Dr John Ofori-Tenkorang, the outgoing Director General of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), has outlined numerous accomplishments he achieved since taking office in 2017.
On Monday, April 8, President Akufo-Addo terminated Dr. Ofori-Tenkorang’s appointment as the Director-General of SSNIT. He was instructed to hand over his duties to Kofi Bosompem Osafo-Maafo by Monday, April 15.
In his farewell address to the SSNIT staff, Dr Ofori-Tenkorang emphasized the significant advancements made at SSNIT during his tenure, which began in 2017. He highlighted several key programmes implemented to enhance customer service and improve stakeholder satisfaction.
Dr. Ofori-Tenkorang emphasized the expansion of service delivery options, including the creation of a Pensioners’ Priority Desk and a direct WhatsApp line for the Director General. He also highlighted the revamped web portal and social media presence, boasting a follower increase from 7,000 in 2017 to over 526,000 by March 2024.
The introduction of SSNITPAY, a comprehensive payment platform, was another achievement Dr. Ofori-Tenkorang pointed to. SSNITPAY offers various options like mobile money wallets, partner bank deposits, direct debit cards, and online payments.
Dr. Ofori-Tenkorang underscored the successful merger of SSNIT and Ghana Card numbers, an initiative that has seen over two million members, including inactive contributors, pensioners, and beneficiaries, merge their accounts.
We have “Successfully rolled out the SSNIT and Ghana Card numbers merger. Over 2.3 million members including inactive contributors, pensioners and beneficiaries have merged their numbers so far. The GhanaCard is now the primary identification document for all SSNIT transactions.
“This has eliminated the cost of printing biometric cards for new Members, and reduced impersonation and fraudulent activities in payment of claims to pensioners and beneficiaries.”
Dr. Ofori-Tenkorang expressed his sincere gratitude to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for the opportunity to serve the government. He acknowledged the trust placed in him and his team’s success in fulfilling their responsibilities.
“Colleagues, I state some of these key achievements not as an ode to myself, instead I state them to convey my heartfelt gratitude to the President, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for the opportunity to serve his government and my country. He took a chance on me even though he did not know me, and I am glad, together with you, I’ve been able to discharge the responsibilities to bring honour to the government in my little but significant corner.”
He also expressed his appreciation to the staff for their “resilience, your commitment, support, hard work, criticism and counsel in the last seven years. Everything I have been able to achieve is because of you. Thank you for buying into my vision, for allowing me to lead you and to learn and grow as a person.”
