The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) says it is determined to leverage on technology to improve the Trust’s service delivery to its public.
The Trust is, therefore, focused on a strategic direction which is anchored on three pillars, as part of its drive to rope in more active members and improve contribution collections.
This was made known by the Director General of SSNIT, Mr. Kofi Osafo Maafo, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Operations & Benefits Conference in Elmina, on Wednesday, August 7, 2024.
The theme for the conference is: “Sustaining the SSNIT Scheme through increased active membership and adequate contribution collections using appropriate technology”.
Addressing the participants, Mr. Maafo indicated that Management was committed to providing the necessary support for staff to showcase their skills and improve service delivery.
According to Mr. Maafo, the overview of the Trust’s progress made so far and the journey ahead gave an indication that a giant stride has been made.
Notwithstanding the significant gains, he said, there was an urgent need for the concerted efforts to ultimately result in more active members and improved contribution collection.
He stressed that, “although we have done so much and made progress, there is still more room for improvement and so there is the need to put in more efforts in executing our functions.
“We encourage you to continue your hard work in advancing and strengthening the Trust’s positive image”, he continued.
Three pillar strategic direction
Explaining further, the Director General noted that the three pillar strategic direction would ensure the sustainability of the Scheme through expansion of coverage.
It would also enforce compliance, prudent investment of funds and responsible governance of the Trust and its investments.
Additionally, it would lead to the adoption of state-of-the-art technology for the management and maintenance of accurate, complete, reliable bio and financial data on members.
Further, the proposed strategy which is anchored on technology would be expected to maintain the adequacy and relevance of benefits of the Trust to the public.
He, therefore, appealed to the participants to mindful of the Trust’s commitment to enhancing compliance for sustainability through the use of technology.
The issue of the sustenance of the scheme, according to the Director General, has become increasingly pressing due to three primary factors namely; maturing phase and outlook the fund, changes introduced by the National Pensions Act 2008, Act 766 and irregular contribution payments for public sector workers.
Throwing more light on this he explained that rate of increase in benefit payments outpaced the rate of increase in contribution collection.
This, he said, was due to the fact that as more members retire and start drawing benefits, the financial demands on SSNIT grow more rapidly than the contributions coming in.
He called on the participants to collectively get involved to rope in more workers and also leverage on technology to enhance service delivery.
