Axis Pension Trust has held the 6th edition of its Annual Open Forum, with a commitment to deepen accountability and transparency in the management of the pension schemes under its oversight.

The forum, which brought together various stakeholders in the Axis Pension ecosystem such as trustees, scheme members and custodians, provided a platform for member engagement and insightful discussions.

Speaking at the forum, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Robert Bennin, said the company uses the forum each year as an opportunity to highlight various topics related to investing for retirement.

He highlighted the strong performance of Axis’ sponsored schemes despite challenging economic conditions.

Against this backdrop, he encouraged investors to remain steadfast in the commitment to sound financial planning and prudent decision-making, while highlighting the importance of financial market participation as a path to building sustainable long-term savings.

Mr Bennin said Axis was committed to prioritizing transparency and trust in its business operations and the larger pension industry.

“Our commitment is to provide accessible and convenient avenues for our clients to engage with us in order to foster a strong and enduring relationship built on transparency and mutual understanding,” he said.

The Chief Executive Officer of Axis Pensions, Afriyie Oware, for his part, said the importance of client engagements of this nature was underscored by the increasing relevance of private pension schemes to the retirement prospects of the Ghanaian worker.

He said the forum was aimed at promoting healthy stakeholder engagement as well as to ensure trustee accountability for the stewardship of members’ pension funds”.

He emphasised the need for pension fund trustees to make bold and well-informed decisions to safeguard the retirement prospects of Ghanaian workers.

Mr Oware said the success of the Axis Pension Open Forum 2024 serves as a testament to the growing importance of transparency and member involvement in the pension industry.

He noted that the company’s unwavering dedication to its members remains a guiding light as the institution continues to lead the way in shaping a more secure and financially prosperous future for all Ghanaian workers.

He said Axis was committed to continuing its tradition of hosting impactful member engagements, ensuring that every member's journey towards a dignified retirement is paved with informed choices, strategic investments and world-class service support.

The General Manager of Axis Pension, Paa Kofi Ankomah said the company has been on a drive to enhance transparency in the schemes it runs.

“The schemes that we manage are defined contribution schemes which means that you typically know how much you have contributed but don’t know how much you will get at the end of it.

“So for you to understand what you get at the end of it, we need to walk you through the journey, all the way from your contribution stage to your benefit stage,” he stated.

He said the objective of the annual open forums is to open up the activities of the schemes to the contributors and key stakeholders.

Commenting on the performance of the schemes, he said in 2022, it saw a hike in its returns on asset allocations due to its exposure to some foreign currency-denominated investments.

“We had some exposure to the government of Ghana Eurobonds and because the local currency depreciated against the other major trading currencies, there were some gains which were translated in the balance of members.

“Fast forward to 2023, it became apparent that there may be some impairment so prudently, we provisioned for our schemes so we had a depressed return in 2023 but in 2024, we have seen some rally in our returns in the first half of the year,” he explained.

He said the company has, however, taken steps to diversify a lot of its assets away from government bonds.

“Our pension schemes have the highest exposure to listed equities and even alternative assets on the market,” he said.