SSNIT adopts Ghana Card for all transactions
The move is expected to improve ease of doing business, allowing consumers to use only one card and making transactions more convenient.
The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) will be adopting the use of the Ghana Card for its operations starting today (28 June), Dr John Ofori-Tenkorang, the director general of the Trust, has said.
This means that from Monday (28 June) the National Identification Card will become the unique SSNIT number.
Speaking to stakeholders in the run-up to the merger, Dr Ofori-Tenkorang said: “This migration answers the question: ‘Why carry two cards if one can do the job?’ For us at SSNIT, this transition ties nicely with our quest to improve the ease of doing business with the Trust.
“Your convenience means everything to us and the switch to the use of the Ghana Card will mean that you only have to carry one card for practically all your transactions with us.”
He added, “It will also mean that new joiners to the scheme will have to provide their Ghana Card number to enrol into the SSNIT scheme. Employers and self-employed can only pay contributions using their NIA numbers.
“Members will be required to provide their Ghana Card numbers to access their statements of account and pensioners aged 72 years will be required to renew their pensioner certificates with the Ghana Card,” he said.
He said that SSNIT has carefully thought through this task of migrating from the current member identification platform to that of the NIA and has come up with a plan on how to proceed.
Listen to Dr Ofori-Tenkorang in the audio below:
Digitisation agenda
The process of merging the two identification numbers is expected to continue until 31 December this year.
This means that from 1 January 2022, SSNIT contributors will no longer use their scheme numbers but will transact all business with SSNIT using their Ghana Card.
The merger complies with Regulation 7 (1) of the National Identity Register Regulations 2012 (LI 2111) and a directive from the National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA).
The regulation requires, among other things, the use of the Ghana Card as a means of identification for “transactions pertaining to individuals in respect of pensions”.
A similar merger is being effected by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to enable taxpayers to use their Ghana Card number as their Tax Identification Number (TIN).
The idea of merging is to support the government’s Digital Agenda.
Asaase Radio 99.5 – tune in or log on to broadcasts online
Follow us on Twitter: @asaaseradio995
#AsaaseRadio
#TheVoiceofOurLand
#WeLoveOurLand
