SSNIT Celebrates Ghana’s Oldest Female Pensioner at 100
The Social Security and National Insurance Trust has honoured Ghana’s oldest female pensioner, Madam Ima Zenabu Dagomba, as she marked her 100th birthday.
Madam Dagomba, who turned 100 on July 1, has been receiving monthly pension payments from SSNIT since March 1993. She retired on January 31, 1992, and has remained on the pension payroll for 33 years and four months.
The celebration took place at her home in Wa in the Upper West Region. SSNIT officials, pensioners, relatives and community leaders joined the event to celebrate her life and highlight the importance of retirement planning.
SSNIT Deputy Director-General in charge of Operations and Benefits, Adam Sulley, said the celebration shows the Trust’s commitment to recognising pensioners for their service and contribution to national development.
He explained that holding the event in Madam Dagomba’s community was meant to create more public awareness about pension enrolment, especially among self-employed and informal sector workers.
According to him, the future of Ghana’s pension system depends greatly on increasing participation from workers in the informal economy.
The event also gave SSNIT the opportunity to promote some of its welfare programmes for pensioners, including a telehealth service introduced in partnership with Trust Hospital and the National Health Insurance Authority.
Mr. Sulley said health remains one of the major concerns of many pensioners, adding that the telehealth programme allows them to speak with medical professionals through phone consultations.
The Tamale Area Manager of SSNIT, Seth Kpakpa Quartey, described Madam Dagomba as proof of the long-term benefits of regular pension contributions.
He said her story shows that a secure and dignified retirement is possible when workers consistently contribute to the pension scheme.
Madam Dagomba thanked SSNIT for supporting her throughout her retirement. She said the monthly pension has helped her feed herself and pay her bills.
The Upper West Regional Treasurer of the National Pensioners Association, Victoria Danoro Dangori, also praised Madam Dagomba, describing her life and pension journey as an inspiration to both workers and retirees.
SSNIT said the celebration forms part of its wider effort to honour long-serving pensioners while encouraging more Ghanaians, particularly informal sector workers, to join the national pension scheme and secure their future.
