SSNIT Pilots Biometric Registration

THE SOCIAL Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) would soon undertake a pilot biometric voter registration exercise in some corporate institutions in the Tema Metropolis. The exercise, which is part of a nationwide project towards preventing fraud and improving the method of the Trust�s operations, would seek to halt delays in the payment of benefits. It is supposed to begin in some freight forwarding companies and industrial establishments in the city. This was disclosed during the second round of the Biometric Registration Employers� Seminar held at Community 2, themed, �Be Smart With SSNIT Smart Card,� with the aim of educating SSNIT contributors on the newly introduced biometric system. Mr. Ahmadu C. Salia, the Harbour Branch Manager of SSNIT, explained that SSNIT going biometric formed part of efforts at ensuring a smooth implementation of the new initiative thus, the need to hold seminars for its valued stakeholders. According to him, the pilot exercise would be organized in phases in consultation with employers, to collect biometric information on existing contributors and generate 13 alphanumeric social security numbers for those with eight-digit numbers. He explained that the project had also been designed to collect additional information on existing policy holders of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and those registered with the National Identification Authority (NIA). The Harbour branch manager noted that the biometric system would facilitate quick and easy verification of members� identity for update of their records, beneficiary information, prompt processing and payment of benefits and elimination of multiple registrations. David Torkorno, lecturing the participants, said the new system would enable contributors to access information from a SSNIT Kiosk, which would be positioned at vantage points. Some contributors were taken through the biometric exercise and were given new ID cards and numbers.