Standard Chartered Bank Ghana PLC has paid GH¢97.8 million in dividends to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) for the 2025 financial year, strengthening returns from the pension manager’s investment portfolio.

The payment forms part of the bank’s total dividend distribution of GH¢673.95 million following shareholder approval at its 56th Annual General Meeting in Accra. The bank declared a final dividend of GH¢4.98 per ordinary share, amounting to GH¢672.35 million, alongside a GH¢1.13 million preference share dividend.

For SSNIT, the payment provides additional liquidity to support its pension obligations while delivering a cash return from one of its listed equity investments.

Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank Ghana PLC, Xorse Godzi, said SSNIT remains an important stakeholder because of its position as a shareholder and its role in Ghana’s economy.

He said the bank’s relationship with SSNIT reflects the wider connection between its operations and Ghanaian workers, who have an indirect stake in the institution through the pension fund manager.

“We recognise that SSNIT plays a vital role in Ghana’s economy, representing financial security for the future of the average worker. Through SSNIT, the average Ghanaian worker has a stake in our Bank. Our success, therefore, directly contributes to the future of Ghanaian workers,” Mr. Godzi said

The dividends payment comes as Standard Chartered marks 130 years of continuous operations in Ghana. Its local history dates to the establishment of the Bank of British West Africa in 1896, with the bank currently focused on cross-border banking, wealth management, trade and infrastructure financing.

Director-General of SSNIT, Kwesi Afreh Biney, said improving investment returns remains a core part of the trust’s strategy, making dividend-generating holdings important to the sustainability of its investment portfolio.

He said Standard Chartered had delivered both capital appreciation through its listed shares and direct cash returns through dividends, providing funds that can be deployed toward pension payments.

“You have not only given us enhanced returns on our investments in the SSNIT portfolio, but you have also introduced an improvement that provides us with greater liquidity to support the payment of pensions which is the core of our job and mandate,” the Director General said.

Mr. Biney described Standard Chartered as one of SSNIT’s important investments and among the stronger dividend-paying companies on the Ghana Stock Exchange.