Connect with us

General News

Expert wants Government to Address Real Problem Confronting Insurance

Published

on

Kindly share this post

Mr. Sunny Bamidele, managing director of Century Finance Group, has challenged Nigeria insurance operators to rise up to the real issues confronting insurance growth, rather than formulating unrealizable policies that are only good on paper. According to him, it is good to formulate policies but the question really should be weather such can work under the prevailing environment. The finance consultant explained that if insurance must grow here, the efforts must involve government full participation. He stated that over the years, he has studied the situation and identified four main factors affecting the growth of insurance in Nigeria.  He said some of these factors that have contributed to the stunted growth of insurance and reinsurance business in Nigeria and even Africa, are economic. Under this platform is the dwindling economy which has led to even weaker currencies, a situation that makes operators unable to compete in a global economy. “For instance, the naira has been so undervalued that where insurance companies in other climes are competing for business with stronger currencies and favourable working environment, Nigeria is still thinking of how to make the public take even insurances that are compulsory under the law.” 
Bamidele also identified political instability which he said has eaten deep into the socio –political structure of the nation. He stressed that no economy can develop under an atmosphere of chaos and corruption, adding that the fact that Nigeria has had almost a decade of civilian administration is not enough to think that all is well, He noted that the corruption that has enveloped the system has made a mockery of whatever gains the industry may have had over time. This has seriously affected economic activities and consequently insurance business in Nigeria and even in other African states.
The finance expert stated that beyond these reasons, the greatest problem which the government must address before insurance can thrive in Nigeria is poverty.  “Poverty has eaten so deep into the very fabrics of our existence. It is so devastating that the insuring public has very low disposable income such that insurance does not even stand in a vantage position on the scale of preferences of things to actualize,” he said. Besides, a lot of people do not have regular income and access to basic necessities of life, like food, housing and shelter. In a country where religion also plays a part on who takes what insurance, then it is difficult for insurance to thrive here like it does in the developed world. He stated that a large number of the African population do not believe in insurance, owing to some religious reasons as well as ignorance and illiteracy. He condemned a situation where even our modest achievements are sacrificed on alter of fake insurance products and the inability of law enforcement agencies to curb the bad practice. Also, the underdevelopment in Nigeria makes most members of the public to be isolated and remote to insurance services. He opined that “since a larger majority of people live in rural areas where they have no access to regular financial services, where there is apathy towards insurance and financial protection by an average Nigerian and where culture forbids certain transactions, then it may be difficult to expect a drastic breakthrough.” he said. To corroborate this slow and unimpressive pace, Remi Olowude, Executive Vice – chairman of Industrial and General Insurance (IGI) while speaking at a public forum explained that the present situation arose when the majority of enabling laws enacted to facilitate and promote the overall development of the industry came on board. This he said culminated in the emergence of an array of markets which might conveniently be grouped into two major types, the nationalised ones, where the state had monopoly and the mixed markets, where public and private participation held sway. Also, in order to conserve foreign exchange and build local capacity, certain classes of businesses were domesticated.
Olowude noted that the dismal performance of the industry is well-captured by UNCTAD statistics in 2007, which showed that the continent represents 14 percent of the world’s population, while contributing contributes only 1.03 percent to the global gross premium income.
“It is interesting to note that this performance is enhanced by South Africa, which accounted for 93 percent in Life business and over 50 percent in Non-Life business in the year under review. Not only has the insurance industry in Nigeria been unable to develop as in other parts of the world, it has also been unable to measure up to other competing products in the financial services industry within the continent.
“For example, statistics regarding growth in the financial services industry of South Africa, as released by Finscope (a comprehensive national household survey of financial services, needs and usage among all South Africans) in January 2010, showed that in about four years, that is, 2004 – 2008, growth in the insurance industry is dismal when compared with other sectors of the economy.
“The number of people who opened bank accounts, for example, increased by 7million over the period, while only 700,000 people took out life assurance and 200,000 applied for motor insurance. Whereas there were 7.7million cars on South African roads in 2003, only 2.2 million people had motor insurance in 2008.
Bamidele charged operators and the regulators to be innovative and more futuristic in planning their products. He said the type of policies being offered today policies are mostly elitist in nature and do not adequately address the needs of the larger Nigerian population who dwell in the rural areas. The consultant explained that there is too much concentration of marketing efforts in urban environments, while paying lip service to broadening of insurance business. Tracing the root of this backwardness, he said noting that lack of innovation and poor application of technology is part of the problems, early insurers in Nigeria and most parts of Africa concentrated only on the technical aspects of the business rather than developing the total business. Some of the areas which could have been better developed but where ignored include insurance marketing, enlightenment, management and technical aspects. Due to the prevailing poverty in the land, the operators under rated their capacity, as they fled from lucrative risks and concentrated on smaller premium, thus leaving the juicy pie to the foreign insurers. 
He also identified that “sharp practices by practitioners who charge low premium rates for some risks and inflate the rates of others because of their perceived belief that insurance is a ‘chop-chop’ business which only collect premium without paying claims.”
“Today, these challenges have been further compounded by the impact of the global financial meltdown, which is threatening the growth and development of the insurance industry. For us to be able to achieve the expected transformation of the insurance and reinsurance potentialities Bamidele stressed that there are a number of immediate issues worth considering. Some of these issues include market capacity, new products development, information technology and human resource development, effective regulation and supervision by the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) and the Federal Ministry of Finance and to an extent the National Assembly, strict adherence to the principles of corporate governance and good practices as well as sustainable insurance awareness campaign.


Kindly share this post

Nigeria CommunicationsWeek believes that technology makes life more exciting and helps improve the lives of people around Nigeria and indeed the world. So since 2007, we have devoted our energy to independent reportage of technology and how they affect lives.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Comments

General News

NIMC Disowns Fake NIN Portal

Published

on

Kindly share this post

National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has warned Nigerians to disregard a viral online flyer claiming that a free portal has been opened for the correction of National Identification Number (NIN) data.

NIMC Disowns Fake NIN Portal

In a statement posted on its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, the commission described the flyer as fake and cautioned the public against using any links associated with it.

“The public is hereby advised not to use the above for modifying their NIN data. All modifications should only be done via the official channel,” NIMC stated, directing users to its authorised self-service portal.

The misleading flyer, which has circulated widely on social media, carries the logos of NIMC and the federal government, falsely claiming that authorities had launched a special correction portal in response to a “high level of complain.”

It lists services such as name, gender, and date of birth corrections, and provides links redirecting users to a suspicious “gvly.xyz” domain—an address the commission says is not affiliated with any government platform.

NIMC noted that the flyer has since been marked “FAKE” in red, indicating it is being recirculated as part of efforts to debunk the misinformation.

The Commission reiterated that all NIN data modifications can only be carried out through its official self-service platform, urging Nigerians to remain vigilant and avoid falling victim to online scams.


Kindly share this post
Continue Reading

General News

Moniepoint Acquires Orda Africa to Transform Africa’s $50Bn Restaurant Sector

Published

on

Kindly share this post

Moniepoint Inc. (“Moniepoint” or the “Company”), Africa’s all-in-one financial ecosystem platform for individuals, businesses and their customers, today announced the acquisition of Orda Africa (“Orda”), a leading cloud-based restaurant management platform operating in Nigeria.

Moniepoint Acquires Orda Africa to Transform Africa's $50bn Restaurant Sector

Moniepoint

Under the terms of this acquisition, Orda will become part of the Moniebook platform, Moniepoint’s all-in-one Point-of-Sale (POS) and business management platform. Since launching its business management tools product in 2025, Moniebook has rapidly become the go-to platform for thousands of African businesses seeking integrated financial and operational tools, seamlessly unifying payments and bookkeeping in one platform.

With Orda, restaurant owners can now gain access to this proven ecosystem that creates unprecedented opportunities to scale operations, optimize performance, and access credit, as well as the extensive reach of Moniepoint which has powered growth for millions of African businesses.

The acquisition comes as Africa’s food service industry experiences unprecedented growth, with the sector valued at $50 billion and Nigeria’s market alone projected to reach $19.31 billion by 2030, growing at 11.73% annually. With Orda’s restaurant-focused capabilities now part of the Moniepoint ecosystem, the platform is well-positioned to capture this opportunity.

Founded in 2015 by Tosin Eniolorunda and Felix Ike, today Moniepoint has grown into one of Nigeria’s leading distributors of financial services as well as a trusted platform for many of the country’s MSMEs especially in the informal sector.

The company has considerably expanded its offerings to include digital payments, business and personal banking, credit, cross-border payments, and business management tools with a customer base exceeding 20 million active businesses and personal banking customers and processes over US$250 billion in digital payments transaction value annually.

Tosin Eniolorunda, Co-Founder and Group CEO of Moniepoint Inc., said: “The food industry isn’t just about feeding people, it’s a major source of jobs and daily survival for many Africans. It highlights how vital the informal sector is, not just for the economy, but for everyday life across the continent.

Data has shown us that Africa’s restaurant sector is one of the continent’s most dynamic economic engines, yet the majority of food businesses still operate with manual processes and fragmented tools. By bringing Orda into Moniepoint, we are giving restaurant owners what they deserve: one simple platform that handles everything from managing their kitchen to growing their business. Our goal remains to create financial happiness for Africans, giving them the tools to reach their full potential and that’s exactly what we’ve built here.”

Founded in 2020, Orda was built to give Africa’s small and independent restaurants the tools they need to run more efficiently, providing a purpose-built software to businesses that had long operated without it.

Guy Futi, CEO of Orda, reassured existing customers: “Orda has found the perfect home in Moniepoint. We have spent years building deep expertise in restaurant operations, but we have always known that to truly transform the industry, we needed to connect that expertise with comprehensive financial infrastructure.

“That’s exactly what this integration delivers. For our customers, we are assuring a smooth transition with no disruption to the platform and retained access to the support you are used to. What changes is your access to opportunities.

“Over the coming weeks, being part of Moniepoint means you’ll have more tools, more reach, and more ways to grow your business than ever before”

Combining their respective strengths, Moniepoint and Orda deliver a purpose-built solution that empowers food businesses at every scale to manage orders, track inventory, pay suppliers, and access working capital, all in one seamless experience.

This move represents a demonstrated commitment to building a dedicated financial infrastructure designed around the unique complexity of Africa’s food economy.

For the millions of food entrepreneurs across the continent, from the everyday buka owner to the high-end restaurateur, this acquisition means less time managing multiple tools or carrying out arduous manual work and more time doing what they do best – feeding Africa.


Kindly share this post
Continue Reading

General News

Tech Firms Sack over 45,000 so Far in 2026

Published

on

Kindly share this post

More than 45,000 jobs have been cut across the global technology sector in the first few months of 2026, according to data from RationalFX, signalling that the industry is still adjusting after a period of aggressive hiring rather than returning to a full growth phase.

Tech Firms Sack over 45,000 so Far in 2026

“In 2025, automation, artificial intelligence, and sustained cost-discipline measures drove much of the downsizing, with entire departments restructured or eliminated in favour of leaner, AI-assisted workflows. This trend has continued full steam into 2026,” said Alan Cohen, analyst at RationalFX.

According to the report, if the current rate of redundancies is sustained, total layoffs in 2026 could surpass the 245,000 recorded in 2025.

The majority of these layoffs have been concentrated in the United States, with major companies continuing to trim their workforce despite stable core operations.

Amazon has announced approximately 16,000 job cuts this year, while Block has also reduced thousands of roles as it tightens operations and shifts focus towards artificial intelligence.

There are indications that further reductions may follow.

Meta is reportedly considering additional layoffs as it increases investment in AI infrastructure, while PayPal and Klarna are reassessing spending and hiring strategies amid ongoing uncertainty.

Established technology firms are also undergoing restructuring. Dell has reduced its workforce by around 11,000 over the past year as part of a broader reorganisation, while Salesforce has cut approximately 1,000 roles in 2026 while aligning its teams more closely with AI-driven products.

Outside the United States, layoffs have been smaller in scale but more geographically dispersed.

Australia has reported around 2,650 job cuts so far this year, followed by Sweden with roughly 1,923 and Netherlands with about 1,700.

Other markets have also been affected. Israel and India have recorded approximately 1,539 and 1,520 layoffs respectively, with Israel’s startup ecosystem particularly sensitive to tighter funding conditions, while in India, both startups and larger IT firms have reduced headcount as global client spending slows.

In Singapore, around 1,016 layoffs have been reported, reflecting a softer hiring environment across Asia’s major technology hubs, where companies are adopting a more cautious approach amid uneven demand.

Across Europe, job cuts have been comparatively limited but still noticeable.

The United Kingdom has recorded around 1,000 layoffs, while Czech Republic and Germany have seen smaller reductions.

The broader trend suggests that technology companies are shifting towards leaner operations and more defined priorities following years of expansion. Increasing investment in automation and artificial intelligence is also reshaping the types of roles in demand.

For employees, the impact is becoming increasingly visible, with hiring slowing and becoming more selective. While opportunities remain, companies are taking a more measured approach to recruitment compared to the rapid expansion seen in previous years.

 

Further credit… .storyboard18.com

 


Kindly share this post
Continue Reading

Trending