SSNIT aims to lift all pensioners above the extreme poverty line with new initiative

Kwesi Afreh Biney is the Director-General of SSNIT

The Director General of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), Kwesi Afreh Biney, has announced an ambitious plan to ensure that all pensioners under the scheme receive at least $2.15 per day, meeting the World Bank’s threshold for extreme poverty.

He pledged to implement this initiative before the end of his tenure.

Biney made the announcement at the 2025 Pensioners’ Engagement in Kumasi on Thursday, stating that this goal would guarantee that all SSNIT beneficiaries live above the extreme poverty line.

In addition to the income initiative, SSNIT, in collaboration with the Trust Hospital and the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), is developing a program to provide pensioners, particularly those in remote areas, with access to healthcare professionals for medical advice and support via phone.

“The payment of pensions is only a basic responsibility. We must go beyond that by adding services that enhance the well-being of our members,” he stated.

The two-day event, themed, “Honoring Experience, Securing Dignity – The Role of SSNIT,” aimed to strengthen the relationship between SSNIT and its pensioners.

It included practical health sessions, such as a presentation by Frank Mobila, SSNIT’s General Manager of Benefits, who encouraged pensioners to engage in regular exercise, undergo routine health checks, manage stress effectively, and stay mentally active.

Participants also benefited from free health screenings.

Representing the General Secretary of the National Pensioners’ Association (NPA), the Ashanti Regional Chairman, Nana Adarkwa Tuffour, expressed gratitude to the SSNIT leadership and commended their ongoing efforts to maintain a strong relationship with pensioners.

He emphasised the importance of such engagements in fostering open dialogues, mutual understanding, and transparency.

“It’s not common for institutions to look past the money they pay and show real time interest in the people receiving the money,” Nana Adarkwa Tuffour said.

He added that; “When SSNIT listens to pensioners, works with us and supports all our activities, it goes a long way to strengthen the whole idea of social security in Ghana.

“As pensioners, receiving our pensions every month without fail is, of course, paramount to us. Beyond that, we also want to be heard; we seek clarity, transparency, and above all – reassurance that our children and grandchildren will one day retire into a system even stronger and more reliable than the one we have today. This is exactly what SSNIT has been working towards and for that, I believe they deserve our sincere applause.”

The 81-year-old SSNIT beneficiary disclosed that over years of his retirement, he has seen a significant enjoyment from the SSNIT.

He added that had it not been the SSNIT, he and the other beneficiary wouldn’t predict their whereabouts by now.

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