Sunyani, March 18, GNA -Reverend Benjamin Appiah, the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regional Presbytery Chairperson of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana has advised Ghanaians to prepare adequately for retirement.
He said pension was unavoidable, hence the need for everybody to plan well and join pension schemes to guarantee a secured future.
Rev. Appiah, therefore, directed the Ministers of the Church to register and join and use the pulpit to sensitise the congregation on the relevance of pensions.
“Many people go on pension and life becomes uncomfortable for them because they don’t prepare well”, the Rev Minister told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview on the sidelines of the church’s quarterly council meeting held in Sunyani.
The Bono Regional Office of the National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA) took advantage of the meeting attended by pastors and ministers of the church to sensitise them on its activities, particularly the Tier Three Pension scheme.
Rev. Appiah urged the church in the various locations in the region to collaborate with the NPRA, and upscale education for the members of the church to understand and join the Tier Three Pension Scheme.
“It’s our obligation to sensitise the congregation on pensions, so that our members particularly, those working in the informal sector join the pension scheme for a better future”, he indicated, saying “as we prepare them for heaven, we must ensure they live comfortable lives on earth”.
Rev. Appiah said the church had about 90,000 members spread across 31 Pastoral Districts in the three regions and urged everybody to capitalise on the Tier Three Pension Scheme by joining it.
Mr William Ohene-Adjei, the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regional Manager of the NPRA regretted that though about 60 per cent of the country’s working population were in the informal sector, few of them had registered with the Tier three, hence the need to intensify public education.
He said the flexibility of the tier three pensions made it possible for both workers in the formal and informal sectors to join and benefit from the full package.
Mr Ohene-Adjei, therefore, entreated particularly petty traders, artisanal workers and small-scale businesses to join the scheme.
GNA