SSNIT’s biggest challenge isn’t technology, it’s getting Ghanaians to use it – Kwasi Afresh Biney

The Director-General of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), Kwasi Afreh Biney, says the institution's biggest challenge is no longer technology infrastructure but encouraging more Ghanaians to embrace its digital platforms.

Speaking on Joy News' PM Express Business Edition on Thursday, Mr. Biney said significant investments in automation have dramatically improved service delivery, reducing the time required to process pension claims.

According to him, pension applications that meet all documentation requirements can now be processed and placed on the pension payroll within an average of seven days.

“So let’s say you’ve gone on pension now, all your documents are right, and you’ve submitted them to us. On average, now it takes us seven days to process your request to be put on the pension payroll to the very end, because remember, we need to do some investigations, we need to pick files, do some validations, and all that,” he explained.

Mr. Biney attributed the improved turnaround time largely to SSNIT’s ongoing automation and digital transformation efforts, which have significantly reduced manual processes and increased operational efficiency.

Despite these gains, he noted that the full benefits of digitalisation can only be achieved if customers actively use the available online platforms.

“Automation has really helped, but one of the things that I believe we need to work on is the mindset shift as to the use of our digital channels,” he said.

The SSNIT Director-General stressed that many organisations focus heavily on investing in technology but often overlook the importance of user adoption.

“If you’ve invested in technology but you haven’t gotten people to accept it and use it, you will not get the benefits that you seek,” he stated.

To improve customer engagement, Mr. Biney disclosed that SSNIT has established a dedicated department tasked with enhancing digital services, gathering customer feedback, and encouraging greater use of the institution’s online platforms.

“That is why we have currently set up a department whose core job is to look at our digital channels, to get people to use it, to get feedback and ensure that consistently we are nimble and improving for people to use with ease and convenience,” he said.

He further revealed that SSNIT has adopted a strategy that positions digital platforms as the primary channel for service delivery, while maintaining face-to-face interactions as a complementary option.

“We also made a conscious decision that we wanted digital to be the default, and once digital is the default, we need to go out there, let people know the convenience and ease that our digital channels bring, so that people use it, and then face-to-face becomes complementary to the digital use,” he explained.

Mr. Biney emphasized that public institutions must align their services with the realities of an increasingly digital society.

“You wake up in the morning, and probably the first thing you pick up is your phone. You probably will go on WhatsApp. Let’s look at how we live our lives and offer solutions that mimic that way of living. And through that, we bring convenience and service to the people,” he said.

He maintained that increasing digital adoption remains central to SSNIT’s broader goal of delivering faster, more efficient, and customer-focused pension services to contributors and pensioners across the country.