SSNIT identifies threat to scheme’s sustainability

The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) has identified the biggest threat to the sustainability of the scheme and has therefore adopted measures and policy interventions to deal with the emerging hiccups.

“After prudent managerial auditing, we have identified among other things that in the current global technological advancement and changing phases of pension schemes good quality human resource or the lack of it, is critical to the survival of any pension scheme.

“SSNIT Board and management has therefore instituted procedures such as performance management, succession planning, the right technology for our operations among others to ensure that we retain our staff,” Dr John Ofori-Tenkorang SSNIT Director-General stated at the weekend.

Dr Ofori-Tenkorang who was addressing a media encounter at Aburi in the Eastern Region, affirmed that, “the new management team will continue to strengthen performance-based reward system that will ensures that we encourage and reward hard work and deal appropriately with laggards”.

The SSNIT Director-General assured stakeholders that, the new team was implementing decisive strategies to improve customer service, brand and reputation management, which culminated in the Trust being ranked first in the Public-Sector category for Customer Service in the 2018 Ghana Customer Service Index Report released by the Institute of Customer Service Professionals.

He said the Board and Management also initiated periodic engagements with staff, which took place during unannounced visits to various Branches and Departments.

Dr Ofori-Tenkorang revealed that to ensure that staff operated professionally, new mechanisms for monitoring staff performance including; mystery shopping, which contributed to customer service officers and other front-line personnel now engaged and treated the public with sensitivity and politeness.

He said management has also introduced the Pensioners Priority Desk to ensure that pensioners who walked into their offices did not queue before being attended to.

“Members of the scheme can now check their statements online and transact business with the Trust through our portal. Through this same portal, employers can now submit their Contributions Reports for validation and make payments at the nearest bank without having to visit any SSNIT Office,” Dr Ofori-Tenkorang noted.

On the way forward, the SSNIT Director-General said over the next two years, “we shall complete the restructuring of our customer service delivery to reduce unnecessary stakeholder exposure to staff with clearly marked out roles to be performed by frontline staff who are properly trained to interact with customers”.

Dr Ofori-Tenkorang noted that by the end of 2019 SSNIT would undertake a number of key initiatives; including; integration through the National Identification Authority (NIA) and payments through MoMo, SSNIT App, Ghana Registration A, Registrar General’s Department integration.

“We are working to change the perception of workers, make sure our stakeholders understand the business and operations of the Trust, the value the scheme provides and thereby pay their contributions voluntarily.