Management of Audit Service has organized a day’s pension clinic for 37 retiring staff in 2022 aimed at equipping them with skills to handle retirement process with ease and reduce life challenges and crises caused by mismanaged retirement.

It was to provide insight into a person’s intra- and inter personal needs, healthy lifestyle, stress and coping with pressures of the different phases of life. The sensitization workshop was also to enlighten the retiring staff on nominations and wills, how to invest for retirement and pension processing.

Mr. Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, Auditor-General (A-G) in his remarks urged staff to set their priorities right by ensuring proper planning towards retirement. He said every employee would certainly proceed on retirement one day after attaining the mandatory retirement age, thus this required sufficient planning by employees by putting their priorities right.

He observed that many employees least ponder over this reality right from the onset until they are very close to pension. The A-G wished the retiring staff well in their future endeavours.

Mrs. Bridget Amoako-Atta, a Clinical Psychologist at the Pantang Hospital in a presentation on Health and Wellness spoke on how the soon to be retirees can understand and effectively manage change and also understand and accept their present situation.

She then delved into equipping and empowering them with the necessary knowledge to enable them deal with the changes that comes with retirement.

Finally, she provided coping strategies to ensure a smooth transition to a new phase for the personal and professional life of the soon to be retirees.

Mr. Emmanuel Kofi Sackey, Head of Legal, SSNIT spoke on Nominations, Wills and their Implications and How to invest for retirement. He talked about the financial errors most retirees make in their lives after receiving their end of service benefits and how to avoid them. He further took attendees through how to write a will and the various investment instruments they can take advantage of to ensure they do not go into a state of poverty and misery after retirement.

In her remarks on the mandate of the Ghana Audit Service Pensioners Association (GASPA), Mrs Abigail Pentsil, the President of the association presented a brief history of GASPA and what is required of retired staff who wish to join them. She also spoke on the benefits of being a member and some future plans to strengthen the association.

Mad. Yvette Barnor and Mr. Lawrence Chapman-Klutse in a presentation on Pension Processing provided acumens on pensions and gratuity, re-computation of gratuity, death gratuity and commuted pension.

The Audit Service Divisional Union of PSWU represented by Mr. Boakye Yiadom, Union Chairman, presented plaques to the soon to retire staff for their dedication and commitment to duty over the years.

Present at the ceremony were the Deputy Auditor-General for Finance, Administration and Human Resource, Mr. Mohammed Zakaria Ali, the Assistant Auditor-General for Administration and Human Resource, Madam Elizabeth Ephraim and staff from the Human Resource and Personnel Units.