The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) has engaged some journalists in the Central Region on its recently rolled out Self-Employed Enrolment Drive (SEED) initiative in a bid to rope in self-employed people and traders onto its pension scheme. it is imperative therefore for everyone to get on board.
The training which was held at the Conference Room of SSNIT Office Complex – Cape Coast on Thursday, June 15, 2023 was aimed at keeping the media understanding the importance of SEED initiative to every self-employed person in Ghana and also to extend coverage to informal sector workers not only to increase active membership and contributor base of the Scheme but to ensure that every worker in Ghana enjoys social protection.
The SEED is an initiative aimed at expanding coverage of the basic national social security coverage to self-employed persons in the country.
Ms. Gifty Turkson, the Area Manager of SSNIT stated that the Self-Employed Enrollment Drive is an avenue for persons engaged in self-employed businesses to sign up for an insurance scheme to secure their lives after retirement.
She noted, most self-employed people who are not on the pension scheme will not find life easy should they retire, and the SEED initiative is to reduce poverty among the older generation, adding that the majority of pensioners are mostly formal employees; therefore, there is a need for self-employed people to join SEED.
Madam Gifty urged informal sector workers in the Central Region and the nation at large to register and begin contributing to the SSNIT scheme in order to benefit from good retirement packages or better compensations in times of permanent disabilities when they are out of active service.
She emphasized that ‘everybody’ qualifies to be part of the SSNIT scheme, and not just public sector workers.
Mr. Charles Akwei Garshong, the Public Affairs Manager of the SSNIT, reiterated that the SEED is targeted at informing the public that the SSNIT scheme is not specifically tailored to only public sector workers, but it is meant for every Ghanaian worker.
He said, the SSNIT Pension scheme exists to ensure that people live dignified lives when they retire or when they are struck with some permanent disability.
Mr. Garshong stated that when people become invalid, the most assured way to continue to earn income was to ensure their present incomes with the SSNIT as he assured that “SSNIT will pay you monthly until you pass on,” he emphasized.
He explained that considering the unique benefits the SSNIT Scheme provided to members, it was important for the self-employed to join the first-tier pension scheme.
He noted that self-employed persons have the choice to decide how much to pay as a contribution to the SSNIT scheme, and that how much a person earns at retirement depends on how much they contribute while in active service.
He further stated that the scheme is not an investment scheme but an insurance scheme. He encouraged self-employed workers to insure their incomes so that they can have something to fall back on when they are no longer in active employment.
The move, according to SSNIT, was to promote retirement income security for informal sector workers and help them lead financially independent lives when they can no longer work.
He explained that considering the unique benefits the SSNIT Scheme provided to members, it was important for the self-employed to join the first-tier pension scheme.
Mr. Charles Akwei Garshong further called on the public to disregard the misconception about SSNIT that, the Trust is for only formal or public sector workers, it’s an investment scheme or SSNIT pensions are low.
Participants deliberated upon various dimensions related to the Scheme and also gave a detailed estimation of the trend of the SSNIT scheme in their respective areas. The meeting was also marked by threadbare discussions on the media’s role in championing the SEED initiative