Imagine working for three decades only to retire with peanuts as a pension payment.
That is the story of many pensioners who have given their blood and sweat to contribute their quota to the growth of the nation.
This is the story of a cousin of Balbir Naa Densua Allan, a pensioner herself.
Sharing her experience of what pensioners have to endure, she said she was a bit fortunate because her husband, who is a foreigner, gets about £150 pension weekly, which they currently live on. And that is about 10% less than what he would be due if he were in the UK.
However, her cousin, who has worked in Ghana, receives GH₵300. The amount, she said, used to suffice for her needs. However, following the cedi depreciation and increased medical expenses, her cousin is now dependent on her family and her children.
Narrating what her cousin's ordeal would have been without her assistance, she said "Life will be very, very awful because look at the cost of electricity, look at the cost of the utilities , gas, water, the cost of a ball of kenkey and you want a person, she worked with Ghana Broadcasting Cooperation, and you want this person to survive on GH₵300 a month.
“When somebody like my husband has brought his pension in Ghana and he is earning like GH₵12,000 a month, he is at the base because he did the basic job and he is on GH₵12,000 a month and he can save some of his money,” she said.
She explained that when she first relocated to Ghana, she sold her family property and invested in microfinance and government bonds so she could cater for her family.
However, following the banking sector crisis, most of this money has been lost.
Balbir Naa Densua Allan said she now finds it extremely difficult to support struggling family members as she used to.
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