By Yussif Ibrahim
Kumasi, Oct. 15, GNA – The Health Sector Occupational Pension Scheme has grown its assets to GHS 6.7 billion as of the end of 2025, following increased contributions and investment returns, Mr. Frederick Mensah Acheampong, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, has said.
He said the scheme, established in 2013 with an initial asset base of GHS 2,000, had recorded significant growth over the years, with its assets increasing by approximately GHS 1.3 billion in 2025, representing a growth rate of 25.1 per cent.
Mr. Acheampong made this known at the scheme’s Fourth Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Kumasi, held on the theme: “Strengthening Pension Security Through Smart Investments, Good Governance and a Sustainable Future.”
He said the growth reflected the scheme’s efforts to strengthen its investment portfolio, while ensuring the long-term security of members’ pension contributions.
Mr. Acheampong said the Board of Trustees continued to pursue investment decisions, aimed at preserving the value of the fund, minimising risks and securing optimal returns for members.
He said the decisions were guided by the National Pensions Regulatory Authority’s investment guidelines and the scheme’s investment policy statement.
The chairman said the scheme was also gradually diversifying its investments to reduce its exposure to government securities and increase its holdings in equities and other investment instruments.
He said government securities accounted for 72.2 per cent of the scheme’s investment portfolio at the end of 2025, falling below 75 per cent for the first time in several years.
In contrast, the scheme’s equity holdings increased to approximately 15.66 per cent in 2025, from about five per cent in 2024.
Mr. Acheampong explained that, the shift towards equities was part of efforts to diversify the portfolio in response to lessons from the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP).
He said the trustees were adopting a cautious approach to investment diversification to balance the need for improved returns with the responsibility of safeguarding members’ retirement benefits.
On membership, Mr. Acheampong said the scheme recorded 38,229 new members in 2025, mainly through enrolment and the recruitment of new public sector workers onto the Controller and Accountant-General’s payroll.
He said 854 members exited the scheme during the year through statutory retirement, early retirement, death or transfers to other pension schemes.
The total membership stood at 267,000 at the end of 2025, representing a 16 per cent increase over the 2024 figure.
Mr. Acheampong said the scheme had also recorded a significant increase in benefit payments, which he described as a central responsibility of the pension fund.
He said annual benefit payments had risen from GHS 26 million in 2021 to approximately GHS 116.7 million in 2025.
Since its inception, he said, the scheme had paid a cumulative GHS 266 million to approximately 6,351 members.
In 2025 alone, a total of 1,245 members received benefits arising from statutory retirement, early retirement, death and transfers to other schemes.
He said approximately 93 per cent of the total value of benefit payments during the year went to members who had retired statutorily.
GNA
Edited by Kwabia Owusu-Mensah/Kenneth Odeng Adade
Reporter: Yussif Ibrahim
Email: [email protected]