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Retired Lieutenant Colonel Georgina Mensah, popularly known as “Grandma Soja,” has raised concerns about what she describes as a wide gap in pension payments between retired military officers of different ranks.
Retired Lieutenant Colonel Georgina Mensah, popularly known as “Grandma Soja,” has raised concerns about what she describes as a wide gap in pension payments between retired military officers of different ranks.
According to Lt. Col. Mensah, a retired Colonel receives about GH₵18,000, while a retired Lieutenant Colonel receives approximately GH₵8,000.
She made the disclosure in an interview with Kafui Dey while reflecting on her military career, promotion and life after retirement.
“It’s not the promotion that worries me much, but the gap,” Lt. Col. Mensah said.
“Look, a Colonel is getting GH₵18,000 and a Lieutenant Colonel is getting GH₵8,000,” she stated in the interview.
When Kafui Dey asked whether she was referring to pension payments, she responded, “Yes.”
The difference, she said, is significant.
“That’s a big gap,” Mr. Dey remarked.
“Big,” Mensah responded.
She further explained that there had been discussions about addressing the disparity by linking pension payments to a percentage of an officer’s basic salary.
“And that’s why the government says they are going to bridge it by 70% of our basic,” she said.
However, Mensah expressed uncertainty about how much the proposed adjustment would translate into actual pension payments, noting that the basic salary component was relatively small.
“I don’t know what it is going to be now because the basic is something minimal,” she said.
She added that combining the proposed adjustment with incremental increases could improve the situation.
“So if they bridge it and then give us incremental pay, maybe we will come up a little,” Mensah said.
For the retired officer, the difference remains a major concern.
“GH₵8,000. The gap is big. It’s too much,” she said.
Lt. Col. Mensah’s comments come as she reflects on a military career in which she broke several barriers, including becoming Ghana’s first female United Nations peacekeeper and later serving as a military observer.
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