Axis Pension Trust, in partnership with the CFA Society-Ghana, is set to host the fourth edition of the Pension Strategy Conference under the theme ‘Improving Member Outcomes through Scheme Design’.
The conference is scheduled for Tuesday, February 22, 2022 at 10am on a virtual platform, and will be a culmination of the effort invested over the years to ensure a robust private pension industry that drives growth in the economy and ultimately ensures retirement income security for our members.
Beyond the profound macroeconomic insight, which is expected to add value to Trustees in the discharge of their fiduciary responsibilities in overseeing pension assets, the Pension Strategy Conference seeks to influence positive change within the private pensions industry and recommend policy ideas in the broader economy which can help foster a more vibrant pensions industry.
Key matters arising from the deliberation at each edition of the conference are summarised and shared with policymakers with the objective of driving change to influence member outcomes positively. The years of pension policy advocacy have paid off with the incorporation of some policy proposals into the New Investment Guideline for Pension Funds in Ghana. The objective of ‘The Guideline’ is to ensure safety of and fair return on pension fund assets.
In addition, the Guideline seeks to create an environment that enables pension funds to impact positively on the Ghanaian economy. The new Guideline sets a floor on risk asset (variable income securities) investment through the four constituent funds: namely aggressive, moderately aggressive, moderately conservative and conservative portfolios.
The 2022 edition of the Pension Strategy Conference will shed more light on the new Guideline and suggest key implementation approaches. Additionally, it is the objective of conference organisers to use the 2022 edition to commence the discussion on structural issues that we believe will impede realisation of the Guideline’s full benefits.
For pension funds to increase their appetite for risk assets, we believe interest rates need to fall. There is an inverse relationship between interest rate and price of assets. Thus, if interest rates in Ghana remain elevated, the value of risk assets such as equities, both public and private, will be low and vice versa. A marked reduction in interest rate is therefore required to preserve the purchasing power of pension fund assets in the long-term.
The anchor speaker will touch on the perpetual high interest rate incidence in Ghana; how we compare with peer countries with similar or worse macro conditions; and what can be done to reverse the situation.
The conference will also feature presentations on Opportunities to gain Additional Returns (Alpha) to schemes, as well as Ghana’s Economic Outlook from a survey of market players across the Banking and Asset Management Industries. Participants will be served with an insightful panel discussion that touches on a cross-section of topics from the Economy, ESG and responsible investing as well as other investment-related issues.
Among the distinguished line-up of speakers at this year’s conference are Dr. Priscilla Twumasi Baffour, Senior Economics Lecture at University of Ghana; Nana Wiafe Boamah, Chief Investment Officer at Axis Pension Trust; and Mosope Arubayi, Economist at IC Group.
The event will bring together about 500 participants, including Trustees from leading pension funds, fund managers and members of the CFA Society-Ghana. Join the industry-shaping event by visiting https://bit.ly/PSC22register or call 030 273 8555 to register. This year’s conference will take place on Tuesday 22nd February 2022 at 10am GMT, and will be held on a virtual platform to observe COVID-19 safety protocols.
