Mahama Ayariga wants retirement age extended from 60 to 65

• Posted on February 18, 2021February 18, 2021
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

The Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, is advocating for the extension of the compulsory retirement age for public servants and judicial officers from 60 to 65 years.

Mr. Ayariga announced that he is sponsoring a private member’s bill to amend the constitution to achieve this objective.

“Many people start family life late and their children are mostly still in school when they are compulsorily retired and family incomes are negatively affected with dire consequences for the education of their children. An extended retirement age will ensure that youth are guaranteed family income to sponsor their education,” he explained.

“With improved health care and increased life expectancy, the current compulsory retirement age of 60 years hurts the public service and judiciary and denies them of healthy, competent and experienced people. And many of them live an additional twenty years or more and become a burden on the pension scheme which has to support them in retirement when they could actually work,” the legislator added.

Mr. Ayariga made the remark when the Minister-designate for Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius Baffour Awuah, appeared before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Wednesday, February 17, 2021.

Mr. Ayariga asked the Minister-designate whether he will support an amendment to the constitution to extend the retirement age.

In response, Baffour Awuah said he supports the proposal but added that the concerns of young people looking for jobs must be considered.

The Minister-designate argued that extending the compulsory retirement age will ensure sustainability of the national pension scheme.

“A national dialogue on the issue of the extension of the compulsory retirement age is encouraged to build a national consensus on the matter,” he said.

-Citi