The Ministry of Finance says it has not issued any directive demanding all shipment to Ghana, including transit shipment, to obtain an Electronic Cargo Transit number.

It has, therefore, urged players in the shipping industry to ignore and disregard any letter that was purported to have come from the Ministry in line with such directive.

“The Ministry wishes to inform all shippers and stakeholders that the letter and its content are fake and should be ignored.

“The letter alleged that as from 15″ September 2023, all shipment to Ghana, including transit shipment are required to obtain an Electronic Cargo Transit number (ECTN/SPN) and submit same to Antaser Afrique BVBA for verification,” the Ministry noted in a statement.

It has commended stakeholders for due diligence and making enquiries.

The Ministry noted that extensive consultation would be done with relevant stakeholders whenever government wished to introduce a new policy or tax.

– Only 0.85 per cent of the 6.7 million Ghanaian workers in the informal sector are covered by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) scheme.

This contrasts with the formal sector, where the scheme covered 60 per cent of the 3.2 million workers.

Dr. John Ofori-Tenkorang, Director-General of SSNIT, said this on Monday during the Greater Accra Regional Self-Employed Enrolment Drive (SEED) Stakeholder Forum jointly organized by Trust and the Trades Union Congress (TUC).

It was under the theme: “Sign up for SEED from SSNIT, Eye wo Daakye. Fa no Personal”.

Dr Ofori-Tenkorang said the situation had necessitated the SEED, an initiative to get more self-employed people and workers in the informal sector to join the scheme.

“We realise that for such people they are their own CEOs, and their own HR, accountants, and labourers. So, they do not have a dedicated HR department to make sure the requisite contributions are remitted to SSNIT. That is why we have made it easy for them to sign up,” he said.

Dr. Ofori-Tenkorang said that there were around 1.9 million active SSNIT contributors, with 61 per cent in the private sector and 36 per cent in the public sector.

He stated that 57, 000, or 2.9 percent, were self-employed, a significant increase from 14, 000 a year ago.

He attributed the increment to the collaborative efforts of SSNIT and the TUC.

Dr. Ofori-Tenkorang explained that the scheme provided contributors with a number of benefits, including an old age pension, a survivor’s lump sum, an invalidity pension, an emigration lump amount, and an old age lump sum.

He stated that the contributor would pay using mobile money, which was exempt from E-levy, and that the scheme also entailed free national health insurance premiums. 

The Director-General emphasized that the public must dispel misconceptions such as “The SSNIT Scheme is only for formal or public sector workers,” “The SSNIT Scheme is an investment scheme,” and “SSNIT pensions are low.”

He said every Ghanaian worker, as well as non-Ghanaians, could contribute to the scheme.

These included full-time, part-time, contract, and seasonal employees, as well as self-employed and casual workers.

Dr Ofori-Tenkorang said that to sign up, one must be at least 15 years of age and no older than 45 years old.

Mr. John Kojo Boateng, General Manager, Benefits, SSNIT, suggested that a contributor identify who would be the beneficiaries when he or she died.

He stated that doing so would help prevent misunderstandings in circumstances where such beneficiaries were not specified.

Several groups and associations under the TUC participated in the forum.

Madam Mercy Korang, Informal Hawkers and Vendors Association of Ghana, said the engagement had given her greater insight into the SSNIT Scheme.

“I will tell all my group members to sign up to the scheme in order to secure their future,” she said.