Axis Pension Trust is accelerating its push into digital pension administration and long-term investment management as Ghana’s second-largest corporate trustee seeks to strengthen member services and sustain growth in an improving economic environment.
The pension trustee said its strategy will centre on paperless scheme operations, wider use of artificial intelligence for member support, financial education and disciplined investment management, while avoiding excessive exposure to short-term market movements.
The company’s Chief Executive Officer, Afriyie Oware, said improving macroeconomic conditions and a rebound in Ghana’s capital market have created new opportunities for investors, but pension fund managers must continue to prioritise capital preservation and sustainable returns.
“While the improving economic environment presents new opportunities for investors, we remain guided by discipline and prudence,” Mr. Oware said at the company’s 2026 Annual Schemes Open Forum.
“Our responsibility is not to chase short-term market performance but to manage members’ retirement savings in a way that reflects their different investment horizons, preserves capital and creates sustainable long-term value.”
The strategy comes as Axis Pension Trust expands its position in Ghana’s private pensions industry. The company is now ranked the country’s second-largest corporate trustee, according to the latest National Pensions Regulatory Authority rankings.
Axis manages six sponsored schemes, including the Cedar Pension Scheme, Cedar Provident Fund, Axis Pension Plan, Axis Micro Pension Scheme, Secure Pensions Occupational Master Trust Scheme and Secure Pensions Provident Fund Master Trust Scheme.
Its Axis Pension Plan, which the company describes as Ghana’s leading personal pension scheme, manages more than GH¢600 million in assets and has more than 70,000 contributors.
The company used the two-day annual forum to provide members with updates on audited accounts, financial and investment performance, as well as broader governance developments affecting their retirement savings.
For pension trustees, the shift toward digital administration is increasingly becoming a strategic issue as competition for contributors expands and members demand faster access to information and services. Axis said it is moving toward fully paperless operations, enabling members to initiate transactions such as withdrawals, beneficiary updates and contributions through digital channels.
The company has also reintroduced Afrakomah, its artificial intelligence-powered digital agent, across its online chat, WhatsApp and call centre platforms to provide first-line support to members.
Axis has further expanded into real estate advisory services, seeking to help members make more informed decisions about property investments.
Paa Kofi Ankomah, Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Secure Occupational and Provident Fund Master Trust Schemes, said the company’s technology investments were intended to improve convenience and generate measurable value for members.
“The year 2025 marked a significant milestone in our journey to transform service delivery and enhance convenience for our cherished members,” he said, adding that the company had made progress toward delivering a “seamless, 360-degree paperless experience” across its schemes.
The investment strategy will also remain anchored on diversification and long-term thinking, according to Robert Bennin, Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Cedar Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes.
He said trustees have a fiduciary responsibility to protect members’ interests through different market cycles, particularly during periods of volatility.
“Trust is at the heart of everything we do as Trustees,” Mr. Bennin said. “We recognise that every contribution entrusted to us represents a member’s aspirations for a financially secure future. Through engagements such as the Annual Open Forum, we remain accountable to our members and committed to ensuring that they understand how their funds are being managed and the principles guiding our investment decisions.”
