1 January, 2016

WORLD BANK OFFICIALS VISIT SSNIT

The Executive Management Team of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) has met with two officials

from the World Bank Group at Pension House recently. Messrs Will Price, Senior Financial Sector Specialist and Alexander Berg, Senior Specialist Corporate Governance were in the country under the auspices of the Ministry of Finance.

They visited the Trust and held discusions on Corporate Governance issues of the Trust.Some of the issues discussed included Strategic Management, Risk Management, Internal and External systems of Control, Investment

JANUARY 2016 EDITION

Messrs Alexander Berg (Left) and Will Price (Right)

From left, Messrs Senanu, Osei-Bimpong, Hayibor and Nablah From left, Messrs Van-Sackey, Afaglo, Mrs Sackey and Senanu

Mr. Nablah (extreme left) Ms. Sampson, Mr Addo and Ms Lomo.

2 January, 2016

Management, Financial Sustainability of the Trust, Policy On Disclosure, Code of Conduct for Trustees, Management and Staff.

Others were Members Right To Information On Benefits, Information and Communication Strategy, Participation of Stakeholders, Leadership, Innovation and Encouragement of Staff Involvement.

The SSNIT Team included Messrs Nii Adja Nablah, General Manager, Finance, Laud Senanu, General Manager

Operations, Peter Hayibor, General Manager, General Counsel, Noel Addo, General Manager, Investments and Development, Rev. Kwaku Osei-Bimpong, General Manager, Special Projects, and Mrs Rosemary Sackey, Ag. General Manager Benefits.

The rest were Mr. Stephen Yeboah, Chief Actuary, Dr. Caleb Afaglo, General Manager, MIS, Mr. Van Sackey, Ag. General Manager, Special Projects and Ms Sheila Sampson, General Manager, Human Resource & Administration.

Mr Yeboah making his presentation

Mr Addo, Ms Lomo, Mr Gabriel Ackon and Mr. YeboahNii Adja Nablah, stressing a point

3 January, 2016

Mrs Rose-Margaret K p o d o , M a n a g i n g Director of the MMC

Property Limited, has led a del-egation to present a cheque for GHC 406,382.40 as the Trust’s dividend for 2014, as declared at its’ annual general meeting.

SSNIT holds 90 per cent shares in the company while the Accra Metropolitan Assembly has the remaining 10 per cent.

Nii Adja Nablah, General Manager, Finance, who repre-sented the Director-General and received the cheque, commend-ed the management for institut-ing measures to make the com-pany vibrant and profitable.

He advised MMC to remain focused and work hard to increase the share-holder ben-efit and was hopeful that if the trend continues, MMC Property Limited would be able to pay a higher dividend next year.

Responding, Mrs Kpodo thanked SSNIT for its assistance to the company over the years and remarked that even in the face of diverse challenges the company had been able to mobil-ise revenue from the running of car parks and collection of rents from market stores among others.

Other members of the SSNIT team present were Mr Laud Senanu, General Manager, Operations, Ms. Shiela Simpson, General Manager, Human Resource and Administration, Mr Anthony Amankwa, Investment Accountant and Mrs Akosua Nelson-Cofie, Portfolio Manager, Equities.

Also present on the MMC Propety Limited team were Mr Samuel Aryee, Director of Finance and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly rep-resentative on the Board, Mr Kofi Sackey, Director, John Appen, Head Finance and Administration, Mrs Helen Arthur, Director and Mr Yaw Twumasi-Ankrah.

MMC PROPERTY MANAGEMENT LIMITED PRESENTS DIVIDEND TO SSNIT

The SSNIT team led by Nii Adja Nabla,(left)The SSNIT team led by Nii Adja Nabla,(left)

Nii Adja Nablah receiving the cheque from Mrs Kpodo

The team from MMC Property Limited led by Mrs Kpodo (Far right)

From left,Mrs Arthur, Mr Sackey and Mrs Kpodo.

4 January, 2016

Forty-five employer representatives from selected establishments in Accra have been trained in Online Validation of Contribution Reports and Printing of Payment Advice at the Pension House in Accra. This is to enable them validate their Contribution Reports on their own and also print their Payment Advice at their offices

or homes for SSNIT contribution payment.Mr Philip Kofi Senyah, SSNIT Biometric Registration Manager, told the participants that the Online Validation process is a

new facility that would make it convenient for them to make (Tier One) payments of workers’ contributions to SSNIT. “The system will enable you to submit your contribution report on line, validate it, print the payment advice and go to the

bank and make payment ”, he told them.Mrs Rachael Joel-Pappoe, Contact Centre Supervisor, urged employers to embrace the Online Validation process as it would

aid them to submit Contribution Report on time without going to the Branch Offices.She said in processing contributions on their own, employers would be able to correct errors on their source documents.Mr. Kwame Ofori of the Contact Centre and Ms. Bridget Kwaw of the ITSM (Help Desk) also took turns to address the

employer representatives. The participants were granted access to the system to practice.

SSNIT TRAINS EMPLOYERS ON ONLINE VALIDATION

Mr. Senyah and Mrs. Joel-Pappoe, resource persons at the training

� e participants.

� e participants.

5 January, 2016

EMBRACE ORACLE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT SUITE – STAFF URGED

STAFF of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust

(SSNIT) have been urged to add value to themselves by mastering the use of the Oracle Financial Management Suite currently deployed within the Trust.

Mr. Nii Lante Lamptey, Change Management Co-ordinator of the Oracle Financial Management Suite, told the SSNIT MONTHLY NEWSSHEET in Accra that the Oracle software would promote computer and financial literacy among the staff.

He said the Board and Management of SSNIT decided to acquire the Oracle suite which is bigger than the existing Sun Accounting software, which was found to be limited.

Mr. Lamptey said the clientele of social security opera-tions in the country have expanded and so the Oracle Financial Management suite is a suitable platform to help with the finan-cial management of the Trust.

He explained that the Oracle Financial Management Suite has modules such as I-Expense, Payables, Receivables, Inventory, Treasury, Hyperion, Cash Management, Business Intelligence and the General Ledger which has a key advantage of boosting prompt payment to the beneficiaries.

Mr. Lamptey said given its ability to ensure speed and prompt processing of payments, the oracle software would save operational cost and improve the integrity of Data.

According to Mr. Lamptey” it will pro-vide timely and accurate report and help document tracking and quick access to information”

Mr. Asamoah Mensah, Project Manager for the Oracle project noted that the Trust had since 1996 used mainly the gen-eral ledger account-ing system but the

Oracle software intro-duces a sub-ledger which reduc-

es the chart of the accounts.He said the Oracle software processes some of the trans-

fers before summing them up into the general ledger.“It introduces more efficiency in financial management

system which translates into cost efficiency,” Mr Mensah added.

Mr Daniel Kwabla-King, Deputy Project Manager of the Oracle project said the software allows SSNIT to use best management practices to administer the scheme.

He said there already existed in the industry the Oracle Human Resource and Procurement softwares and a financial software tends to among other things reduce if not eliminate mis-payments.

Mr King said the greatest advantage of the Oracle finan-cial software is the production of accurate accounts on time.

He said, “we are looking at the situ-ation where after the end of the

month, the monthly account will be ready. Two weeks

after the end of the year, annual accounts

should be ready.”Mr King said

staff claims would be processed faster and it would provide the motivation for them to be more produc-tive.

Mr Mensah

Mr Kwabla-King

Mr Nii Lante Lamptey

6 January, 2016

RECORDS CLASSIFICATION AND RETENTION COMMITTEE INAUGURATED

A 12- Member Steering Committee on Records Classification and Retention

has been inaugurated to improve the electronic processing of benefits and to eliminate duplications in the clas-sification of records.

The committee chaired by Mr. Leslie Arde-Acquah,Out-going G.M .Benefits has Ms. Sheila Sampson, General Manager, Administration/HR, Mrs. Rosemary Sackey,General Manager,Benefits (Incoming), Mr. John Y. Nimoh, MIS, Manager (Operations) and Mr. Harold B r o o k m a n - A m i s s a h , P e n s i o n s Manager as members.

The rest are Mr. John Hagan Mensah, OBS Project Manager, Mr. William Quaye, Acting Records Manager, Mr Godson Ladzekpo, Archives Manager/Project Manager, Ms. Irene Akpabla, Respository Manager (Records), Mr, Martin Benjamin Addy,Systems Administrator(IT Service Management) Mr. Solomon Ababio,Senior Para-Legal Officer and Mr. Simon Nabia Research Manager / Secretary.

Mr. Laud Senanu, General Manager (Operations) who repre-sented the Director-General, swore in the members. He said he was

optimistic that Records Classification and Retention project would improve records management within the Trust and asked members of the committee to work hard to justify their appointment.

Mr. Arde-Acquah had earlier explained that the Records Classification and Retention Policy Project would help the Trust to change from the old way of

classification to a new system.Mr. Quaye, Acting Records Manager,

said the Records Classification and Retention System would be based on func-tions which would seek to eliminate dupli-cations in classification.

Mr.Quaye also reminded them that with a unified classified scheme, the system of records management would be rationalized.

Seated from le� , Mr Senanu, Ms. Sampson and Mr Arde-Acquah and other members of the committee

Mr Senanu leading the SSNIT Management Team to congratulate members of the committee.

7 January, 2016

RISK MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE INAUGURATED

AN - 11- member Risk Management Committee for the Trust has been inaugurated at the mini boardroom at Pension House.

The brief ceremony which was chaired by the Chief Actuary, Mr. Stephen Yeboah had in attendance, the General Manager Administration and Human Resource, Ms Sheila Sampson rep-resenting the Director-General, the General Counsel, Mr. Peter Hayibor and the Chief Internal Auditor, Ms Rebecca Lomo.

Giving a brief background to the formation of the committee the Chief Actuary indicated that Risk Management was as old as human life and that because of the value of time in relation to resources available to man, risk management was crucial in any human institution.

He added that under international social security guidelines, a risk management structure was a requirement that should be

THE FULL LIST OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS ARE AS FOLLOWS :

NAME OFFICE DIVISIONMR. STEPHEN YEBOAH CHIEF ACTUARY CHAIRMANMR.THEOPHILUS AFENYA RISK MANAGER MEMBERDR. PROSPER AYISAH AREA MANAGER, TAKORADI REP. OF OPS DIVISION MR. ROBERT ABUGRI INTERNAL AUDIT DEPARTMENT REP. OF INTERNAL AUDITMR.SALAWU KABIRU IT INFRASTRUCTURE MGT. DEPT. REP. OF MIS DIVISIONMR. EMMANUEL SACKEY PROCUREMENT MANAGER REP.OF ADMIN / HR DIV.MRS. AGGREY- AMPIAH TREASURY MANAGER REP. OF FINANCE DIVISIONMR. JOSEPH SIILO LEGAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT REP. OF GC DIVISIONMR. TEYE –MENSAH OFFICE OF G.M. BENEFITS REP OF BENEFITS DIVISIONMR, HARRIS YEMOH ACTUARY DEPARTMENT REP. OF STAFF DIRECTORATEMR. FUACHIE PPMM DE REP. OF IDD DIVISION

overseen by the Board.On her part, the Chief Internal Auditor, Ms. Rebecca Lomo,

was delighted that such a crucial committee had been formed to guide SSNIT’S operations.

The General Counsel, Mr Peter Hayibor, said Risk Management was totally a practical assignment and much was expected from the committee particularly because of the inher-ent challenges of Acts 766 and 833.

In conclusion, the General Manager, Human Resource & Administration, Ms. Sheila Sampson, asked the members to work diligently and make meaningful contribution to the development of the Trust. She later inaugurated the committee.

The committee held their maiden meeting immediately after the inauguration.

From le� , Mr Yeboah, Ms Sampson and Mr Hayibor

Members of the committee

8 January, 2016

RECORDS DEPARTMENT RE-LABEL REPOSITORIESAS part of efforts to make

the identification of records easier, the repositories at the

Records Department in Accra has been re-labelled “Nyansapo” and “Sankofa” repositories.

“Nyansapo” is derived from an Akan traditional expression mean-ing ”knowledge Knot” and it is that repository that current records of members and that of employers are kept.

“Sankofa” which translates as “return to pick” is the repository where archival records are stored, emphasizing the need to refer to the knowledge or records of the past to resolve challenges.

Mr. Michael Quaye, the Acting Records Manager, told the SSNIT Monthly NEWSSHEET that the initiative is meant to facilitate file location, quick filing, tracking and retrieval of records

Mr Quaye

T he Sankofa Repository

� e Nyansapo Repository

Mr Quaye, clarifying a point at the Sankofa Repository

9 January, 2016

MR. Stephen Anaafi of the Management Information Systems Division (MIS) has been adjudged the best worker for 2015. Dr. Caleb Afaglo, General

Manager of Management Information Systems Division (MIS), announced this on behalf of the Human Resource Manager at a ceremony held at Pension House in Accra. The award package comprises GH₵ 10,000 and an overseas train-ing to enhance his skills.

A letter read by Mr. Erasmus Acheampong-Mensah, Communications and Network Manager, commended the devotion and commitment to duty by Mr. Stephen Anaafi which had contributed immensely to the success of the Operational Business Suite (OBS).

MR. STEPHEN ANAAFI OF MIS DIVISION ADJUDGED BEST WORKER FOR 2015

Dr. Afaglo also congratulated the staff of the division for their hard work in the past year and encouraged them to remain resolute to limit avoidable future system challenges.

For his part, Mr. Anaafi expressed his gratitude to Management for the recognition and dedicated it to the collec-tive effort of all the staff of his department and the OBS team.

He encouraged staff to give off their best even if nobody is watching and at the right time their “star will shine”.

Present at the ceremony were the Data Centre Manager, Mr. John Mensah, Head of I.T Data Management Service, Mr. Joseph Appiah Mensah, I.T Service Management, Mr. Richard Nunoo, I.T Applications, Mr. Henry Boadu and staff of the Management Information Systems Division.

Mr Anaa� Dr Afaglo presenting a letter of commendation to Mr Anaa� while other managers look on

Dr Afaglo (fourth from right) and other managers from the MIS Division.

10 January, 2016

SSNIT CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP HOLDS THANKSGIVING SERVICETHIS year’s annual thanksgiving service by the

Social Security and National Insurance Trust Christian Fellowship has been held at the Pension House in

Accra. It was under the theme “I will bless the Lord at all times.” Mrs Phylicia Tublu, Complaints and Adjudication offi-

cer, read the first scriptural lesson (Psalm 103:1-5) while Mr Leslie Arde-Acquah, Out-going General Manager, Benefits, read the Second lesson (Rev.7:11-14)

The service was characterized by a joyous praise and worship session, and special prayers for Management and Staff for the smooth operations of the Trust by Bishop Charles Agyinasare, the General Overseer of the Perez Chapel International.

The well-patronised church service, was attended by some members of the SSNIT Executive Management team, including Nii Adja Nablah, General Manager, Finance, Mr Laud Senanu, General Manager, Operations, Ms. Shiela Sampson, General

� e participants.

Bishop Charles Aqyinasare

A section of the Sta� at the service Hands raised during prayers.

• continue on page 11

11 January, 2016

SSNIT CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP HOLDS THANKSGIVING SERVICE

Manager, Human Resource and Administration.The rest were General Counsel, Mr Peter Hayibor, Mrs

Rosemary Sackey, In-coming General Manager, Benefits and Rev. Kwaku Osei-Bimpong, Outgoing General Manager,Special Projects and Dr Raphael Afaglo, General Manager,Management Information Systems.(MIS)

In his sermon, Bishop Agyinasare, urged the management and staff of SSNIT to be thankful to God for providing them with the grace and strength to manage the Pension Scheme satisfactorily over the years, for the benefit of the contributors.

He said the National Pension Scheme was bound to face challenges sometimes, but these could easily be surmounted if the managers and the staff would rely on God’s guidance.

Nii Adja Nablah ,who represented the Director-General, said the management of the Trust was grateful to God for his wisdom and mercies that had made SSNIT to transform its operations.

Rev. Daniel Ankrah, President of the SSNIT Christian Fellowship, thanked the SSNIT management for assisting the choir with a set of musical instruments and pledged that they would use them for the spiritual upliftment of staff and the public.

Nii Adja Nablah giving a message on behalf of SSNIT Management

Mr. Nicholas Sarbah, o� ering the opening prayer

Rev. Osei-Bimpong receiving a parcel from Mrs. Tublu

� e Sta� in a praise and worship session

A section of the sta� .

• continue on from 10

12 January, 2016

THE Akwapim Akropong Traditional Council has called on the management of Social Security and National Insurance Trust ( SSNIT) to officially inform the Trust

of the death of the late Oseadeeyo Nana Addo Dankwa III and the arrangements for his burial.

The late Oseadeeyo Nana Addo Dankwa III was the Government Nominee who chaired the 3rd reconstituted Board of Directors SSNIT from 1977 – 1980.

The entourage was made up of Okyeame Asrifi, Nana Asiamah Bekoe and Nana Osae Adade, all members of the tra-ditional council.

AKWAPIM AKROPONG TRADITIONAL COUNCIL CALLS ON SSNIT

The Corporate Affairs Manager, Ms. Evangeline Amegashie, warmly received the delegation and introduced the SSNIT Executives present.

Nii Adja Nablah, (General Manager, Finance) acting on behalf of the Director General, expressed his deepest condo-lence to the representatives of the Council. He also assured them of the needed support towards the burial preparations and confirmed SSNIT’s presence at the funeral on the said date.

Present at the meeting were the Mr. Laud Senanu General Manager, Operations, Ms. Sheila Sampson General Manager Admin, & HR and Mr. Stephen Yeboah, the Chief Actuary

Ms Amegashie welcoming the delegation

Okyeame Asri� brie� ng the SSNIT management. He is � anked by other members of the delegation

� e participants.

13 January, 2016

THIS is the final part of the interview granted by Mr. John Mensah, Operations Business Suite (OBS) Project

Manager on the delpoyment of the soft-ware within the Trust.

The first part of the interview was published at page 9 in the December issue of the NEWSSHEET

CONTRIBUTIONS MANAGEMENTThe Contributions Management mod-

ule of the OBS is designed to handle all contributions processing related activi-ties and provides a first level financial management solution to all Branch and Area offices.

The module makes use of a portal for the submission of Contributions Report, also it is being integrated with the banks to allow the payment of processed Contribution Reports.

The receipting component of the mod-ule allows the receipt of payment of non-contributions related payments such as student loans, staff loan repayment, rent , to mention but a few which will then be passed onto the respective systems.

Feedback of processed contributions report are sent to the employers, via any agreed channel.

The contribution module has been designed to provide Employers and Voluntary Contributors, the flexibility of submitting Contributions Report and making payment in any of our offices nationwide, and having it reflect in real time. This is a feature that will improve upon the queues usually witnessed in our offices on the 14th of each month.

The contributions module has intro-duced an approver for both contribu-tions and payment reversals, which will ensure ownership of every activity in the Contributions Management process flow.

The contributions module has introduced a flexible and an enhanced ‘ Wizard ‘ to guide users in contri-butions processing and improved validation routines to describe errors in hard or soft terms which will immediately prompt the user on the first line of focus with unclean Contributions Report. Also the validation routine now manages the upper limit of contributions globally and real time, to avoid over crediting of contri-butions.

The receipting component of the Contributions mod-ule ensures that all received payments tally with what has been banked and even the physical amount. This will prevent the imbalances in the employer’s ledger and

member statement as well as ensuring a proper reconcili-ation in the Sun accounting sys-tem. The balance of a staff loan can easily be seen in the contri-butions module, taking into con-sideration payment made within same day.

BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION The Benefits module has been designed to eliminate bottlenecks in claim processing and further ensure paperless Benefit process-ing environment.

The module adopts the dual- control feature covering the fol-lowing areas in benefits applica-tion processing :

a) Applicants identity authen-

tication via automated thumb print reader, and verification against smart card;

b) Image of applicant for ease of identification before attempt-ing biometric verification.

c) Multiple modes of authen-tication

d) Document image archive of application forms and the sup-porting documents

e) Enhanced information sharing and instant retrieval of archives

f) Electronic routing of appli-cations to the relevant processing centres and approval officers;

g) Simplified and speedy pay-ment process by using electronic file to the members account via the ACH Platform.

The benefits Administration module has rich feature to ensure uniformity in claim processing. A

common platform for all Branches to have a standardized requirement to every claim type while providing an instant acknowledgement to the applicant for ease of reference.

With the introduction of a rich and organized process flow, claim processing time has drastically reduced .Every application can at least be tied to a particular activity level and each level has a standardized requirement.

The Benefits module adopts the use of a minute func-tion to route applications electronically to other branches, where secondary inputs are required,

The module is designed with flexibility of applying for any type of claim from any of our offices including survivor applications which, hitherto, could be applied from only the

Mr John Mensah

INTERVIEW WITH OBS PROJECTMANAGER - JOHN HAGAN MENSAH

14 January, 2016

office that the death was reported. The module is designed to keep applications in view

pending some action to be performed to enable it proceed to the next processing centre.

The Benefits module has some monitoring functions to assign applications to users, prioritize applications and process applications that had been initiated from the portal.

The Branches have been equipped now to initiate certain payroll activities, including Change of bank infor-mation for pensioners, Deactivation and Reactivation of pensioners, Appeal and Re- Computation and Pensioner welfare opting, which hitherto was managed centrally.

The Benefit module is now equipped with the ability to generate multiple payment files in a day for payment by the Treasury Department.

The benefits module has adopted an Extraction fea-ture to enable the Actuarial Department and other users to know the elements involved in the computation process, thereby making it easy to know when there’s an error in any computation churned out of the system.

Also, applications referred to actuarial for vetting could be assessed in an actuarial screen with minimal inputs, to determine the accuracy of results.

The electronic documents, including payment advice can be viewed by any user in any office, while applications being processed can be seen by any user of the module. This is ensuring transparency in the claim processing cycle.

The use of the first in, first out approach in claim processing within the Benefits module has also introduced transparency and given the Branches the assurance of the files being given the fair deal when it comes to approval.

RELATIONSHIP CHANNEL MANAGEMENTThe Relationship Channel management (RCM) com-

ponent of the OBS is a new tool in our operations. It has been introduced to serve as a front end interface of the OBS system to handle all cases, complaints and ser-vice requests. It provides a single and detailed view of an employer or a member for all authorized users. The module makes use of the calendars and activity notes to manage cases , complaints and requests.

This module provides a knowledge database for case resolution, thereby allowing subsequent occurrences to be treated with ease.

The RCM module has adopted a glossary window that defines SSNIT vocabularies to ensure that staff are abreast with terms in the institution, while learning.

PORTAL

The portal is a component which serves as a gateway to the SSNIT OBS system and all its registered users. This module will be used mainly by

Employers (Existing and to be Employers)Members (Existing and to be members)Business Partners (Banks, NPRA, GRA. NHIS etc)

PensionersThe General PublicFor members, the portal provides the ability to update

personal information, check claim eligibility, initiate claim, submit enquiries, print statements submit inquiries, etc. Employers are also allowed to submit their contribu-tion reports view ledger information, update Employer in formation, manage employer’s portal users etc.

The portal provides an interface for SSNIT for part-ners to access minimal information allowed based, on their enrolment privileges.

Newssheet : What are the challenges with the OBS

implementation ? Mr. Mensah : First let me give you the scope of

the OBS Project. There is the Employer Enrolment and Update, Member Enrolment and Update, Membership Card Management, Identification And Or Verification Of Members, Management Of Contributions And Payments, Compliance Management, Benefits And Claims Management, Customer Relationship Management Across Multiple Access Channels- Portal, Information Kiosks, Contact centres.

There are challenges associated with this project, like any project of such magnitude, the challenges, relate to Enrolment, Contribution Management, Enforcement, Benefits and Claims.

With enrolment, there are delays in the enrolment time cycle, distributing membership cards, the verification process is very slow, enrolment initiation channels are few, multiple registration with thump print authentication pro-cess is centralized and done manually.

With Contribution Management, there are limited channels for Contribution Report submission and pay-ment of contribution. There are inconsistencies between data in the Branches and Data at the Head Office. Employer data on some occasions are not available like-wise member data to all users.

The issue of enforcement also reveals inconsisten-cies in establishment debt balances, there is inadequate information on the status of legal action being taken on establishments, status of investigations being carried out on establishments and establishments classification as dormant or close down ones.

The challenge with Benefits and Claims relates to limited benefits application channels, identification and transaction verification process and lack of system inte-gration.

Newssheet : How are you going to overcome these

implementation challenges ? Mr. Mensah : Some of the challenges are to be fixed

by the vendors, others can be corrected by the IT officers of SSNIT, yet others can be settled through day by day use of the system.

What is to be done by the vendors was done on our last visit to Malaysia. It is now left with us to fine-tune the sys-tem. Since it is a new system being developed, it is only by constant use that the challenges will be fixed. I hope that by the end of the second quarter of 2016, SSNIT would have settled down comfortably with the OBS.

INTERVIEW WITH OBS PROJECT MANAGER

- JOHN MENSAH

15 January, 2016

THE atmosphere at the roof-top of the multi-storey Ridge Car Park in Accra on that breezy Friday evening in January, was that of excitement, laughter,

dancing and exchange of pleasantries among members of the Senior Staff Association (SSA) and the Management.It was the end of year party of the SSA.There was enough to eat and drink while many of the staff danced with some of the management team to popular high life, hip-life tunes, and dance hall music.In a brief speech, the President of the Senior Staff Association, Mr E. P Brown urged staff to continue to work hard and per-form their tasks, in accordance with the National Pensions Act 2008 (ACT 766) Mr Moses Nii Okpey-Mensah, the General Secretary of the SSA urged the members to take full advantage of new digital

technologies such as the Operation Business and the Oracle Financial Management Suites to boost and enhance their com-petences on the job.Ms. Shiela Sampson, General Manager, Human Resource and Administration praised the staff for their hard work in 2015.She also thanked the SSA for co-operating with Management of SSNIT in ensuring a peaceful industrial atmosphere within the Trust.Ms Sampson was hopeful that the SSA would partner Management to negotiate service conditions that would improve the welfare of members, this year.Present at the function were Mr Laud Senanu, General Manager, Operations, Mrs Rosemary Sackey,General Manager, Benefits, and Mr Leslie Arde-Acquah, Out-going General Manager, Benefits.

SENIOR STAFF HOLDS END-OF-YEAR PARTY

Scenes from the party

16 January, 2016

Scenes from the end-of- year party

17 January, 2016

THE Trustees Hockey Club has presented six trophies including what they described as “gargantuan Super Cup Trophy that

had never been presented in the history of the Association” through the Corporate Affairs Department to the Director-General of SSNIT in Accra.

The trophies are from the 2015 Beige Capital Knock-out Competition, 2015 Baj Freight Gala, the 2015 Dwadifo Adanfo Hockey League, 2015 Super Cup, 2015 T’ Tommy Memorial Championship and the Ga Adangbe Gala Competition.

According to Mr. Samuel Ofosu, the Team Manager, the Trustees Hockey Club lost narrowly during the finals competitions - the Afahye Hockey and the Chairman’s Challenge Cup.

He said the team is excited to have contributed to the success story of the Trust in the area of its social responsibilities as it celebrated its 50th Anniversary.

TRUSTEES HOCKEY CLUB GRABS SIX TROPHIES IN

ONE YEAR

Hockey sticks

The six trophies

18 January, 2016

HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR KIDNEYS

An Interview With A Kidney Specialist

What is Chronic kidney Disease?

THE Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines the Kidney as “either of the two organs in the body that remove waste products from the blood and produce

urine.” The kidneys are two bean-shape organs, the size of a fist,

located on either side of the body, just beneath the rib-cage. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a long term condition

where the kidneys do not work effectively. It does not usually cause symptoms until it reaches an advanced stage.

Given the increasing reports of kidney ailments among the active Ghanaian population in recent times, the SSNIT MONTHLY NEWSSHEET decided to put a few questions to Dr Dwomoa Adu, a Consultant Nephrologist (Kidney Specialist) of the University of Ghana Medical School and Co-Principal Investigator on the H3Africa Kidney Research Network in Accra recently.

Question: Good morning Doc, could you please tell us more about the kidney and the commonest disease associated with it in recent times?

Kidneys do lot more than make urine. They get rid of toxins in our bodies. By learning to control our blood p r e s s u r e , we prevent damage to our kidneys. Kidneys help in the manufac-ture of blood to prevent Anaemia. Kidneys make our bones strong and that affect how other organs work. Kidney failure is three times more common in Africans than Europeans and occurs at an earlier age. Africans have genetic variants carried on DNA that increase the risk of chronic kidney disease.

Question: What are the symptoms of Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease?

Symptoms of advanced kidney disease include swelling of the feet, ankles or legs. Others include loss of appetite, nausea,

vomiting, confusion and diffi-culty in thinking, high blood

pressure and anaemia which can cause tiredness,

Question: How do we detect Chronic Kidney Disease?

Simple urine test such as Albumin Creatinine Ratio (ACR) which estimates the amount of a type

of protein, albumin in a way of testing for the

disease.Blood Test

The Glomerular Filtraion Rate(GFR) conducted into the

blood is another way of telling how well the kidneys are working

to remove wastes from the blood.Question: How do we treat Chronic

Kidney disease?Good blood pressure control especially using

drugs called angiotensin blockers is a way of treating chronic kidney disease. Good diabetes control and avoiding pain killers such as anti-inflammatories such as dicloenec ,avoiding herbal remedies and lowering salt in one’s diet are part of measures to treat advanced chronic kidney disease.

Thank you for sharing this useful pieces of health informa-tion with us.

19 January, 2016

COMPLIANCE SSNIT SPECIAL COURTS ( DECMBER 2015)CASES – 2015CATEGORY TOTAL NO. OF CASES AMOUNT GH¢CASES INITIATEDCases Filed and Handled 272 2,393.75Cases Initiated and Filed 184 180.10Cases Disposed of 191 549.63Arrears/J-Debt retrieved December 2015 2,474.53Cases Pending in Court as at December 2015

564 9,005.78

ARREARS / JUDGEMENT DEBT RETRIEVED

ARREARS / JUDGEMENT DEBT RETRIEVED SINCE START OF 2015

MONTH AMOUNT GH¢November 3,171.81December 2,474.53

TO DATE AMOUNT GH¢January 1 – Dec 2015 46,904.25

CATEGORY TARGET (GH¢'000)

ACTUAL (GH¢'000)

VARIANCE % PERFOMANCE

Private Establishment 90,945.73 94,091.70 3,145.97 103.5Sub-vented 2,076.32 0.00 (2,076.32) 0.0CAGD** 482,916.60 0.00 (482,916.60) 0.0TOTAL 575,938.65 94,091.70 (481.846.95) 16.3

STATISTICS ON OPERATIONS CONTRIBUTIONS COLLECTED (DECEMBER 2015)

** A/c General’s Target represents arrears as at November 2015 plus unpaid current contributions for the month of December 2015 (i.e. moving target).

NAME DEPARTMENT / BRANCH

JOB TITLE

Mr,Wilberforce Mintah Mampong Ashanti Branch Accountant IIMr Charles Aryee Antieh Complaints & Adjudication Complaints & Adjudication

O� cerMrs. Esther Afua Gyebi Accra Industrial Area Asst. Bene� ts O� cer IIMs. Leticia Koshie Lawson Accra Central Senior CashierMr Robert Affl ah Sackey Insurance Insurance ManagerMr Nicholas Ba Gyimah-Yeboah Transport Purchasing Offi cerMr Leslie Arde - Acquah Offi ce of the General Manager General Manager, Benefi ts

STAFF RETIREMENTThe under-mentioned staff retired from the Trust in the month of JANUARY 2016.

20 January, 2016

CATEGORY AMOUNT(GH¢ MILLION)Private Establishments 79.14Controller and Accountant General’s 482.92Subvented 78.83TOTAL 640.89

CONTRIBUTIONS IN ARREARS - DECEMBER 2015

COMPLIANCE RATE (DECEMBER 2015)

CATEGORY

ESTABLISHMENTS WORKERSTOTAL NO. OF

ESTS.NO. THAT PAID COMP. RATE

(%)TOTAL NO. OF WKRS.

NO. ON WHOSE BEHALF

PAYMENTS WERE MADE

COMP. RATE

(%)

PRIVATE AND AC-COUNTANT GEN.

51,237 19,819 38.7 1,242,385 297,962 24.0

CATEGORY TARGET (GH¢'000)

ACTUAL (GH¢'000)

VARIANCE(GH¢’000)

PERFORMANCE%

Private Establishments 6,835.92 15,445.15 (8,609.23) 225.9Controller and Accountant General 482,916.60 0.00 (482,916.60) 0.00Sub-Vented Organisations 742.68 0.00 (742.68) 0.00TOTAL 490,495.20 15,445.15 (475,050.05) 3.1

ARREARS RETRIEVED ( DECEMBER 2015)

CATEGORY OCTOBER 2015 NOVEMBER 2015 DECEMBER 2015New Workers Registered 20961 13,614 11,006New Establishments Registered 526 567 329

NEW ESTABLISHMENT / WORKER REGISTRATION

STATISTICS ON PENSIONS – DECEMBER 2015In the month of October 2015, 152,761 pensioners were paid a total of GHC 125, 820,603.50.

BENEFITS DEC 2015 (GH¢) Since Inception (GH¢)Highest Pension 9,231.81 26,462.69 (Indexed)Lowest Pension 230.00 0.50Average Pension 576.04 825.94Highest 25% L/S 26,903.89 738,102.00Lowest 25% L/S 0.27 0.10

21 January, 2016

PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF PENSIONS– DECEMBER 2015The percentage distribution of paid pension by type since the inception of the scheme is as follows:

No. of Pensioners %Retirement (Age 60+) 1,609 1.03%Retirement (Age 60+),(+25%L/S) Residual 106,252 68.00%Early Retirement (Age 55 – 59) 6,422 4.11%Early Retirement (+25% L/S)-Residual 40,853 26.14%Invalidity Pension 196 0.13%Invalidity Pension (+25% L/S) – Residual 930 0.60%Total 100

STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENTS - December 2015MONTH Payment Mode

Cash GH¢ S.S.F.GH¢

Benefi tsGH¢

TotalGH¢

MONTHLYTARGET

GH¢

% PERFOR-MANCE

NOV. 2015 229,957 305,902 43,784 579,643 1,000,000 57.961989-OCT. 2015

62,569,552 11632,522 8,905,020 188,107,094 - -

DEC 2015 197,282 167,013 65,915 430,210 1,000,000 43.02

1989-DEC. 2015

62,766,834 116,799,535 8,970,935 188,537,304 . .

Age Male Female Total72-89 28,896 4,367 33,263

90 71 5 7690+ 698 58 756

TOTAL 29,665 4,430 34,995

AGE DISTRIBUTION OF PENSIONERS, (72 – 90+), DECEMBER 2015

ISSUED BY THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT29/01/2016

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DECEMBER 2015

Active Worker Population 1,242,385

DECEMBER 2015

ACTIVE MEMBERSHIP STATUS