By Philip Tengzu
Wa, (UW/R), Sept 1, GNA – The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), at the weekend, stormed the streets of Wa with the Self-Employed Enrolment Drive (SEED) campaign, to encourage self-employed workers to enrol unto the pension scheme.
It formed part of activities of the 2024 Second Half Year SEED Activation dubbed: “Operation-A-Thon” to sensitise the people to the potential benefits of the SEED initiative.
The SSNIT staff walked through the principal streets of Wa wielding placards with inscriptions: “Bring 13.5% of your income and get up to 60%”; “Join SSNIT and get free National Health Insurance”; “the only scheme that provides you with life insurance at no extra cost” among others, amidst brass band music and one-on-one education on the SEED initiative.
As part of the campaign, SSNIT also established a client service point at the Wa Central Market to educate the people on the initiative and to enroll interested people unto the scheme.
Addressing the media at the Wa Central market to climax the campaign, Madam Victoria Gifty Abaidoo, the Acting Cooperate Affairs Manager of SSNIT, indicated that SSNIT was for every worker in Ghana and not only those in the formal sector.
“What we are saying is, we are coming to the self-employed worker wherever you are to register you so that you will also enjoy the generosity of SSNIT.
In SEED, we have so many good things that every worker would desire. When you have worked so hard and come to the end of your working life SEED will pay you pension for life,” she explained.
Madam Abaidoo said that SSNIT had the interest of workers in Ghana at heart hence its decision to initiate the SEED to rope in the self-employed workers unto the scheme to ensure every worker in Ghana had a better retirement.
She added that there were about 13,000 self-employed people enrolled into the scheme before it was launched in 2023, but currently had over 100,000 people registered unto the scheme as self-employed workers.
Madam Abaidoo said it was, however, not enough for people to register with the pension scheme, they should also endeavour to pay their contribution since that would guarantee their pension benefit.
She stated that they expected the enrollment drive for self-employed workers to increase after the awareness creation.
“For the self-employed, we know that you cannot get out of your busy schedule and come to our offices. We have mobile services that you can use to pay your SSNIT contributions.
“So, you just have to dial star *711*9#, and it will direct you to how to contribute to SSNIT”, she explained.
Madam Abaidoo said aside from the retirement benefit, SSNIT also had the “invalidity pension” where the insurance would take care of the contributor when he or she was sick, and doctors declared not fit to work.
“We also have what we call survivors benefit. Everybody who registers into the scheme is required to give us the names of those that when you are no longer your benefits should be paid to,” she said.
She encouraged people to put on their spouses, their children so that when they retire, the SEED would take care of their loved ones.
GNA