 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 deteriorating living conditions of retirees, particularly low-income pensioners.){kind=link}
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 deteriorating living conditions of retirees, particularly low-income pensioners.
In a statement issued on January 10, 2026, the Forum said that while it welcomed the upward adjustment, the increase falls far short of cushioning pensioners against the rising cost of living and does little to stem growing 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 described as a “living level.” The petition was copied to the Minister for Finance, the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, and the Chief Executive Officer of the National Pensions Authority, seeking government intervention.
According to the Forum, it 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 said has been severely eroded by years of adjustments that consistently lag behind inflation and the national minimum wage.
The CSPF argued that the 2025 minimum monthly pension of GH¢396.58 was grossly inadequate, noting that pensioners on that amount could barely afford basic medication and were increasingly becoming dependent on family and friends for survival.
The Forum also raised concerns over what it described as inconsistencies in SSNIT’s public communication on minimum pension figures. It referenced a January 6, 2025 SSNIT statement indicating that the minimum monthly pension increased from GH¢300 in 2024 to GH¢396.58 in 2025 following indexation and redistribution.
However, in another 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 CSPF questioned the basis of these figures, stating that its engagements with SSNIT suggested that no pensioner was receiving less than GH¢396.58 as of 2025. It therefore called on SSNIT to clearly define what constitutes a minimum pension in Ghana.
The Forum 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 focus on percentage increases ignores the fundamental issue of whether pension income is sufficient to meet basic survival needs, particularly as healthcare costs rise with age.
The CSPF 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.
The Forum maintained that just as Ghana enforces a national minimum wage, the country must adopt a national minimum pension policy to ensure retirees can live with dignity. It said it would continue to engage SSNIT and relevant state institutions in its push for pension justice, equity, and a dignified life for pensioners across the country.