The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) is incurring more cost over the $66 million Operational Business Suite (OBS) system it procured to harmonise its operations across the country.
According to the Director General of SSNIT, Dr John Ofori-Tenkorang, the Trust was incurring more cost because the system has failed to function effectively, causing SSNIT to pay for the technical challenges to be fixed.
In an interview on Accra-based radio station, Citi FM, Dr Ofori-Tenkorang said the cost of the system currently stood at $72 million dollars.
“The last time a number was communicated to me, the number stood at $72 million but I can tell you that the system is still not functioning as it should.
“Each time we have to make revisions or get certain corrections made, these things are billed as change requests which are also billable so until the system is fully deployed and working properly, there is a chance that the number will be bigger than what I’ve actually mentioned to you right now,” he said.
The $66 million OBS system was procured to manage the core operational activities, including the registration of a member, payment of contribution, compliance enforcement, benefits administration and relationship channel management.
The project has come under criticism for what the Trust’s critics say was a costly dysfunctional system.
The Economic and Organised Crime Office is currently investigating five staff members allegedly involved in the procurement of the system.