Ghana’s social security receives GH₵439.6 million from employers through prosecution, sends warning to defaulters, here’s what it said

According to the trust, GH₵208.9 million of the cash collected was through prosecution.

The Deputy Director-General, Operations and Benefits of SSNIT, Mrs Laurette Korkor Otchere said this at a seminar organised by the trust in Kumasi on November 29.

“We take no delight in taking an employer to court but we do have an obligation to pay retirement benefits to workers. And so, when you default in paying the contributions, these monies become debts, which we must collect,” she said.

Adding that if SSNIT failed to collect these debts, “it does not absolve us of our responsibility and obligation to the worker.”

How much SSNIT saved

Speaking about the deactivation exercise and re-enrolment of pensioners aged 72 and above, Mrs Otchere said the Trust had saved an amount of GH₵62.9 million as of November 2019, with 6,268 ‘ghost’ names taken off the pension payroll.

She mentioned that from February 1, 2020, all pensioners who had not gone through the SSNIT biometric re-enrolment would be taken off the pension payroll.

“We would like to once again remind all our cherished pensioners who are yet to re-enrol biometrically to visit the nearest SSNIT Branch to do so, not later than January 31, 2020, to avoid been deactivated from the pension payroll.”