A new twist has emerged in the debate over SSNIT’s 10% pension indexation for 2026, as the Concerned SSNIT Pensioners Forum (CSPF) says the adjustment, though welcomed, is not enough to protect retirees from worsening economic hardship.
In a strongly worded press release dated January 10, 2026, the Forum said the 10% indexation “is inadequate and fails to address the severe economic pressures facing all retirees, particularly low-income retirees, and does little to stop pensioner poverty.”
The group argues that the national conversation should shift away from focusing mainly on percentage increments and instead confront what it calls the real issue: whether pension payments can guarantee basic survival.
“The annual percentage increases have become meaningless without a guaranteed minimum living pension. The current debate, focused on percentage adjustments, overlooks the fundamental question of whether pension income can cover basic survival needs, such as food and medicine,” the Forum stated
Forum wants minimum pension raised to GH¢600 and Indexation of 15–20%
CSPF revealed that it formally petitioned SSNIT on November 19, 2025, requesting urgent reforms to raise pensions to what it describes as a “living level.” The petition, according to the group, was copied to the Minister for Finance, the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, and the Chief Executive Officer of the National Pensions Authority to solicit broader state intervention.
In that petition, CSPF said it asked SSNIT to consider raising the minimum monthly pension to GH¢600, and grant an average increase of 15% to 20% for 2026.
“We requested SSNIT to ensure that the minimum monthly pension is raised to GHC600, and granting an average increase of 15-20% in pensions,” the Forum said.
The group argued that past adjustments have not kept pace with pensioners’ realities, stressing that the erosion in pension value has been worsened by increases “far below inflation and national minimum wage.”
Concerns over ‘Minimum Pension’ figures in SSNIT releases
In what appears to be a direct challenge to SSNIT’s messaging around minimum pensions, CSPF said it is seeking clarification on how SSNIT defines and communicates the minimum pension.
The Forum noted that SSNIT’s own 2025 and 2026 indexation releases referenced a GH¢300 minimum pension, but CSPF says in its engagements with SSNIT, it understood that no pensioner was receiving below GH¢396.58 in 2025.
“We have considered GH¢396.58 as the 2025 monthly minimum pension payment, meaning no pensioner was receiving a monthly pension below GHC396.58,” the group stated.
CSPF then listed two specific SSNIT statements it wants clarified, including SSNIT’s 2025 release that: “Redistribution ensures that the minimum monthly pension of GH¢300 in 2024 will increase to GH¢396.58 in 2025…”
and SSNIT’s 2026 release, which says: “Increase in the minimum monthly pension for new pensioners from GH¢300.00 to GH¢400.00… Pensioners who are currently on minimum pension of GH¢300.00 will… receive GH¢409.56 per month…”
The Forum insists the inconsistencies around “minimum pension” figures must be clearly explained to avoid confusion and to support informed dialogue on pension adequacy.
Call for national minimum pension policy
Beyond SSNIT, CSPF is urging Ghana to adopt a minimum pension policy similar to the national minimum wage system, arguing that retirement income should guarantee dignity.
“Just as Ghana enforces a national minimum wage policy, the country must adopt a national minimum pension policy that ensures retirees can survive with dignity,” the group said.
It is therefore calling for an “urgent inclusive national dialogue” involving SSNIT, policymakers, organised labour, pensioner associations, economic planners, and civil society to establish what it describes as a sustainable minimum pension benchmark.
‘Pensioners deserve dignity, not destitution’
In one of the most emotionally charged sections of the release, CSPF warned that without a policy shift, pensioners’ welfare will continue to deteriorate, especially as healthcare needs increase with age.
“Pensioners have served Ghana with dedication and deserve to live with dignity, not in destitution,” the Forum declared.
The group says it will continue engaging SSNIT and relevant ministries for what it calls “pension justice, equity, and policies that ensure a dignified life for all pensioners in Ghana.”
