Ghana’s Pension Fund Tells Retirees to Go Digital, and Admits the Gap It Has to Close
GHANA · PENSIONS
Key Facts
- What happened Ghana’s pension fund urged retirees to use digital channels at a regional meeting in Takoradi.
- Who said it Adam Sulley, deputy director-general for operations and benefits at the trust.
- His admission He said pensioners and technology are not the best of friends, and that engagement has to come first.
- Why it matters now Annual renewal of the pensioner certificate became mandatory from April 2026.
- Where else they can go Co-location desks are running with Ecobank, GCB Bank and Fidelity Bank.
- A new service The trust has introduced a toll-free telehealth line for doctor consultations.
A pension fund telling its oldest customers to use an app, and being honest about why that is hard.
Ghana’s Social Security and National Insurance Trust has urged pensioners to use its digital channels rather than travelling to branches. A deputy director-general made the appeal at a regional pensioner meeting in Takoradi on 17 September 2026.
What Was Said and Where
Adam Sulley, deputy director-general for operations and benefits, spoke at a regional pensioner engagement in Takoradi in the Western Region. The meeting was held under the theme of sixty years strong.
He urged pensioners to use the trust’s digital channels rather than travelling to offices. He also acknowledged the obvious difficulty.
The Line That Made the Point
Sulley said pensioners and technology are not the best of friends. He added that there is no way to make use of the technology without engaging them first.
That is an unusually direct statement from an institution promoting its own systems. It also explains why the trust is holding regional meetings rather than issuing circulars.
The Rule That Makes This Urgent
Annual renewal of the pensioner certificate became mandatory from April 2026. The certificate confirms that a pensioner is alive and entitled to continue receiving payments.
A requirement that recurs every year is very different from one that happens once. It turns an occasional trip into an annual obligation for every pensioner in the country.
Where Pensioners Can Go Instead
The trust has co-location desks operating inside branches of Ecobank, GCB Bank and Fidelity Bank. That puts pension services in places pensioners already visit.
Co-location is the middle path between an office visit and an app. It is often more useful than either for people who do not use smartphones.
The Services Being Promoted
The trust operates a virtual branch, launched in December 2025, alongside its physical network. It opened a 52nd branch at Spintex in May 2025.
Its mobile application has more than 76,000 installs recorded on the Android store. That is an install count rather than an active user figure.
A Health Service Attached to a Pension Fund
The trust has introduced a toll-free telehealth line offering doctor consultations. It was announced alongside the digital push.
Linking a pension fund to medical advice is unusual. For pensioners in rural districts it may be the more immediately useful of the two announcements.
Why Digital Pension Services Fail Elsewhere
Systems designed for the institution rather than the user are the common failure. A process that takes three screens for a bank employee can take an hour for a first-time user of a phone.
The other failure is assuming access. Smartphone ownership and reliable data are not universal among people in their seventies and eighties.
What It Means for a Ghanaian Pensioner
The practical point is the annual certificate. Missing it can interrupt payments, and that is the risk the digital push is meant to reduce.
Anyone unsure of the process should use a bank co-location desk rather than waiting. Those desks exist precisely for people who do not want to do it on a phone.
What Is Not Yet Known
The trust has not published how many pensioners completed the renewal digitally versus in person. Nor has it said what happens when a certificate lapses.
It has also not published active user figures for the mobile application. Install counts do not measure use.
What to Watch
Whether the trust publishes renewal completion rates. That is the number that shows whether the campaign works.
Watch also for further bank co-location agreements. They are the practical bridge for the pensioners the digital channels miss.
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Background: Fintechs and Digital Banks in Brazil 2026: Market Guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the pension fund say?
It urged pensioners to use its digital channels rather than travelling to offices.
Who said it and where?
Adam Sulley, deputy director-general for operations and benefits, at a pensioner meeting in Takoradi on 17 September 2026.
What changed in April 2026?
Annual renewal of the pensioner certificate became mandatory.
Where can pensioners get help in person?
At co-location desks running inside Ecobank, GCB Bank and Fidelity Bank branches.
Is there a new health service?
Yes. The trust has introduced a toll-free telehealth line for doctor consultations.
How many people use the mobile app?
More than 76,000 installs are recorded on the Android store, which is not the same as active users.
Sources: Statements by SSNIT deputy director-general Adam Sulley at a regional pensioner engagement in Takoradi, 17 September 2026, as reported by MyJoyOnline and Adomonline.
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