New Times Corporation, SSNIT strengthen ties

 The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) yesterday paid a courtesy call on New Times Corporation (NTC) management to strengthen relations and explore further collaboration between the two state institutions.

The visit was aimed at familiarising the SSNIT team with the operations of NTC and deepen­ing the existing working relationship.

The delegation was led by Mr Lord Kora­moa, Public Affairs Manager of SSNIT, and others included the Deputy Manager of Public Affairs at SSNIT, Jemimah Ofori; Stakeholder Oficer, Ms Elsie Attafuah and Robert Dundas Whigham.

In his remarks, Mr Koramoa said SSNIT was committed to building stronger ties with govern­ment institutions, especially media houses like The Ghanaian Times, which played a crucial role in public education and awareness.

He underscored the importance of building strong partnerships between SSNIT and other government institutions, especially the media, adding that one of his top priorities upon as­suming his role was to deepen relationships with government agencies.

He also explained that such collaboration was necessary because these institutions served the same national goals and work towards a com­mon agenda.

Welcoming the delegation, the Managing Director of New Times Corporation, Mr Martin Adu-Owusu, expressed appreciation for the visit and assured SSNIT of the Corporation’s readi­ness to work closely with them.

Mr Adu-Owusu stated that, “Our main job is to educate, inform, and entertain, your part comes under education, which is part of our core mandate. We want to assure you that we are ready to continue our partnership with SSNIT and deepen it even further for the benefit of Mother Ghana.”

He added that the Corporation’s doors were open at all times to SSNIT, and encouraged continuous engagement to solve any emerging issues.

Mr Adu-Owusu, however, used the oppor­tunity to appeal to SSNIT to show flexibility in dealing with government institutions, especially regarding penalties imposed for late payment of contributions.

The Acting Editor of The Ghanaian Times, Al­haji Salifu Abdul-Rahaman, expressed gratitude to the delegation and said newspaper remained committed to accurate and professional journal­ism.

He encouraged SSNIT to continue such engagements to ensure that journalists were well-informed and able to pass on correct infor­mation to the public.

The acting Editor also indicated that some­times misinformation originated from sources are those who speak out of excitement, and later shift blame to the media when public reaction changes.

“People come out and speak without full knowledge. When reality sets in, they try to blame the media for misquoting them. If we weren’t guided by ethics, Ghana would be in trouble,” he stated.

The Acting Editor also stressed that The Gha­naian Times had strong editorial gatekeepers and do not fabricate stories, “We do not manufac­ture information, what you give us is what we process and publish, there is no such thing as 100 per cent accuracy, but we always strive for the best obtainable version of the truth.”

He then urged SSNIT and other public insti­tutions to respond promptly to media inquiries and expressed concern that journalists often do not receive responses after being asked to call back.

“We are all busy, but we must make time for each other. We are all serving Mother Ghana, we must strive for stronger ties and open commu­nication between both institutions,” he empha­sised.

The Deputy Manager of Public Affairs at SSNIT, Ms Jemimah Ofori, outlined improve­ments the Trust has made in service delivery.

She said SSNIT had embraced digital plat­forms to make pension contributions and bene­fit claims faster and easier.

“Our SSNIT App, website, and MoMo pay­ment system now allow self-employed persons and employers to pay contributions conve­niently, processing of claims has also improved significantly. Some people even receive payments in less than a month,” she explained.

Present were The Spectator Editor, Mrs Geor­gina N. M. Quaitto; the Adverts, Sales and Business Relation Manger, Mr Suleman Osman; Channel Marketing and Circulation Manager, Mr Alfred Koomson ; the Technical Services Manager, Mr John Lawson; the Acting Chief Accountant, Eric Antwi and the Acting Internal Auditor, Mr Ismaila Attau-Lah.

 BY AGNES OPOKU SARPONG