On Pension Plans – Lessons From Kofi Ofori's Tree (Koforidua)

One of the means of identifying people’s motives and thought patterns in relation to a statement made is by making a critical appreciation of the statement in the language in which it was made.

The African language is laden with proverbs which communicate the beliefs, intentions, and desires of the people as of the time the statement was made.

The purpose of such lasting proverbs and sayings is always to serve as perpetual admonition and guidance for future generations. The tree, as translated in Twi (‘dua’) has been used in several proverbs to communicate a particular thought; and one of these is the desire of our forefathers to communicate to posterity the need to prepare for Pension: for a better future when retirement sets in.

Our forefathers knew that there would come a time when the body would be tired: the knees would be weak, the legs couldn’t carry them far as they used to when they were energetic, the soul would be begging for rest. In view of this, they made the statement: “Se wo pe dua pa atena ase wo nkwakora bre mu a wo dua no wo mmrante bre mu. This is translated as: “if you want a good tree that will provide you a comfortable shade, you plant it in your youthful days.” What this means is that the tree takes many years to grow before it can give one shelter or shade. By this statement, our forefathers prepared our minds towards the need to make provision for our future. And to them, as could be deduced from the proverb, a person’s future settlement should be one of rest, warmth and good quality.

At this juncture, I would use the Oral Tradition behind the naming of Koforidua, where I was born and bred, and still harbour fond memory of, to explain Pension and elucidate its importance as dreamt of by our forefathers and the framers of today’s Pension policies.

Oral tradition has it that, as I learnt from many sources, Koforidua owes its name to a man called Kofi Ofori. Kofi Ofori had built his hut under a huge mahogany tree. As the narration goes from Henry Amo Mensah, “Koforidua Experience”, “This tree provided shelter for weary farmers who were returning from their farms after a hard day’s work…” and “over time it became common for the farmers to say that they were going to rest under Kofi Ofori’s tree.” The local language name for a Tree in Twi is ‘dua’ and so, as the Oral Tradition goes, the amalgamation of Kofi Ofori’s name and the Twi name of the tree (dua) birthed the name and town Koforidua.

Today, Koforidua is known to be one of the towns that give livelihood to many people and also contributes significantly to the economy of the country and the whole world at large. If we are to go by the Oral Tradition regarding how Koforidua came about, then we would say that a tree that was planted many years ago has birthed a town and has given joy and meaning to many lives. Today, Koforidua boasts of, among others, schools such as Pope John Secondary School and Junior Seminary, Koforidua Polytechnic, and a university, All Nations University, which is doing amazingly well. We can also make reference to hospitals, tourism sites, industries, etc. A tree that was grown so many years ago provided the umbrella for a town and also offered hope to many Ghanaians. There are great lessons to be learned from this oral tradition regarding the importance of Pensions.

From the Oral tradition in relation to the naming of Koforidua, we get to know that: “…the tree provided shelter for weary farmers who were returning from their farms after a hard day’s work…”. In effect, a society must make provision for its future after all the struggles, here and there. This calls for a well-thought-out pension plan.

Investopedia explains a Pension Plan as “a retirement plan that requires an employer to make contributions into a pool of funds set aside to for a worker’s future benefit. The pool of funds is invested on the employee's behalf, and the earnings on the investments generate income to the worker upon retirement.” Luckily, today, the need for a pension plan has been expanded into the informal sector. This explains the importance attached to the need for a country to secure the future of its people. Any nation that fails to put in measures to cater for the needs of the aged in society will not only increase the burden of its limited workforce but will also be seen as not having planned its life well.

However, citizens of many countries have not been seen to have attached much significance to the necessity for a Pension Plan. Many of their subjects are either skeptical, not properly informed about the need to go for the plan or do not have access to the service at all. The sad part is that in many developing countries, you would see their old men and women at the roadside pursuing menial jobs that their weak bones cannot aid them to do. It is needless to stress that, at a certain period in a man’s life, the bones get weak and must be rested. This, however, does not occur most often in our part of the world as no plan is put in place at the time it matters most. One can only have a good rest only when the person planted a tree, like Kofi Ofori did, to provide a good place for shelter in future.

Life is becoming extremely difficult for young men and women who start life from a humble beginning and have to take care of their immediate families (husband or wife and children) and also their parents, as their parents may not have anything to live on, because, for whatever reasons, the parents could not make provision for a better future. There is nothing more joyous and fulfilling for a young man or woman to complete school, access a job and be able to cater for the needs of their parents. However, the same practice becomes hell and daunting for young men and women who are willing but do not have the means to fulfill same. Many families and marriages are not at peace because of these occurrences, as it is becoming a norm that children are educated or taken care of in life so as to take care of their parents in their(parents) old age. Sometimes, same conditions compel young men and women to engage in acts that are corrupt to satisfy these needs.

Yes, our environment will be a place to dream of and live a good life if the subject of Pension is taken seriously. Parents are after all required to leave an inheritance (in whatever form), as the Good Book puts it. Like Kofi Ofori did, this could only be achieved only when the tree is planted at the appropriate time and nurtured properly. Kofi Ofori’s tree (dua), which birthed Koforidua, has given us schools, hospitals, shelter, tourism sites, jobs. In the same way, the decision we take today will give us the power to not only cater for our needs in future but also provide for the needs of our kids and our grandchildren. We will be able to take care of their education, hospital as well as their housing needs.

As I indicated earlier, luckily, the present pension plan offers an opportunity for workers in both the formal and informal sector of the economy. There is, therefore, the need for us to participate fully in any efforts that secure our retirement needs of which pension plans play a significant role. When one goes for a pension plan, one does so, not only for oneself but also for the family, town, nation and the entire world as one is secured such that one can provide for oneself and also ceases to become a burden on society.

Because tomorrow is unknown, let us plan today in respect of how we can fund our health, educational and housing needs, such that, when in future, our bones and knees inform us that they can no longer offer us the usual support to carry on the usual work we do, we can fall on the effort we put in place when we were strong to carry us through the rest of life. When you and I go to Koforidua, tomorrow, we will have a place to lay our heads; we will have a place for health check-ups; we will have a school for our children and grandchildren to attend because of the tree Kofi Ofori planted which laid the foundation for the town Koforidua. Let’s plant our tree today, and tomorrow, we will have shelter and rest after the long years of hard work.