Regardless of the widely held notion on decreasing life expectancy among Ghanaians, the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) says its statistics indicated a reverse of the widely held misconception.

It said longevity on the pension’s payroll indicates a steady rise in life expectancy of contributors aged 72 from eight per cent in 2002 to 18 per cent in 2010 and 25 per cent in 2020.

Likewise, the percentage of contributors aged 80, rose from one per cent in 2002 to two per cent in 2010 and seven per cent in 2020.

Mr Joseph Poku, Chief Actuary with SSNIT disclosed this at stakeholders’ engagement on expanding and deepening coverage of the self-employed in Cape Coast.

The forum followed similar engagements in the Western, Bono, Greater Accra, Upper East, Upper West and Northern Regions to enable stakeholders buy-in and support to extend coverage of the SSNIT Scheme to the self-employed and workers in the informal sector.

It was on the theme: “Expanding pension coverage to the self-employed and informal sector workers.”

He attributed the phenomenon to among others, better health care and hygiene, healthier lifestyles, sufficient food and improved medical care and reduced child mortality.

The scheme assumes most of the contributors to the fund are expected to live up to 15 years after they retire, but he said, some pensioners live well above this assumption age putting some stress on the fund, but SSNIT was equal to task.

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