Pension inflows surge 42% despite idle accounts

Quarterly contributions to the Personal Pension Plan surged by 42.46 percent to N147.16 million in the first quarter of 2026, up from N103.30 million in the previous quarter, according to the National Pension Commission's Q1 2026 report. This 43.86 million naira increase boosted cumulative contributions to N1.66 billion since the scheme's inception.

Analysts suggest that the rise highlights both progress and structural challenges, as the data shows only 8.6 percent of registered accounts are funded with active Retirement Savings Accounts, while 91.4 percent remain dormant, with 200,505 accounts receiving no contributions. The PenCom report highlights the difficulty in converting initial registrations to active contributions among informal sector participants, who must manually transfer funds while dealing with unpredictable incomes.

Launching the Micro Pension Plan aimed at extending the scheme to self-employed individuals and the informal economy, PenCom encourages flexibility and access to funds for contingent withdrawals. Financial inclusion advocate Dr. Kemi Ojo emphasizes the need for technological integration and field-level engagement to activate the dormant accounts and build lasting retirement safety nets for informal earners.