47th AIO Conference and General Assembly Begins In Lagos Today

Mr. Tope Smart, incoming President of AIO

The much-awaited African Insurance Organisation (AIO) Conference and General Assembly commences in Lagos, Nigeria, today.

The event which was initially scheduled for 2020 but postponed as a result of the outbreak of Coronavirus which begins today September 4, 2021, is expected to last till Wednesday, September 8.

The theme of the conference is: “Rebuilding Africa’s Economy – The Insurance Perspective”

Conference venue capacity, According to AIO’s Local Organising Committee (LOC) is 1200 and the LOC is considering having not more than 600 physical attendees (based on 50% capacity required you the Nigerian Health authorities for conferences). The physical spaces were available for participants on a first-come-first-served basis.

In order to ensure seamless participation of both physical attendees and virtual participants, the LOC has decided to make the conference a hybrid event.

Speaking about the conference, the Chairman of the AIO Local Organising Committee (LOC), Mrs. Ebele Nwachukwu, said the conference “is coming at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has affected economic activities in the African continent. Several conferences across different markets have focused on the impact of COVID-19 on the industry from various perspectives.

“This theme paper will attempt to look at broader issues of how insurance can contribute to and benefit from the efforts at rebuilding the African economy post COVID. It is our hope and indeed expectation that participants will find the presentations enriching and derive value from attending the conference.

She maintained that the Local Organising Committee and African Insurance Organisation have taken ample time to put at your disposal a selection from the pool of the finest insurance industry thought leaders as Speakers and Panellists.

She expressed optimism that the “Conference will afford participants opportunity to experience immeasurable Nigerian hospitality; delicacies, warmth, rich cultural heritage, abundant tourism potentials typified by the beaches and mangroves and above all, the alluring beauty of Lagos and the ambience of the conference venue.”

The event which is coming to Nigeria after 21 years, will be attended by participants from 48 member countries of AIO and 10 non African countries.

The organisers noted that they want to use the event to make people who will be attending the event, to see that Nigeria is a peaceful country as against their negative perceptions about the country.

Those expected to attend the conference include President Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, the Commissioner for Insurance and Chief Executive Officer of the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), Olorundare Sunday Thomas, including other key stakeholders in the Nigerian economy.

Those expected to speak at the conference include Jakkie Cilliers, Chairperson Institute For Security Studies (ISS) Board; Belhassen Tonat, Head of Non-Life, Munich Reinsurance Company; Karim Diarassouba, General Manager, CICA RE; Olorundare S. Thomas, Commissioner for Insurance and Chief Executive Officer, National Insurance Commission (NAICOM); Dr Grace Muradzikwa, Commissioner of Insurance, Insurance And Pension Commission;  Adama Ndiaye, General Manager, Société Sénégalaise De Réassurance (SenRe); Cassim Hansa, Group Head – Underwriting and Claims, Continental Reinsurance Company (CRE); Tawiah Ben-Ahmed, Managing Director, Metropolitan Life Insurance Ghana Limited and Yinka Sanni, Chief Executive Officer, Standard Bank Group;

Others are Bachir Baddou, Managing Director, Compagnie D’assurance Transport; Prasanna Miapuram, Co-Founder and the Chief Solution Archite, Swiftant Fz Llc; Salaheddine AJI; Executive Director, Moroccan Federation Of Insurance And Reinsurance Companies (Fmsar); Vinta Bhugmaneea, Senior Actuarial Consultant, Qed Actuaries & Consultants (Mauritius) Ltd; Lance Moroney, Director, Qed Actuaries & Consultants (Mauritius) Ltd; Mr. Seth Eshun, Head of Supervision, National Insurance Commission (NIC), Ghana; Pauline Gathuri Mbugua, Senior Manager, Life Insurance Business, Association Of Kenya Insurers (AKI); Joseph Luc Foading, Directeur des Opérations Vie, CICA-Re and Dr. Abiba Zakariah, Chief Operating Office, WAICA Reinsurance Corporation Plc.

Apart from the theme of the Conference, other sub-topics selected for consideration at the conference include Session I: The New Normal: How Leaders can Reset for Growth beyond Covid 19; Session II: Regulation, Innovation and the Future of Insurance

AIO Life Seminar – Theme : “Embracing Innovation For Insurance Inclusivity;” Session I – Life Seminar : Improving Distribution Channels through Innovation in a Digital World;  Session II – Life Seminar: Life Insurance Penetration Levels Remain very low in Africa. Where are we getting it Wrong?

Session III: Harnessing the Potential for Growth and Development in the Nigerian Insurance Market; Session IV: African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the African Insurer: Prospects and Opportunities; Life Seminar: The Evolution of Regulation and Standards in Life Insurance: Understanding the Impact of Risk-based Capital and IRFS17 Standard; Life Seminar: Data Mining and Analytics in Life Insurance: How Vital is this role in aiding Decisions?.

The major highlight of the conference would be the inauguration of the new President of the Pan-African Organisation, Mr. Tope Smart.

Tope Smart, a graduate and an award winner from the University of Lagos also holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.  He is an Associate member of both the Chartered Insurance Institute of London and the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria.Tope, an astute professional, believes very strongly in the entrenchment of insurance in the mind of every Nigerian.  He is a Council member, Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria, Council member, West African Insurance Companies Association (Ghana), Council member, Nigeria-Britain Association, Vice President, African Insurance Organization (AIO) and a past Chairman of the Nigeria Insurers Association to mention but a few.Tope sits on the board of several companies amongst which are RegencyNem Insurance (Ghana) Limited and NEM Asset Management Limited.  In 2014, he was appointed by the Federal Government as Co-Chairman of Insurance Industry Transformation Committee.  He was also recently appointed as Chairman, Planning Committee of the University of Lagos Alumni Association’s Golden Jubilee Anniversary.In recognition of his outstanding achievements, Tope has won several awards amongst which are Distinguished Alumnus by the University of Lagos, University of Lagos Alumni Association Golden Jubilee Special Recognition Award amongst others. He is also a two time winner of the Businessday Top 25 CEOs award.Tope is an alumnus of Harvard Business School.