (ACRR), a research institute with focus retirement and pension, has called on Parliament, policymakers and stakeholders to take steps to address the “imbalance” in the finances of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT). It said that must be done through parametric and legislative reforms to safeguard SSNIT, claiming the Trust might not be able to pay full scheduled benefits on a timely basis by 2037 if nothing was done. ACRR said the examination...

Ghana. Employers must pay pension contributions of casual workers – TDCL

Tema District Council of Labour (TDCL) has called on the National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA) to ensure that employers enrol their casual workers on pension schemes. Mr Emmanuel Addo-Kumi, Vice Chairman Tema District Council of Labour, told the Ghana News Agency that even though laws were covering the payment of pension for workers, some companies did not do so, especially for their casual workers. Mr Addo-Kumi said, “the casual workers are complaining, some companies don’t pay which is against the law,...

We’re not convinced about the genuineness of the scheme’s implementation — Cocoa farmers to stage demo against cocoa pension scheme

Members of the Ghana National Cocoa Farmers Association have threatened to embark on a massive demonstration against COCOBOD should government go ahead with its plans to implement the cocoa farmers pension scheme under the newly inaugurated board of trustees. According to the Association, they are not convinced of the genuineness and fair implementation of the scheme even though COCOBOD has inaugurated the Board of Trustees of the Cocoa Farmers Pension Scheme. They said their association, together with other cocoa farmer-based associations...

Ghana. NPRA raises alarm bells – Only 6% informal sector workers on pension scheme

Only about 600,000 out of an estimated 10.2 million workers in the informal sector are currently enrolled on at least a pension scheme, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA), Mr Hayford Attah Krufi, has disclosed. He said the figure represented just six per cent of all informal sector workers who form 85 per cent of the country’s entire active labour population. “As a regulatory authority, we are worried that only six per cent of workers...