The Concerned SSNIT Pensioners Forum has welcomed the announced 10 percent average pension increase for 2026 but says the adjustment is inadequate and does little to ease the economic hardship faced by retirees, especially those on the lowest incomes.
In a statement, the group argued that without a guaranteed minimum living pension, percentage increases alone cannot protect the dignity or welfare of older Ghanaians.
The Forum recalled that it petitioned the Social Security and National Insurance Trust on November 19, 2025, requesting urgent action to raise the minimum pension to a level that covers basic survival needs and to correct what it describes as long-standing inequities in annual indexation.
The petition was also sent to the Ministers of Finance; Employment and Labour Relations; and to the Chief Executive of the National Pensions Authority.
According to the group, it urged SSNIT to restore part of the value lost to inflation by lifting the minimum monthly pension to GH¢600 and granting an average increase of 15 to 20 percent. It noted that the 2025 minimum of GH¢396.58 was insufficient even to cover medication for some retirees, forcing many to depend on others to survive.
The Forum said it met SSNIT officials on December 10, 2025, and was assured that its concerns would be forwarded to approving authorities. However, it has now asked SSNIT to clarify apparent discrepancies in public statements on the 2025 and 2026 minimum pension figures and to clearly define what constitutes the minimum pension in Ghana.
Beyond technical debates over indexation percentages, the Forum warned that many pensioners still struggle to afford food, medicine and basic healthcare.
It argued that national attention must shift from percentage increases to whether pensions can sustain a dignified standard of living.
The group is therefore calling for a broad national dialogue that brings together SSNIT, policymakers, organised labour, pensioner groups, economists and civil society to set a realistic national minimum pension and build a sustainable pension system.
Without such reform, it said, the well-being of retirees will remain at risk as healthcare costs rise with age.
The Forum reaffirmed its commitment to continued engagement with SSNIT and relevant state institutions to pursue pension justice, equity and policies that allow retirees to live in dignity rather than deprivation.
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