The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) is partnering with banks to bring pension services closer to workers across Ghana as part of efforts to expand coverage and improve customer access, Director-General Kwesi Afreh Biney has said.
Speaking at the 2025 SSNITPosium to mark the institution’s 60th anniversary, Biney said the move will make it easier for informal sector workers including traders, artisans and drivers to register and engage with the pension scheme without visiting SSNIT branches.
“We have entered into arrangements with some banks to co-locate in their banking halls in what we call ‘SSNIT inside your banking hall’,” Mr. Biney said. “This very Monday, the first of these centres opened inside Ecobank’s Tema branch.”
The initiative is part of SSNIT’s broader strategy to expand its physical and digital touch-points nationwide. Biney said the goal is to ensure that “every district in Ghana has an opportunity to engage our staff directly at a comfortable location”. The collaboration with banks will complement SSNIT’s existing digital platforms, allowing contributors and pensioners to access services seamlessly.
A key motivation behind the bank partnerships is to reach the millions of self-employed Ghanaians who remain outside the formal pension system.
The Director-General emphasised that this demographic, representing a large portion of the workforce, must be integrated into the national social protection framework.
“Every worker in Ghana deserves income security in old age,” he said.
To complement the physical outreach, SSNIT has consolidated its digital operations by launching a virtual branch that offers 24-hour assistance to contributors and pensioners. The platform enables users to access key services, such as checking pension certificates, through facial recognition technology from their homes.
According to Mr. Biney, the Trust’s focus on digital transformation is driven by the changing nature of work and a need to adapt in new employment patterns.
“The world of work has changed,” he said, adding that SSNIT is collaborating with the Ministry of Labour and National Pensions Regulatory Authority to ensure Ghana’s three-tier pension system remains relevant.
He also called for reforms to the National Pensions Act, 2008 (Act 766) to reflect emerging forms of employment – including gig work, digital entrepreneurship and remote work. A more adaptive legal framework, he said, will ensure every worker – regardless of how or where they work – is protected.
Mr. Biney noted that SSNIT remains financially sound and committed to its mandate. “For many years, we have been a dependable pillar. Not once have we defaulted in our obligations to provide income security for the Ghanaian worker,” he said.
The Trust, he added, continues to invest in key sectors such as energy to sustain its fund. Investments like its stake in SENET Energy have yielded “great results”, helping strengthen the scheme’s financial position.
“As we celebrate 60 years of service, we must take pride in how far we have come and commit to building a future defined by innovation, inclusion and sustainability,” Mr. Biney said. “The next 60 years must see an even stronger SSNIT that continues to protect the Ghanaian worker and support families.”
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