The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) has set an ambitious target to enrol about one million self-employed people on the scheme in the next three years.
The Director-General (DG) of SSNIT, Dr John Ofori-Tenkorang, who disclosed this during an engagement with the Trades Union Congress (TUC) on the Self-employed Enrollment Drive (SEED) in Accra on Monday, said currently there were 57,000 self-employed registered on the SSNIT pension scheme out of the self-employed population of 6.7 million.
The forum, which has been replicated in nine regions, attracted members of diverse groups of self-employed trade associations, such as indigenous caterers, MUSIGA Ghana, Actors Guild, Domestic Workers Union, Tomato Sellers, United Spare Parts Merchants, National Artisans and Traders Union, Porters Association of Ghana, Ghana East Traders, Tema Station Traders Association, and Ghana Private Road Transport Union.
The SEED was introduced by SSNIT to get the self-employed and workers in the informal sector to enrol on the SSNIT pension scheme to enjoy retirement income security.
The Director-General of SSNIT said the target of SSNIT was to enrol about 100,000 self-employed people onto the SSNIT scheme before the end of the year.
Dr Ofori-Tenkorang stated that about a year ago, there were only 14,000 self-employed people who were registered with SSNIT.
The SSNIT Director-General urged the self-employed to register with SSNIT, saying that all that the self-employed needed to enrol with the SSNIT scheme was their Ghana card.
“We have made the payment of premium so easy and those who have signed onto the SSNIT can contribute electronically,” he stated.
Dr Ofori-Tenkorang noted that SSNIT was the best social security investment any individual could think about, adding that the scheme generated better returns than any other investment product in the country.
The Greater Accra Chairman of TUC, Patrick, urged workers in the informal sector to enrol onto the SEED to secure their retirement income security and safeguard their financial well-being, adding that the SEED would ensure a brighter future for them.
BY KINGSLEY ASARE
