Pensioners reject 10% SSNIT adjustment, call for minimum living pension

The Concerned SSNIT Pensioners Forum (CSPF) has rejected the 10 per cent pension increase announced by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) for 2026, describing it as inadequate and incapable of addressing the worsening living conditions of retirees, particularly low-income pensioners.

In a statement issued on January 10, 2026, the Forum said while it welcomed the upward adjustment, the increase falls far short of cushioning pensioners against rising costs of living and does little to stem pensioner poverty.

The CSPF recalled that on November 19, 2025, it formally petitioned SSNIT to urgently review pension levels and raise the minimum pension to what it describes as a “living level”. The petition was also copied to the Minister for Finance, the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, and the Chief Executive Officer of the National Pensions Authority, seeking their intervention.

According to the Forum, it had proposed a minimum monthly pension of GH¢600 and called for an average pension increase of between 15 and 20 per cent to help restore the real value of pensions, which it says has been severely eroded over the years by annual adjustments that consistently lag behind inflation and the national minimum wage.

The Forum argued that the 2025 minimum monthly pension of GH¢396.58 was grossly inadequate, noting that pensioners receiving that amount could barely afford basic medication and were increasingly becoming dependent on others for survival.

The CSPF further raised concerns over what it described as inconsistencies in SSNIT’s public communication on minimum pension figures. It cited SSNIT’s January 6, 2025 statement, which indicated that the minimum monthly pension increased from GH¢300 in 2024 to GH¢396.58 in 2025 following indexation and redistribution.

However, in a separate statement issued on January 8, 2026, SSNIT announced that the minimum monthly pension for new pensioners had increased from GH¢300 to GH¢400, while pensioners “currently on minimum pension of GH¢300” would receive GH¢409.56 after the 2026 indexation.

The Forum questioned the basis of these figures, stating that in its engagements with SSNIT, it was made to understand that no pensioner was receiving less than GH¢396.58 as of 2025. It has therefore called on SSNIT to clearly define what constitutes a minimum pension in Ghana.

The CSPF warned that annual percentage increases are meaningless without a guaranteed minimum living pension, stressing that many retirees still struggle to afford food, medicine, and basic healthcare despite yearly adjustments.

It argued that the current focus on percentage increases overlooks the more fundamental issue of whether pension income is sufficient to meet basic survival needs, particularly as healthcare costs rise with age.

The Forum is now calling for an urgent national dialogue involving SSNIT, policymakers, organised labour, pensioner associations, economic planners, and civil society groups to establish a sustainable and realistic minimum pension framework.

It maintains that just as Ghana enforces a national minimum wage, the country must also adopt a national minimum pension policy to ensure retirees can live with dignity.

The CSPF said it would continue to engage SSNIT and relevant state institutions in its push for pension justice, equity, and policies that guarantee a dignified life for pensioners across the country.