| Location | Duration | Kenyan Cost | Non-Kenyan Cost | Upcoming Schedules |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nairobi, Kenya | 5 Days | KES 115,000 | USD 1,500 | Enroll |
| Kigali, Rwanda | 5 Days | USD 1,900 | USD 1,900 | Enroll |
| Kampala, Uganda | 5 Days | USD 1,900 | USD 1,900 | Enroll |
| Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | 5 Days | USD 2,000 | USD 2,000 | Enroll |
| Dubai, UAE | 5 Days | USD 3,900 | USD 3,900 | Enroll |
| Abuja, Nigeria | 5 Days | USD 4,000 | USD 4,000 | Enroll |
| Accra, Ghana | 5 Days | USD 4,000 | USD 4,000 | Enroll |
| Pretoria, South Africa | 5 Days | USD 3,900 | USD 3,900 | Enroll |
| Start & End Date | Duration | Kenyan Cost | Non-Kenyan Cost | Enroll | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 19–Oct 27, 2026 | 7 Days | KES 90,000 | USD 1,000 | Register | |
| Nov 02–Nov 10, 2026 | 7 Days | KES 90,000 | USD 1,000 | Register | |
| Nov 16–Nov 24, 2026 | 7 Days | KES 90,000 | USD 1,000 | Register | |
| Nov 30–Dec 08, 2026 | 7 Days | KES 90,000 | USD 1,000 | Register | |
| Dec 14–Dec 22, 2026 | 7 Days | KES 90,000 | USD 1,000 | Register | |
| Dec 28, 2026–Jan 05, 2027 | 7 Days | KES 90,000 | USD 1,000 | Register | |
| Jan 11–Jan 19, 2027 | 7 Days | KES 90,000 | USD 1,000 | Register | |
| Jan 25–Feb 02, 2027 | 7 Days | KES 90,000 | USD 1,000 | Register | |
| Feb 08–Feb 16, 2027 | 7 Days | KES 90,000 | USD 1,000 | Register | |
| Feb 22–Mar 02, 2027 | 7 Days | KES 90,000 | USD 1,000 | Register | |
| Mar 08–Mar 16, 2027 | 7 Days | KES 90,000 | USD 1,000 | Register | |
| Mar 22–Mar 30, 2027 | 7 Days | KES 90,000 | USD 1,000 | Register | |
| Apr 05–Apr 13, 2027 | 7 Days | KES 90,000 | USD 1,000 | Register | |
| Apr 19–Apr 27, 2027 | 7 Days | KES 90,000 | USD 1,000 | Register | |
| May 03–May 11, 2027 | 7 Days | KES 90,000 | USD 1,000 | Register | |
| May 17–May 25, 2027 | 7 Days | KES 90,000 | USD 1,000 | Register | |
| May 31–Jun 08, 2027 | 7 Days | KES 90,000 | USD 1,000 | Register | |
| Jun 14–Jun 22, 2027 | 7 Days | KES 90,000 | USD 1,000 | Register | |
| Jun 28–Jul 06, 2027 | 7 Days | KES 90,000 | USD 1,000 | Register | |
| Jul 12–Jul 20, 2027 | 7 Days | KES 90,000 | USD 1,000 | Register | |
| Jul 26–Aug 03, 2027 | 7 Days | KES 90,000 | USD 1,000 | Register | |
| Aug 09–Aug 17, 2027 | 7 Days | KES 90,000 | USD 1,000 | Register | |
| Aug 23–Aug 31, 2027 | 7 Days | KES 90,000 | USD 1,000 | Register | |
| Sep 06–Sep 14, 2027 | 7 Days | KES 90,000 | USD 1,000 | Register | |
About the Course
The design of a pension scheme determines how retirement benefits are financed, how risk is shared between employers and members, how portable benefits are, and how predictable retirement income will be. Poorly designed schemes may create unaffordable obligations, inadequate retirement outcomes, inequitable benefits or administrative complexity. Scheme design therefore requires an informed balance between benefit adequacy, affordability, sustainability, regulation and workforce objectives.
This course provides a structured review of the main pension scheme designs and the choices involved in establishing, reforming or converting a retirement arrangement. It covers defined benefit, defined contribution, hybrid and cash balance structures as well as contribution rates, vesting, retirement ages, benefit formulas, portability and transition issues. Participants also examine how design choices affect funding, investment, administration, member behavior and employer obligations.
Participants will examine scheme design from the perspectives of adequacy, affordability, predictability, risk sharing, workforce needs and administrative feasibility. The course also highlights the trade-offs that arise when altering contribution rates, benefit formulas, vesting conditions or retirement options, enabling participants to evaluate design choices systematically before recommending reforms or new arrangements.
Target Participants
Pension trustees, fund managers, HR leaders, compensation and benefits professionals, actuaries, finance executives, regulators, consultants, scheme administrators and organizations reviewing employee retirement arrangements.
What You Will Learn
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Compare the major pension scheme design models.
- Evaluate how pension risk is allocated between stakeholders.
- Assess contribution and benefit design choices.
- Evaluate vesting, retirement and portability provisions.
- Identify administrative and investment implications of scheme design.
- Assess affordability and long-term sustainability.
- Plan scheme redesign or conversion more effectively.
- Communicate scheme design implications to decision-makers and members.
Course Duration
- Classroom – 5 Days
- Online – 7 Days
Course Outline
Pension Scheme Design Principles
- Retirement adequacy
- Affordability
- Risk sharing
- Administrative simplicity
- Adequacy, affordability and sustainability trade-offs
Defined Benefit Schemes
- Benefit formulas
- Final salary and career-average models
- Sponsor obligations
- Funding implications
- Funding volatility and sponsor-risk implications
Defined Contribution Schemes
- Contribution structures
- Individual account accumulation
- Member investment risk
- Retirement income conversion
- Member investment and retirement-outcome implications
Hybrid Schemes
- Combined benefit structures
- Risk-sharing models
- Design objectives
- Administration implications
- Allocation of risks between sponsor and members
Cash Balance Plans
- Notional account design
- Interest crediting
- Benefit conversion
- Sponsor risk considerations
- Crediting-rate design and funding implications
Contribution Design
- Employer contribution rates
- Employee contribution rates
- Matching structures
- Additional voluntary contributions
- Contribution exceptions, arrears and reconciliation controls
Benefit Design
- Retirement benefit formulas
- Death and disability benefits
- Early retirement provisions
- Survivor benefits
- Benefit verification, authorization and exception controls
Vesting Provisions
- Vesting periods
- Preservation
- Portability
- Treatment of early leavers
- Vesting administration and member communication
Pension Scheme Conversion
- Conversion rationale
- Accrued-rights protection
- Transition arrangements
- Member communication
- Transition governance, member communication and implementation risk
Pension Scheme Design Evaluation
- Actuarial assessment
- Cost analysis
- Member outcome analysis
- Governance approval
- Adequacy, affordability and sustainability trade-offs
Practical Outputs
Participants will develop or work with the following tangible outputs during the programme:
- Pension scheme design comparison matrix
- Benefit design worksheet
- Contribution adequacy assessment
- Vesting provisions matrix
- Scheme conversion risk assessment
- Scheme design recommendation brief
Training Approach
Participants compare scheme designs, evaluate sample benefit formulas and work through redesign scenarios. The course emphasizes the trade-offs among adequacy, affordability, risk allocation, administration and member communication.
Organizational Benefits
- Better-informed choice of pension scheme architecture
- Clearer allocation of risks between sponsors and members
- Improved alignment of contribution and benefit design
- Stronger assessment of adequacy, affordability and sustainability
- Reduced transition risk during scheme conversion
- More transparent documentation of scheme-design decisions
Certification
Participants who successfully complete this course will receive a Certificate of Course Completion from Devimpact Institute, recognizing the knowledge, practical skills and competencies developed through the programme.
Tailor-Made Course
This course can be customized and delivered as an in-house programme to address the specific policies, systems, sector context and capacity-development priorities of an organization. The course duration, modules, case studies and practical exercises may be adjusted following a training needs assessment.
