By Bisi Bamishe
Heirs Insurance Group Bags Prestigious Financial Times-World Bank Group Africa Sustainable Futures Award
Heirs Insurance Group has won the Africa Sustainable Futures Award, organised by the Financial Times in partnership with the World Bank Group’s Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), in the Critical Infrastructure (Non-Energy) category.
Presented at the closing awards ceremony of the 2026 Africa Summit in London, the award recognises the Group’s innovative use of digital technology to expand access to insurance and advance financial inclusion among underserved communities in Nigeria.
At the core of the Group’s initiatives is Prince AI, Nigeria’s first multilingual generative AI insurance assistant, which uses artificial intelligence and multi-language capabilities with a focus on local languages, to help make insurance more accessible and easier to understand.
Combined with the Group’s USSD platform, mobile application and digital and bancassurance distribution channels, the initiative is helping extend financial protection to populations historically excluded from formal insurance services.
Through these initiatives, Heirs Insurance Group has extended insurance access to more than three million people, demonstrating how technology-enabled distribution can help address barriers to insurance adoption in markets where access to financial protection remains limited.
The Group’s approach combines digital accessibility with a commitment to customer trust, service delivery and its pledge to settle validated claims within 48 hours, provides a dependable safety net for individuals, families and businesses facing unexpected financial shocks.
Commenting on the recognition, Niyi Onifade, Managing Director/CEO, Heirs Life Assurance, said: “This award is a powerful validation of our commitment to making insurance simple, accessible and reliable for every Nigerian. For too long, millions of people have remained outside the formal insurance ecosystem, leaving them vulnerable to financial uncertainty. We are using technology to help change that reality.”
He added: “By combining digital innovation, artificial intelligence multilingual capabilities and customer-centric distribution, we are
addressing traditional barriers to insurance adoption and bringing financial protection closer to the people who need it most. Our mission is to demonstrate that inclusive insurance can be delivered at scale without compromising the quality of the customer experience.”
The Critical Infrastructure (Non-Energy) category recognises private-sector initiatives that strengthen essential infrastructure and improve livelihoods through sustainable, scalable solutions. Heirs Insurance Group’s recognition emphasises the role that digital financial services can play in advancing inclusion and strengthening economic resilience.
The award marks an important milestone in the Group’s efforts to expand insurance access through technology, broaden participation in the formal insurance market and build greater financial resilience among individuals and businesses in Nigeria.
