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The Concerned SSNIT Pensioners Forum (CSPF) has described the 10 per cent average pension increase announced for 2026 as inadequate, insisting that it fails to address the harsh economic realities confronting retirees, particularly those on low incomes.
In a press release issued on January 10, 2026, the Forum said while it appreciates SSNIT’s decision to adjust pensions, the increment does little to halt growing pensioner poverty or restore the eroded value of pensions amid rising living costs, inflation and healthcare expenses.
The pensioners recalled that on November 19, 2025, they petitioned SSNIT to urgently raise the minimum pension to a living level and correct what they described as injustices in the annual pension adjustment system.
Copies of the petition were also sent to the Ministers for Finance and Employment and Labour Relations, as well as the Chief Executive Officer of the National Pensions Authority.
According to CSPF, the petition called for an increase in the minimum monthly pension to GH¢600 and an average pension adjustment of between 15 and 20 per cent for 2026.
The Forum noted that the 2025 minimum pension of GH¢396.58 was “woefully inadequate,” adding that many pensioners on that amount struggle to afford basic medication and food.
The group further expressed concern over what it described as inconsistencies in SSNIT’s public statements on minimum pensions for 2025 and 2026.
It has therefore called on SSNIT to clarify what constitutes a minimum pension in Ghana and how current beneficiaries are being treated under the indexation and redistribution system.
CSPF argued that annual percentage increases have become meaningless without a guaranteed minimum living pension. “Increases happen every year, but they fail to meet the lived realities of pensioners who cannot afford food, medicine or basic healthcare,” the Forum stated.
The pensioners stressed the need for Ghana to adopt a national minimum pension policy, similar to the national minimum wage, to ensure retirees can survive with dignity.
They are calling for an inclusive national dialogue involving SSNIT, policymakers, organised labour, pensioner associations and civil society to establish a sustainable pension framework.
The Forum reaffirmed its commitment to continued engagement with SSNIT and relevant institutions, stating that pensioners who have served the country diligently deserve a dignified life in retirement, not destitution.
