Self-employed people who previously had no legal need to enroll in the program are now covered by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), which has increased the scope of its basic social security program.
The Self-Employed Enrollment Drive (SEED) project aims to carry out SSNIT's duty to provide pension coverage to all workers, including independent contractors.
The Director-General of SSNIT, Dr. John Ofori-Tenkorang, said the project would help redefine social security in the nation and offer the self-employed hope that they might also retire in dignity and comfort during the SEED launch in Kumasi on Wednesday.
Only roughly 1.9 million of the estimated 10 million workers in the nation are presently protected by the SSNIT program, according to Dr. Ofori-Tenkorang.
Only 32,000, or around 2%, of the 1.9 million current SSNIT contributors were self-employed, he emphasized, "implying that the majority of self-employed workers would have to rely on the government or family and friends for financial support when they are old and retired."
We have a duty to change this narrative because "this unbalanced coverage of workers is a sad commentary on our social protection system."
"The SSNIT scheme is not for formal sector employees only; it is for all workers in Ghana," he said.
Launch
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, as well as the Mamensenhene, Nana Osei Kwadwo II, the Chief Executive of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, Samuel Pyne, and the Board Chairperson of Elizabeth Ohene SSNIT
A performance performed by the Center for National Culture in Kumasi was also incorporated into the educational curriculum to highlight the need to utilize the social intervention initiative.
Dr. Ofori-Tenkorang invited independent contractors who were not yet enrolled in the program to go to the local SSNIT office and make regular contributions via the electronic payment system ssnitpay, which accepts debit cards and mobile money.
While praising the proposal, Ms. Ohene also emphasized that the country had not given much thought to the provision of a pension for independent contractors.
According to statistics, just 11% of the two million citizens older than 60 in the country were receiving monthly pensions.
This implies that many people serving in the military are responsible for caring for their elderly parents and other family members.
If prompt action is not taken to counteract this tendency, it is anticipated that it will continue, she added.
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