SSNIT launches self-service web portal for clients, stakeholders

The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) has launched a self-service web portal that would enable clients to transact business with the organisation online.

With the SSNIT Self-Service web portal, clients can submit contribution reports and access their employer and employee enrolment initiation processes online.

The facility will, in addition, allow customers to have access to the financial statements of their employees; pensioner payment history and survivor benefit application initiation.  

In the main, the SSNIT web portal offers a faster, simpler and a convenient way of transacting business online with employees, pensioners, employers and the general public, without being physically present.

Portal ID

To access the SSNIT web portal, one would have to request for a portal ID from any SSNIT branch, biometric terminal or SSNIT contact centre.

The person can then visit the website, www.ssnit.org.gh, to access the web portal using an ID and click on SSNIT self-service which would provide a catalogue from which to select the task one wants to perform.

There are also quick link options, including Survivors’ Benefit Application, Employer Enrolment, Member Enrolment, Pension Calculator and Clearance Certificate. These will direct the customer to the specific area they want to enter.

Launch

Speaking at the launch of the SSNIT web portal in Accra yesterday, the Director-General at SSNIT,  Dr John Ofori-Tenkorang said the Trust had automated most of its business processes, therefore making transactions faster.

He said SSNIT had been handling its operations manually for over 45 years, a situation that affected its ability to respond to stakeholder and customer needs in a timely and efficient manner.

“Processing benefits was a critical issue for the Trust but this has now been fully automated. Turn-around time that used to be months and in some cases years, has been reduced to an average of a week. About 180,000 pensioners on SSNIT pension payroll are paid with dispatch on a monthly basis.

“We want to make it easier for you to transact business with us. We realised that there are many transactions such as viewing and printing of account statements, initiation of benefit applications, checking on benefit payments etc., that in this day of information technology, one can do in the comfort of their homes or offices,” he said.

Dr Ofori-Tenkorang disclosed that over 300 employers validated their contribution reports through the SSNIT web portal and made payments on monthly basis at any of the banks that SSNIT was partnering.

He said SSNIT was training its staff to make them more efficient and courteous in the discharge of their duties.

“As we computerise, we are also bringing into sharp focus the need for our staff to serve you well when you interact physically with us. Very soon, we will publish a telephone number for a hotline meant solely for reporting complaints about staff who have been discourteous in the discharge of their duties. At SSNIT we take customer service seriously,” he added.

NPRA

For his part, a representative of the National Pension Regulatory Authority (NPRA), who is also the Head of Information Technology (IT) and Special Projects, Mr Daniel Ashitei Mensah, commended SSNIT for its innovativeness to make transactions easier for its customers.

He said the SSNIT web portal would help cut down cost and frustrations experienced by scheme members who sometimes travelled long distances to Accra to get information on their first tier contributions when they could easily have done that through branch offices nationwide.

“Indeed, this is a classic example of using technology as an enabler to bring services to the door step of contributors,” he added.