Pensioners Reject SSNIT’s 10% Pension Increase for 2026, Call for Living Minimum Pension
- The Concerned SSNIT Pensioners Forum (CSPF) has rejected SSNIT’s 10 per cent pension increase for 2026, saying it is inadequate
- The Forum is demanding a minimum monthly pension of GH¢600 and an average increase of 15–20 per cent, to meet their basic needs
- CSPF also questioned inconsistencies in SSNIT’s minimum pension figures and called for an urgent national dialogue
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 insufficient to address the deteriorating living conditions of retirees, particularly low-income pensioners.
In a statement issued on January 10, 2026, the Forum said although it welcomed the upward adjustment, the increment does little to protect pensioners from the rising cost of living and fails to meaningfully reduce pensioner poverty.
Source: UGC
According to the CSPF, inflation, healthcare expenses and basic household costs continue to outpace annual pension adjustments.
The Forum recalled that on November 19, 2025, it formally petitioned SSNIT to urgently review pension levels and raise the minimum pension to what it termed a “living level.”
Copies of the petition were sent to the Minister for Finance, the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, and the Chief Executive Officer of the National Pensions Authority, urging their intervention in the matter.
As part of its proposals, the CSPF called for a minimum monthly pension of GH¢600 and an average pension increase of between 15 and 20 per cent.
The Forum argued that such measures are necessary to restore the real value of pensions, which it says has been severely eroded over the years as annual adjustments consistently lag behind inflation and increases in the national minimum wage.
The Forum described the 2025 minimum monthly pension of GH¢396.58 as grossly inadequate, noting that pensioners on that amount can barely afford basic medicine and are increasingly dependent on family and friends for survival.
The CSPF also raised concerns about what it described as inconsistencies in SSNIT’s public communication on minimum pension figures. It cited a January 6, 2025 SSNIT statement which indicated that the minimum monthly pension rose from GH¢300 in 2024 to GH¢396.58 in 2025 following indexation and redistribution.
SSNIT increases minimum monthly pension
However, in a separate 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 Forum questioned the basis of these figures, stating that SSNIT had previously indicated that no pensioner was receiving less than GH¢396.58 as of 2025.
The CSPF stressed that annual percentage increases are meaningless without a guaranteed minimum living pension.
It is therefore calling for an urgent national dialogue involving SSNIT, policymakers, organised labour, pensioner groups, economic planners and civil society organisations to establish a sustainable minimum pension framework.
The Forum insists that just as Ghana enforces a national minimum wage, the country must adopt a national minimum pension policy to ensure retirees can live in dignity.
Source: YEN.com.gh
