A study by the Centre for Retired Experts (CREX) has found that 96% of pensioners surveyed in Ghana are willing to work beyond the mandatory retirement age, pointing to a significant pool of experienced professionals who remain available to contribute to national development.

The study, conducted in February 2026, examined how retirees across the country could continue to apply their skills and experience to productive activities after leaving formal employment.It involved 559 pensioners and assessed their willingness, motivations and capacity to remain engaged in productive work after retirement.

Speaking at a high-level research dissemination seminar at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), Dr Adam Salifu, a lecturer at UPSA and co-researcher, said nearly all the respondents were willing to mentor young professionals, while about 88% were prepared to serve as advisers or board members.

However, approximately 93% said they were unaware of any existing platform through which they could offer their skills and experience.

“The problem is about coordination and not willingness. Who is there to coordinate these people? They are willing to work, but we don’t have the mechanism there to coordinate them,” he said.

The findings further showed that retirement had not significantly diminished the respondents’ sense of purpose, with about 86% rejecting the assertion that they had become less useful to society after retirement.

Approximately 87% continued to consider themselves useful to national development, while about 97% agreed that there was a gap between the potential of retirees and the systems available to engage them productively.

Dr Salifu said more than half of the respondents preferred the retirement age to be extended to 65 years or beyond, indicating that many considered the current mandatory retirement age of 60 too early.

On their well-being, more than 95% of the pensioners reported stable physical and mental conditions. Dr Salifu, however, cautioned that the finding did not necessarily mean the retirees were financially secure.

Despite their willingness to remain active, the study found that only about one in five retirees were still professionally engaged, with most others involved mainly in religious, social, community and family-related activities.

Instead, many were motivated by the desire to remain mentally active and contribute to national development, with income supplementation accounting for only about 14% of the motivations cited.

Governance and development activities emerged as the most preferred areas of engagement, attracting about 21% of respondents each, followed by business and  education.

Agriculture and health recorded comparatively lower levels of interest.

Dr Salifu attributed the lower preference for agriculture partly to the labour-intensive nature of the sector and limited mechanisation, while the response regarding health could have been influenced by the composition of the study sample. The study also highlighted the availability of retirees for structured post-retirement assignments, with about 98% willing to volunteer if transportation and meals were provided.

More than 84% said they could commit between one and four hours a day, while over 90% indicated they could work between one and four days a week.

In addition, about 90% expressed willingness to mentor young professionals, 88% were prepared to serve as advisers, and approximately 98% said they were willing to work in rural and deprived communities.

Source: GNA