Former SSNIT Benefits GM Rosemary Amerley Sackey urges proactive AI adoption to safeguard Ghana’s pension scheme sustainability

Mrs Rosemary Amerley Sackey, former Benefits General Manager at the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), has called on the Trust to prepare for Artificial Intelligence (AI) disruption to ensure the long-term sustainability of Ghana’s pension system. Speaking at a symposium in Accra, she emphasised that SSNIT must integrate technology responsibly while protecting jobs, data, and system integrity.

The forum brought together contributors, pensioners, policymakers, and industry stakeholders to explore ways to enhance the pension scheme and secure the future of Ghanaian workers.

Mrs Sackey highlighted that AI is poised to redefine pension administration in Ghana, urging proactive adaptation in operations, data management, and workforce development.

“We must ensure that technology strengthens, [and] not destabilises, the sustainability of the pension system,” she said, urging SSNIT to leverage AI’s potential while mitigating associated risks.

She further encouraged the Trust to pursue innovative investment avenues that improve returns while maintaining transparency, emphasising the need to demonstrate value through prudent investments, improved returns, and member satisfaction.

Mrs Sackey commended SSNIT for launching the Self-Employed Enrolment Driven (SEED) Initiative, which integrates self-employed individuals into the formal pension system.

She called for further innovations to expand coverage and foster voluntary compliance based on trust, relevance, and value, while stressing the importance of measures that guarantee income and stimulate productivity.

Echoing her remarks, SSNIT Director-General Mr Kwesi Afreh Biney noted that the Trust was positioning its future on technological innovation. “AI has come to stay and must be central to the nation’s social protection strategy,” he stated.

He highlighted that technology, innovation, and policy reforms are key to building a modern, inclusive, and efficient social protection system, with digital tools, including AI, enhancing SSNIT’s capacity to promote inclusive coverage.

Mr Biney also expressed confidence in stakeholders’ expertise to strengthen the pension scheme and urged employers to advocate for improved basic pay. Ghana’s pension system, he noted, has undergone major reforms over the past six decades, including the establishment of the three-tier pension scheme and SSNIT’s transformation into a modern social insurance institution.