The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) has encouraged informal sector players to enrol onto the tier-one scheme to secure and safeguard their future. Enrollment onto the scheme is expected to curb the rate at which most people depend on others during retirement, so they become independent at pension-age.
Speaking at a forum held in Tamale, Dr. John Ofori-Tenkorang, Director-General of SSNIT, noted that the scheme is the best thing to provide comfort during retirement. The event brought together leaders from the Ghana Association of Garages, Hairdressers and Beauticians Association, Dressmakers Association, among others
He noted that the programme was a precursor to engaging owners of the informal sector to enable and sensitise them to enrol their workers onto the scheme.
Statistics from SSNIT indicate that active contributors to the scheme are about 1.7 million clients, and just 14,000 of that number constitute those from the informal sector.
“Out of the total working population in Ghana of about 11.1 million, only 1.7 million contribute to the SSNIT scheme – and even in the formal sector, they are not saturated. We can only show improvement when we demonstrate to the people that they are actually shortchanging themselves if they don’t join the scheme; and that SSNIT is open to any worker in Ghana, and we have opened the door for the informal sector to join,” he added.
The Northern Regional Area Manager for SSNIT, Festus Darko Preko, said management observed that a majority of people within the informal sector are ignorant of the scheme – which calls for their continuous education.
He said SSNIT is committed to ensuring all persons working in Ghana, irrespective of the sector, get enrolled onto the scheme to safeguard their future. “We will continue to engage stakeholders to ensure that all sector of the economy understand the work of SSNIT, and the need for all to join,” he said.
