By Bisi Bamishe
As the 47th African Insurance Organization conference and annual general assembly starts today in Lagos, the Local Organising Committee (LOC) is set for a seamless Confab.
According to the LOC Chairperson, Mrs Ebelechukwu Nwachukwu, all is set for a memorable few days as Nigeria insurance industry host delegates from Africa and beyond.
In a chat with Bisladnews last night, she assured that the five day event would be worth remembering and not easily forgotten one for the delegates.
“We are very ready for all the delegates. A good number have arrived and the process of picking them from the airports has been seamless.
“We are set for a memorable few days”, she confidently stated.
Nwachukwu, the dynamic indefatigable and friendly managing director/Chief Executive Officer of NSIA Insurance Company Limited, is the vice chairman of Nigeria Insurers Association (NIA)
Delegates from about 58 countries within Africa and overseas are expected to arrive for the conference which will start this evening with cocktail at Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island Lagos. The 46th President of AIO, Ms Delphine Traore is expected to welcome delegates at the event.
Tomorrow morning, the conference will be declared open by President Muhammadu Buhari. Also expected at the opening ceremony are, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, the Commissioner for Insurance and Chief Executive Officer of National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), Mr Olorundare Sunday Thomas and other key stakeholders in Nigerian economy.
According to Nwachukwu, efforts at addressing the debilitating effects which Covid-19 pandemic had left on many economies informed the LOC to use the opportunity of the 47th AIO conference to contribute to discussions and decisions around how insurance can contribute to ongoing efforts at rebuilding economies seriously impacted by the pandemic, thus the conference’s theme; ‘Rebuilding Africa’s Economy: An Insurance Perspective.’
Subtopics to address other contemporary issues affecting the insurance industry include: The new normal: How leaders can reset for growth beyond covid-19; Regulation, innovation and the future of insurance; Harnessing the potential for growth and development in the Nigerian insurance market and AfCFTA and the African Insurer: Prospects and Opportunities.
The resource persons include: Mr. Jakkie Cilliers of the Institute of Security Studies, South Africa, Mr. Belhassen Tanat of Munich Re, Mr. Yinka Sanni of Standard Bank Group and Mr. Tawiah Ben- Ahmed of Metropolitan Life Insurance, Ghana.
On Tuesday, one of the events is PILA Africa Workshop where Dr Abiba Zakariah, Chief Operating Officer, WAICA, would be the guest speaker of the theme, ‘Women collaborating for Africa’s economic growth’. Discussants are; FL Yetunde Ilori, Director General, Nigeria Insurers Association (NIA) and FL Abimbola Tamiyu, Director General, Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN).
Final day of the conference would feature its annual general assembly where various committees would give the reports of their activities in the past two years. It would be recalled that the conference couldn’t hold last year due to global lockdown brought about by Covid19 pademic.
The 2020 conference would be rounded up with the closing dinner where Mr Tope Smart, the Group Managing Director of NEM Insurance Plc/ Chief Executive Officer, would be installed the 47th President of the Organization.
AIO came into being in 1972 in Mauritius with the aim of developing a healthy insurance and reinsurance industry in Africa as well as to promote inter-African co-operation in insurance. The organisation which is the biggest insurance body on African continent, has its headquarters in Cameroon.
