The Director-General of SSNIT, Kwasi Afreh Biney, says the pension scheme is aggressively pursuing digital service delivery to eliminate long queues, reduce paperwork, and improve efficiency.

Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express Business Edition on Thursday, he said technology has played a major role in reducing SSNIT's pension processing time to an average of seven days.

Explaining the timeline, Mr Biney said the seven-day period begins after a member has retired, submitted all the required documents and completed the necessary application process.

“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 said.

He credited automation for the improvement, but stressed that technology alone is not enough to transform service delivery.

“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.

According to him, investments in technology will not deliver their full value unless customers embrace and actively use the digital platforms available to them.

“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 address that challenge, Mr Biney disclosed that SSNIT has established a dedicated department focused on improving digital adoption and customer experience.

“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 explained.

He described the initiative as a key contributor to the institution’s recent gains in service delivery.

Mr Biney also revealed that SSNIT has taken a deliberate decision to make digital platforms the primary channel through which members interact with the scheme.

“We also made a conscious decision that we wanted digital to be the default,” he said.

He noted that the institution is intensifying public education on the convenience of its digital services so that physical visits become a secondary option rather than the first choice.

“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, which is more convenient today,” he said.

Drawing parallels with everyday behaviour, Mr Biney argued that public services must adapt to how people already live and communicate.

“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 make it. 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.”