QiC partners UG’s Centre for Ageing Studies to launch National Ageing Summit
University of Ghana’s Centre for Ageing Studies supported by Quality Insurance Company (QiC) – one of Ghana’s leading insurance firms – has launched the National Ageing Summit (NAS).
The National Ageing Summit (NAS) scheduled to take place December this year, will seek to deliberate on how the general well-being and quality of life of elderly persons in society can be improved upon.
The organisation of the Summit has become necessary given how vulnerable the aged are in society.
The aged or old people usually suffer from extreme poverty, inequality, marginalisation, among others around the world.
Reports indicate that the population of old people – persons aged 60 years and above – will double in the next few years, surpassing the population of children below the age of 5.
The population of the aged is expected to grow to 67m by 2025 from 43m in 2010.
In Ghana, the population of old persons per the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) in its recent census report, stands at 6.4% (1.92m) of the population.
The population of older people in Ghana is expected to further increase given the ambitious goal of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to help improve life expectancy of Ghanaians to 75 years.
Life expectancy of Ghanaians has improved to 64 years in 2022 from 57 years in 2000.
Speaking on behalf of the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Felix Loghan, the Director in Charge of Project Coordination at the Ministry, noted the Gender Ministry is pushing for the passage of the National Ageing Policy to cater for the needs of the elderly in society.
According to Mr Loghan, the overarching goal of the National Ageing Policy is to achieve the overall social, economic and cultural re-integration of older persons into mainstream society and to also enable them as far as practicable to participate fully in the national development process.
Speaking on the rationale for supporting the National Ageing Summit (NAS), Managing Director of QiC, Kobina Addison, averred the insurance firm identified opportunities to provide elderly persons with insurance coverage in the areas of motor and life insurance and pensions.
