The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) has achieved a major milestone, recording 2.1 million active members, with the private sector accounting for nearly two-thirds of contributors.
The Director-General of SSNIT, Mr. Kwesi Afreh Biney, announced this at the 2025 SSNIT Media Connect in Accra, attributing the growth to sustained digital transformation and targeted enrolment campaigns, particularly among informal sector workers.
“As we speak today, we have close to 2.1 million active members. When we say active, we mean contributors who have made payments for at least a year,” Mr. Biney said.
He revealed that the private sector now makes up 67 percent of total beneficiaries, with over 96,000 private establishments registered under the scheme. This, he explained, reflects increased formalisation, improved employer compliance, and confidence in SSNIT’s digital systems.
“Two-thirds of our contributors come from the private sector. This is a clear indication that the formalisation drive and our digital reforms are yielding tangible results,” he added.
According to the Director-General, SSNIT’s total contributions reached GHS 7.6 billion in 2025, while pension payments to retirees amounted to over GHS 5 billion as of September.
Mr. Biney highlighted SSNIT’s ongoing efforts to expand coverage to Ghana’s vast informal economy, which represents about 80 per cent of the national workforce. One key initiative, he noted, is the Self-Employed Enrolment Drive (SEED) launched in May 2023.
“Through SEED, we have successfully enrolled more than 100,000 self-employed workers,” he said. “We are optimistic that continued innovation and partnerships will help us reach even more people who previously had no form of social protection.”
Mr. Biney also traced the evolution of Ghana’s pension system, from a provident fund under the Social Insurance Corporation in the 1960s to the three-tier structure introduced in 2010.
Under this system, 18.5 percent of an employee’s basic salary goes toward social protection: 13.5 percent to SSNIT’s Tier One, 5 percent to Tier Two, and 2.5 percent to the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
He reaffirmed SSNIT’s commitment to improving transparency and service delivery through digital tools such as online member registration, contribution tracking, and mobile payment options.
Also speaking at the event, Mrs. Victoria Gifty Abaidoo, Corporate Affairs Manager of SSNIT, commended the media for their role in public education and building trust in Ghana’s pension system.
“The media plays a crucial role in shaping public understanding of pensions,” she said. “By sharing real stories of contributors and pensioners, you help the public appreciate the value and benefits of saving for retirement.”
Mrs. Abaidoo explained that the Media Connect platform was designed to deepen collaboration between SSNIT and journalists, ensuring accurate reporting and stronger public engagement on social protection issues.
She urged journalists to continue highlighting success stories of contributors whose lives have been transformed through SSNIT benefits.
Ghana’s journey toward a national pension system dates back to 1960, when Dr. Kwame Nkrumah first proposed the creation of a national fund for workers.
Parliament later passed the Social Security Act, 1965 (Act 279) to establish a Social Security Fund for old age, invalidity, and survivors’ benefits. In 1972, the NRC Decree 127 created SSNIT as an autonomous body to manage the scheme.
Ghana subsequently joined the International Social Security Association (ISSA) after transforming its provident fund into a pension scheme in 1991, a system that continues to evolve through digital innovation and policy reforms.
