The National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA) is exploring more ways to penetrate pension scheme understanding among the informal sector workers and enroll them unto the National Pension Scheme to earn benefits due them when old age catches up.
Zonal Head for the NPRA in Kumasi Alex Owusu Boakye explains the move is in line with the National Pensions Act to ensure retirement income security for workers especially those in the informal sector.
According to the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), 80 percent of the Ghanaian workforce is employed in the informal sector. Out of this, 26 percent are in the Ashanti Region, a trend that according to the NPRA zonal head triggered the outreach programme to sensitize the informal workers in Kumasi to secure retirement income for the future of millions of informal workers in Kumasi and Ashanti Region at large.
The NPRA in partnership with Media General’s Kumasi based Akoma FM pitched camp at the Atonsu New Market in Kumasi to engage traders, drivers and individuals within the informal sector to educate them on the need to enroll unto the National Pension Scheme.
Engaging the traders and other patrons at the outdoor programme, Mr. Owusu Boakye explained that “the pension scheme for the informal sector workers unlike the formal workers has no age limit and anyone can enroll with the least amount one can afford even if on a daily basis to build up and secure a happy retirement when health fails them and old age eventually sets in”.
He further advised all workers in the formal sector to as a matter of urgency report any employer who fails to come up with a pension plan for their employees because it is against the Act.
The outreach programme afforded all patrons who were mainly traders and drivers the platform to ask any question that baffled them for proper clarification and redress.
At the end of the programme, some pension trustees who were on standby took advantage and explained their policies to the patrons and registered a number of them.
The patrons who were filled with enough understanding expressed gratification.
One of the leaders for the traders at Atonsu Market, Collins Opoku, explained that “but for this education we never knew there was a chance for we the informal sector workers stand to benefit pension scheme, we are grateful for this eyeopener”.
The NPRA boss in Kumasi Alex Owusu Boakye assured of frequent outreach to re-echo the need for all workers being formal and informal to enroll unto the National Pension Scheme for a befitting retirement income security.
By Nana Asenso Mensah|Akoma FM|3news.com|Ghana