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The Director Resettlement at the General Headquarters of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), Col Joseph Kojo Buame has advised officers, soldiers and defence civilian staff to make adequate preparations for their retirement to be able to absorb the shocks that the transition may bring to them on retirement.Speaking at a GAF provident fund contributors sensitization durbar with personnel of Headquarters Southern Command and 81 Signal Regiment at Kpeshie Ridge on Thursday 27 February 2025, Col JK Buame intimated that the lack of planning for retirement on the part of service personnel leads to difficulties in adjusting to life outside the barracks.He indicated that statistically, 75% of pensioners rely on their children and families for support on retirement, while 23% look for other forms of employment to survive during retirement, with just 2% of pensioners being self-sufficient and termed as happy retirees.Col Buame emphasised that retirement is the point where a person ends or stops their employment contract with government, which is mandated after 30 years of active service for soldiers and up to 60 years of age for Defence Civilian Staff, therefore there is the need to start retirement planning as early as possible in order to fall in the happy retirees’ bracket.He further advised that while in service, personnel should make adequate plans for housing needs and avoid the mistake of building extravagant houses, and rather learn profitable skills or trades, make business plans, educate their children and maintain healthy relationships with their spouse, as these would guarantee that they become happy retirees.Touching on the performance of the GAF Provident Fund, Col Baume indicated that the scheme was instituted in November 2009, with the aim of encouraging savings amongst personnel in order to supplement the end of service benefits on retirement. He said so far, it had performed exceptionally well in delivering timely financial support to contributors, whether in service or on pension.He indicated that the scheme had introduced an innovative package, where retirees can deposit part or all of their gratuity into the fund and make significant monthly earnings to supplement their pension.

Representatives from Services Integrity Savings and Loans SIS&L were also present at the durbar to give some financial insights for the benefit of personnel as well as introduce some savings and loans schemes being offered to GAF personnel at very moderate rates.