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Let’s treat our pensioners with respect and dignity!
A 72-year-old pensioner, using a walking stick, once walked to a bank in Accra which was quite a distance from his house in an anticipation of withdrawing his meagre pension allowance. The old man was acting on a payment scheduled calendar prepared by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) on the monthly pension allowance to beneficiaries of the National Pension Scheme.
Looking tired, weak and frail, the fairly old man got to the bank only to be told that SSNIT had not forwarded the monthly pension to the bank to enable them to authorize payment of his allowance and, therefore, he could not withdraw his money. Visibly confused and dejected, the man nearly collapsed. Just imagine the terrible and harrowing condition in which the old man found himself in at that particular moment.He was disappointed and disturbed, especially in a situation where he had to walk a long distance to the bank. But for some good Samaritans at the banking hall who mobilised some funds to give to the old man, the situation would have been dangerous and the worse could have happened.
DELAYS IN PAYMENT OF PENSIONS
There are other negative instances across the country in which SSNIT, managers of the Pension Scheme, has not lived up to expectation and delayed in the payment of pension to beneficiaries and has failed to communicate or explained to them the reason behind the delay in sending their money to the various banks and as a result some of these old men were placed in a very tight corner because for some of them, their monthly pension allowance has been their only source of revenue for their livelihood since they don’t have any dependants to fall on in times of financial difficulties. In very few occasions, messages are sent on mobile phones in an anticipation that beneficiaries will read and be informed about further delay in the processing of entitlements, but not everyone owns some of these android phones, more so, how many of such old men can access, use or manipulate these phones?
A typical example of the delay in payment of the pension was in the month of February where it delayed for a couple of days. Per the payment calendar issued by SSNIT at the beginning of the year, the pension is paid and routed to the various banks every third Thursday of each month. This arrangement has been duly communicated to the beneficiaries and, therefore, they are aware of the date and have obviously, budgeted for the money. It is that prior notice, that inspires and entices the beneficiaries to go to their respective banks to withdraw their entitlements. If payments are not made at the stipulated date and no communication or proper explanation is given by SSNIT, it disorganises and dampens their spirit. One would expect SSNIT to use the mass media especially, the electronic and print to communicate to them about the change of date and the reason behind it to alleviate any potential problems and sufferings by beneficiaries not to keep them in the dark.
SSNIT MUST SIT UP AND SHOW ADEQUATE FAITH TO PENSIONERS
For goodness sake, it is very important and necessary for SSNIT to show adequate faith to the beneficiaries of the scheme and also keep to whatever promise and assurance in the payment of the pension allowance to deserving pensioners. If for any circumstance beyond its control that tends to affect the date of the payment as stipulated on the calendar, it is wise and necessary for SSNIT to publish it for the beneficiaries to be aware of the new date but that should not even be stretched to the discomfort of the beneficiaries of the scheme. Once this is done, the thousands of old men who troop to their banks which are the only sources of receiving their entitlements, will take precaution and minimise the resultant stress involved.
We need to accord pensioners the highest and greatest respect and treat them with dignity in view of their greatest sacrifices and immense contribution to society and the country in general. Treating them with kit gloves means you are disrespecting them and that amounts to cursing oneself.
WHO QUALIFIES FOR PENSION?
For the sake of my readers let me throw a little light on the pension age in Ghana and who is entitled to pension. Until the debate of the new retirement age of 65 years currently in progress is concluded and adopted in the country, the current retirement age is 60 years in accordance with the National Pension Act 2008 (Act 766) as amended by the National Pensions (Amendment Act 2014) Act 883.
For full pension, a worker must have attained 60 years of age (55 years if working under hazardous conditions) with at least 180 months (15 years) of contributions. An early pension is also available to workers from age 55 years with at least 18 months (15 years) of contributions. There are three main types of pension, the state pension paid by the government, occupational pension (your pension through work) and private personal payment.
The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) has been mandated by law to administer the pension scheme in the country. Percentage of monthly salaries of public sector workers is paid to SSNIT which holds the money in trust for workers as retirement benefits. The scheme is opened to the private sector workers also.
HOW IS THE YEARLY PERCENTAGE INCREASE CALCULATED?
One particular issue that needs to be clarified by SSNIT is how the yearly percentage increase to pensioners is calculated. At times, one sees the percentage going up to as far as 18 per cent increase while in some instances, it comes down to as low as 10 per cent. This situation creates a bit of doubt and anxiety among beneficiaries, thus making them to assign political connotations to the payment procedures. It was time SSNIT came out to educate pensioners about the method used in calculating yearly percentage adjustments in order to set the records straight.
TREATMENT GIVING TO PENSIONERS IN ADVANCED COUNTRIES
It is important to state that in some foreign jurisdictions across the globe, it is the pensioner who enjoys most. Everything is subsidised for them to enjoy because they are considered people who have sacrificed for the betterment of their countries. They enjoy tax rebates when they visit various shopping centres malls to purchase commodities. Pensioners are held in high esteem, in the United States of America (USA), United Kingdom (UK), Germany, China and many other advanced nations across the globe. However, in Africa especially our own country, Ghana, pensioners are looked down upon and treated with disdain. This does not augur well for our democratic advancement.
PENSIONERS ASSOCIATION MUST BE PROACTVE
The leadership of the Pensioners Association of Ghana needs to be proactive and fight for the interest of its members not to sit aloof while pensioners are taken for a ride and giving a raw deal by SSNIT and its collaborators, otherwise that confidence reposed in them by members will be lost. There are a number of pensioners who are yet to join the association because they don’t see the vibrancy of the association in coercing SSNIT for that matter the government to address the problems of members.
We need to know that pension is something that nobody can avoid as far as public sector worker is concerned. That is why it is important to provide the needed comfort to pensioners as they relax in the comfort of their homes to enjoy the fruits of their labour. It is equally important for public sector institutions to provide their workers with good and better salaries because pensions are worked on individual monthly salaries of workers. Pensioners in this country deserve better than what exists now!
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Walk into any supermarket in Accra, Kumasi, or Tamale today, and you will see the modern Ghanaian diet packaged as ‘progress.’ You will see breakfast cereals with cartoon mascots, fruit drinks that are mostly sugar and colour, and snacks promising energy and happiness in bright fonts.
Even products loaded with salt and unhealthy fats often wear a health halo labeled as fortified or natural, while the real nutritional risk is hidden in tiny print on the back. This is not just a consumer inconvenience; it is a public health blind spot. Ghana is living through a silent surge of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like hypertension, diabetes, and stroke.
These conditions quietly drain household income and steal productive years. According to the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates, NCDs are now responsible for nearly 45 per cent of all deaths in Ghana.
We cannot build a healthy nation on a food environment designed to confuse people at the point of purchase. Ghana must mandate simple front-of-pack warning labels (FOPWL) on high-sugar, high-salt, and high-fat packaged foods because consumers deserve truth at a glance, and industry must be pushed to reformulate.
Why Back-of-Pack Labels Are Not Enough
In theory, consumers can read nutrition panels. In reality, most Ghanaians shop under pressure, limited time, rising prices, and children tugging at their sleeves. The back label is a relic that requires a high cognitive load to interpret—essentially, the seller knows what is inside, but the buyer cannot easily tell.
This ‘information asymmetry’ is not fair. It is not consumer choice when the information needed to choose well is deliberately difficult to find.
Simple warning labels like the black octagons used in the Chilean Model act as a ‘stop-and-think’ nudge. They do not ban products but they simply tell the truth so people can decide.
Reshaping Our Food Environment
A generation ago, Ghana’s meals were mostly home-prepared, like kenkey and banku with soups and stews. Today, ultra-processed foods have become the norm, especially in urban areas. Children are growing up with sugary drinks and salty snacks as everyday items, not occasional treats.
If Ghana is serious about prevention, we must act where decisions are made—thus, the shelf. Warning labels protect parents from sugar traps and pressure the market to improve. When warning labels are mandatory, manufacturers start to compete to make healthier recipes to avoid the stigma of the label.
Addressing the Pushback
Industry will argue that labels create fear or that education alone is enough. However, health education is slow; labels work immediately. While the informal street food sector is a challenge, regulating pre-packaged goods is the practical starting point because the supply chain is traceable. We cannot wait until the whole system is perfect; we must start where action is feasible.
A 2026 Implementation Roadmap for Ghana
To move from talk to action, Ghana needs this 5-step plan:
- Issue mandatory regulation: The Ministry of Health, Food and Drug Authority (FDA), and Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) must define the label format and nutrient thresholds for all pre-packaged foods.
- Simple, bold symbols: Use plain language and clear symbols, such as “HIGH IN SUGAR,” designed for busy families, not experts.
- Transparent thresholds: Adopt technically defensible standards adapted to the Ghanaian diet.
- Transition and enforce: Provide a 12–18 month period for manufacturers to reformulate, followed by firm enforcement at ports and retail centers.
- National literacy campaign: The Ghana Health Service must pair labels with public messages explaining why high salt or sugar increases disease risk.
Conclusion: Truth Is Not a Luxury
Prevention is cheaper than treatment. A warning label costs little compared to the price of dialysis, stroke rehabilitation, or lifelong diabetes complications. A black octagon on a box of biscuits is more than a label; it is a shield for the health of all Ghanaians. It is time to put the truth where we can see it, right on the front.
By Abigail Amoah Sarfo
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Natives of the Kenkey Kingdom were mad with joy. They were still recovering from the hangover of the kingdom’s loss of the African Cup when their spirits were rekindled. Their great warrior, Zoom Zoom, stormed Melbourne and made sure that every Australian refused food. And that was after he had drawn contour lines on the face of their idol, Jeff Fenech.
Not only did the terrible warrior transform Old Boy Jeff’s face into a contour map useful for geography lessons, but he also accomplished the feat of retaining the much-envied super-kenkeyweight title against all odds. The warrior had not been eating hot kenkey for nothing.
The Fight Against Fenech
When Jeff Fenech bit the dust in the eighth round, I was tempted to consider if Adanko Deka could not have faced him in any twelve-rounder, title or non-title bout. Adanko has improved tremendously, and soon he would be facing Pernell Whitaker.
Sincerely, I was pessimistic about Azumah’s man, who the last time took him through twelve grueling rounds of rough boxing. I expressed my fears to my colleague Christian Abbew, alias Gbonyo, who surprisingly had total confidence that the Australian brawler would fall, predictably in Round Five.
Gbonyo gave reasons for his contention, all of which I counteracted using the age factor. Fact is, I didn’t know that contrary to the laws of nature, Azumah was all the time growing younger.
When Fenech fell briefly in round one, I asked my brother whether it was the same Fenech that fought Azumah in Las Vegas. Sure, it was the same Fenech, all out to beat Azumah before his countrymen.
But the African Professor had no intention of making the Australian a hero. As he spun round the desperate Aussie, dancing and stinging out his jabs, it was not too long before I realized that the end was near.
The Eighth Round Showdown
Two minutes into the eighth round, the African ring-master proved to the whole world that he was a true son of Bukom. He himself was cornered, but like the tough nut he is, he managed to break free before overwhelming the panting Australian with several blows that made him crash headlong.
Moments after, the referee, expressing fatherly sympathy, stopped the fight to prevent an obituary. After the ordeal, Fenech’s fairly handsome face was full of newly constructed hills, valleys, ox-bow lakes—whatever. I noticed that his nose was very tired and had a miniature volcano sitting restlessly on it. Obviously, Jeff’s wife will have to nurse that nose back to its normal shape—but I’d advise her not to use iodine, otherwise her dear husband will wail like a banshee.
Reflections on Boxing
Because Mohammed Ali was the kind of boxer kids liked, many school-going kids often entertained the wish of becoming like him. I remember one day when I told my father I wanted to become a boxer, and he advised me to first complete my education to the highest level. Then, if I decided to become a boxer and was knocked out a couple of times, I’d fall back on my degrees and make a living.
Boxing used to be interesting when bouts were fought more with the mouth and tongue than with gloves. You had to brag well, psychologically belittling your opponent before beating him up physically. Mohammed Ali became a very successful pugilist because he also managed to become a poet. He often blew his horn across America, calling himself the “pretty boxer” and opponents like Joe Frazier “the gorilla.”
Ali made a living fighting hard fists like Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, Jerry Quarry, George Foreman, Leon Spinks, and Trevor Berbick. Twice he came back from retirement to fight just for money. It was Larry Holmes who finally pensioned him, and since then the great Ali has never been himself.
The Path Ahead for Azumah
When Azumah nailed Jeff Fenech on the cross and barked almost immediately that he was after the head of Pernell Whitaker, I was happy but concerned. I would have been happier if he had announced his resignation there and then—he would have been more of a hero. Beating Fenech in Australia is more newsworthy than facing Whitaker in the States.
With Whitaker, it might be a little difficult. The “Sweet Pea” is agile, has a crooked body like a snake with diarrhea, and stands awkwardly as a southpaw. He is known for having the fastest pair of fists and the rare ability to dodge punches no matter how close they may be.
Much as I do not doubt that Azumah can take his title, I also don’t want him to retire beaten. I want him to retire as a hero and live a fuller, healthy life.
As Azumah himself said after dishing Fenech, he is now a professor and has something to show for it. Like a true professor, I think it is time he resigned and took up training young talents who could draw inspiration from him and become like him in the future.
Closing Thoughts
I must say that although ageing boxers like Larry Holmes and George Foreman are making a name for themselves, boxing is not like the Civil Service, where you can even change your age and retire at 74. Zoom Zoom has delighted the hearts of the natives, and Sikaman will forever hold him in high esteem—but only when he retires as a hero.
This article was first published on Saturday, March 7, 1992.
