UEW Prepares Staff Aged 55 and Above for Retirement
The University of Education, Winneba (UEW), through its Division of Human Resource, has equipped staff aged 55 and above with practical knowledge and strategies to prepare for a financially secure, healthy and purposeful transition into retirement.
The sensitisation workshop, held on Wednesday, 9th September 2026, at the North Campus Mini-Conference Room, focused on financial preparedness, investment, personal wellbeing, institutional legacy and opportunities beyond active service. The initiative addresses retirees' feedback that previous programmes often scheduled just days before retirement were inadequate for meaningful retirement preparation.
Welcoming participants, the Registrar, Mrs. Ekua Abedi-Boafo, explained that the new approach was designed to give staff several years to prepare for retirement. Feedback, she noted, suggested that the programme could eventually be extended to staff with approximately 10 years to retirement, further strengthening the University’s long-term approach to retirement planning.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Stephen Jobson Mitchual, urged staff to view retirement not as the end of productive life but as a new chapter requiring deliberate and early preparation. He encouraged participants to cultivate a culture of saving, manage their finances prudently and assess investment risks carefully before committing their retirement resources. He also stressed the need to plan for family responsibilities, accommodation and long-term financial security.
Prof. Mitchual further emphasised the importance of healthy lifestyles, physical activity and meaningful family and social relationships after retirement. He noted that retirement could create opportunities for greater family engagement including supporting the upbringing of grandchildren and pursuing activities that promote personal wellbeing. He also encouraged prospective retirees to build positive relationships throughout their careers, mentor younger colleagues and leave a legacy of goodwill and service to the University.
Speaking on “Lessons from Years of Service,” the Registrar of the College for Distance and e-Learning (CODeL), Dr. Francis Narh Akrono, described retirement as a transition into another meaningful chapter. He urged staff to recognise the experience and wisdom acquired through their careers as valuable assets for themselves and society. Reflecting on time, achievement, change and human relationships, he encouraged participants to define success not merely by positions, promotions and material possessions but by the lives they influence.
Dr. Akrono called on senior staff to mentor younger professionals, transfer institutional knowledge and prepare successors to ensure continuity. He also encouraged them to embrace beneficial change, drawing on UEW’s transformation from largely manual systems to technology-driven processes while preserving the institutional values that remain important.
Addressing the financial realities of retirement, Mr. Francis Amorni, Head of Finance at CODeL, advised participants to develop multiple income streams, control expenditure, save consistently and protect their investments. He urged staff to understand their pension benefits, diversify retirement income and select investments according to their individual risk tolerance. He also cautioned against schemes promising unusually high returns without adequate safeguards.
He further recommended post-retirement budgeting, regular review of pension contributions and benefits and professional financial advice where necessary. As part of a proposed 90-day action plan, Mr. Amorni encouraged staff to obtain their pension statements, prepare post-retirement monthly budgets, consult qualified investment advisers and update important personal and family records.
Closing the programme, Mr. Reginald S.K. Agbo, Deputy Registrar of the Division of Human Resource, urged staff to understand their retirement entitlements including eligible medical support after active service. He encouraged participants to make appropriate use of available medical benefits and, where necessary, liaise with the Registrar to access services at an appropriate government hospital.
He also challenged them to look beyond material possessions by building sustainable systems, values and legacies that would continue to benefit their families.
The workshop reaffirmed UEW’s commitment to early and comprehensive retirement preparation, while promoting financial resilience, healthy ageing, personal fulfilment, institutional continuity and the deliberate transfer of knowledge and experience to younger generations.
