Economy
Survey Foresees Further Growth for Africa’s Insurance Sector
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The opportunities for growth in Africa’s insurance industry are huge despite recent economic and political uncertainty, a report issued by PwC on Africa’s insurance industry has said.
It noted that the insurance industry has done well to adapt to continuous disruption, with technological advances now considered the most important global trend disrupting the industry.
The report, titled ‘Ready and Willing: African insurance industry poised for growth,’ further said despite the additional pressures of unrelenting regulatory and insurance accounting changes, and the huge costs associated with the changes, there are also some positive developments and opportunities for growth.
The survey comes at a time when economies on the African continent are starting to show signs of real growth on the back of recovering global commodity prices.
Victor Muguto, Long-term Insurance Leader for PwC Africa says: “The insurance industry across Africa continues to be one of the most disrupted, but at the same time the industry continues to innovate and adapt to take advantage of the many opportunities for growth that are also emerging.
“In the years following the global financial crisis, economic and political uncertainty across the continent slowed down economic and insurance sector growth. Despite this, Africa’s insurance market remains one of the least penetrated in the world and the opportunities for growth are tremendous.”
Top trends driving change in Africa’s insurance markets
Africa’s insurance industry is facing more disruption than any other industry, posing challenges for some while opening up business opportunities for others. The pace of change in the insurance industry has taken place more rapidly than originally anticipated and will accelerate further.
“Leading insurers are already implementing key strategies to focus on new customer behaviours and demographic shifts. The need to be agile in the face of a rapidly changing technological environment has never been more vital,” says Pieter Crafford, Financial Services Advisory Leader for PwC South Africa.
The survey identifies four main themes that are transforming the African insurance industry:
Technology and data ‘revolution’: Technology and data are now considered the most important global trend disrupting the industry, but they are also increasingly being used by the industry to accelerate growth. Across all of Africa, the increased use of technology, on the back of the exponential growth of mobile phones, has significantly contributed to the large amount of new customers and more tailored products. Technology presents insurers with powerful tools to better understand customer needs and expectations through data mining capabilities and artificial intelligence (AI).
However, it is expensive and not always easy for insurers to “go it alone”. Consequently, some insurers have formed partnerships with technology companies to improve operational efficiency and respond quickly to changing customer expectations. Technology, specifically mobile phones, social media, and data analytics are seen as the top enablers to increase access to new customers, at reduced cost and to analyse behavioural data, in order to design new, more appropriate products.
Regulatory and accounting changes: Behind technology, insurers also identified stringent risk based prudential capital and market conduct regulations as the second most disruptive issue. By now, most insurers are used to regulations and this has become “business as usual”. Insurers across the African continent have embraced the regulatory changes, and are ready and willing to comply with new legislation and regulations. But, while most insurers have adopted new ways of compliance, the introduction of IFRS 17 is also expected to add new pressure.
It is also positive to note that that the intensity of regulatory concerns is reducing among insurers. Fewer survey respondents (2017:61%) had concerns about the burden of regulation dampening risk appetite and stifling growth compared to 90% of respondents in 2014. Although the unrelenting regulatory changes come with increased costs and implementation challenges, they also present hidden opportunities for insurers to better manage risk, and allocate capital more appropriately. Some of the new regulations are expected to prompt insurers to redesign simpler and more appropriate products for customers. For example, the less onerous regulatory capital and conduct regulations being introduced by the pending Microinsurance framework in South Africa offer alternatives to reduce the costs of insurance at the lower end of the market
Convergence, the new “Scramble” for Africa’s customers: Changing demographics and social changes, in particular the rise of a middle class, are driving insurers, bankers, and non-traditional players such as retailers and mobile operators to compete for the power of owning customers and customer information. We have started to see a convergence of insurers and bankers around customers. While most of the major banks have had insurance operations for years, there has been a renewed interest by other banks to also start insurance operations. Likewise, some insurers are setting up separate banking operations, and mobile phone operations and retailers are pushing in. All of this is with the aim of owning more customers and cross selling various products to them.
In addition, insurers are also adopting multichannel distribution strategies and taking more direct ownership of their customer data and relationships. They are designing simpler products leaning towards technology based direct mobile and online channels of distribution. While the more complex products will still require intermediation, the use of brokers may gradually reduce as insurers invest in their own in-house channels.
Talent shortages – workforce of the future: Insurers also highlighted talent shortages as a top issue in our survey. This is notable in the areas of technology and actuarial skills. In order to attract and retain talent, insurers need to invest more in training their “workforce of the future”. Alongside this, employee expectations are changing. Employees of the future expect better work-life balance. The majority of insurers surveyed are already prepared for change, with 83% of survey respondents indicating that they either had prepared or were moderately prepared to establish a more flexible working culture to support employee work-life balance.
Insurers should not only be thinking about or investing in a workforce of the future. They should also start thinking about jobs that may not yet exist.
While the African insurance industry is going through significant change and client expectations are changing the rise of the new middle class and digital natives offers new opportunities for insurers, using technology, to better understand their customers and use customer data for more relevant product design and better pricing for risk. Insurers need to ensure that they can do so while navigating increasing regulatory compliance issues, overhauling legacy IT systems, and investing in a workforce of the future. Operational procedures and business structures will also need to be updated to become more efficient.
“Insurers across Africa face exciting new opportunities for growth on the back of a rising middle class and increased demand for new and innovative solutions. Most insurers know what to do – the winners will be those that are best at execution,” Crafford says.
“Insurers, who are client-centric, innovative, technologically up-to-date, and who invest in a workforce of the future, will lead the charge to increase insurance penetration levels in Africa,” Muguto concludes.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Seplat Energy Plc will revive hundreds of Nigerian oil wells laying fallow after completing the acquisition of Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited (MPNU) from ExxonMobil.
The company said it aims to lift oil output to about 200,000 barrels a day, a move that will help boost Nigeria’s oil production levels, as it aims to reach 2 million barrels per day next year.
The transaction, according to Seplat, “is transformative for Seplat Energy, more than doubling production and positioning the company to drive growth and profitability, whilst contributing significantly to Nigeria’s future prosperity.”
The completion of the Seplat-ExxonMobil deal has created Nigeria’s leading independent energy company, with the enlarged company having equity in 11 blocks (onshore and shallow water Nigeria); 48 producing oil and gas fields; 5 gas processing facilities; and 3 export terminals.
Recall that the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) in October approved the deal as part of a series of approvals, while it blocked Shell’s asset sale of up to $2.4 billion to the Renaissance consortium.
The acquisition of the entire issued share capital of MPNU adds the following assets to the Seplat Group: 40 per cent operated interest in OML 67, 68, 70 and 104; 40 per cent operated interest in the Qua Iboe export terminal and the Yoho FSO; 51 per cent operated interest in the Bonny River Terminal (‘BRT’) NGL recovery plant; 9.6 per cent participating interest in the Aneman-Kpono field; and approximately 1,000 staff and 500 contractors will transition to the Seplat Group.
MPNU adds substantial reserves and production to Seplat Energy; 409 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMboe) 2P reserves and 670 MMboe 2P + 2C reserves and resources as at 30 June 2024 and 6M 2024 average daily production of 71.4 kboepd (thousand barrels of oil equivalent).
Business Post reports that Seplat will be part of the payment this year, and will defer some to next year,
Speaking on the transaction, the Chairman of Seplat Energy, Mr Udoma Udo Udoma commended President Bola Tinubu for supporting this transaction and appreciated the support and diligence of the various ministries and regulators for all the work to reach a successful conclusion.
“We are delighted to welcome the MPNU employees to Seplat Energy. We are excited to begin our journey in a new region of the country, and we look forward to replicating the positive impacts we have achieved within our communities in our current areas of operations.
“Seplat’s mission is to deliver value to all our stakeholders, and we treasure the good relationships we have developed with the government, regulators, communities and our staff.”
On his part, the chief executive of Seplat Energy, Mr Roger Brown, described the acquisition as a major milestone, adding, “I extend my thanks to the entire Seplat team for their hard work and perseverance to complete this transaction.
“MPNU’s employees and contractors have a strong reputation for safety and operational excellence, and I welcome them to the Seplat Energy Group.
“We have acquired a company with one of the best portfolios of assets and related infrastructure in a world-class basin, providing enormous potential for the Seplat Group. Our commitment is to invest to increase oil and gas production while reducing costs and emissions, maximising value for all our stakeholders.
“MPNU is a perfect fit with our strategy to build a sustainable business that can deliver affordable, accessible and reliable energy for Nigeria alongside attractive returns to our shareholders”.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The National Pension Commission (PenCom) is projected to close the year with over N22 trillion in pension assets impacted by challenges like inflation and monetary policies.
This is according to PenCom Director-General, Mrs Omolola Oloworaran, at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday.
She said as of October 2024, the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) had 10.53 million registered contributors and pension fund assets worth N21.92 trillion.
Speaking at the conference-themed Tech-driven Transformation Shaping the Pension Landscape, which showcased PenCom’s strategic commitment to innovation, she said that the numbers reflected the agency’s unwavering commitment to fund safety, prudent management, and sustainable growth.
She explained that the pension environment was impacted by the wider economic challenges facing the country, noting that the sector battled multi-year high inflation, Naira devaluation, and the lingering effects of unorthodox monetary policies by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Business Post reports that the apex bank hiked interest rates by 875 basis points this year alone to tackle persistent inflation which peaked at 33.8 per cent as of October.
She said that these challenges eroded the real value of pension funds and impacted contributors’ purchasing power.
“To address these issues, the commission has initiated a comprehensive review of its investment regulations.
“It is focusing on diversifying pension fund investments into inflation-protected instruments, alternative assets, and foreign currency-denominated investments.
“The goal is to safeguard contributor savings and ensure resilience against future economic volatility,” she said.
She restated the commission’s commitment to expanding pension coverage, particularly through the advanced micro-pension plan designed to encourage participation from the informal sector using technology.
“This initiative will make it easier for everyday Nigerians to save for retirement, aligning with our vision of inclusive growth and financial stability for all.
“The backlog in retirement benefits for retirees of the Federal Government’s Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) will soon be settled.
“The federal government recently disbursed N44 billion under the 2024 budget to settle approved pension rights.
“We are collaborating with the Federal Government to institutionalise a sustainable solution to ensure retirees receive their benefits promptly, eliminating delays,” Mrs Oloworaran said.
She said that PenCom’s technology-driven transformation aimed to make the CPS more accessible, reliable, and sustainable.
“From data management to seamless contributions and regulatory supervision, we are paving the way for a future where the pension industry serves all Nigerians effectively,” she said,
Mrs Oloworaran also said that the e-application portal for pension clearance certificates has replaced the manual processes and enhanced the ease of doing business in the sector.
“Since its deployment, 38,528 pension clearance certificates have been issued. This initiative ensures compliance and secures the future of Nigerians working in organisations that interact with the government,” she said.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange closed flat on Thursday, December 12 after it ended the trading session with no single price gainer or loser.
As a result, the market capitalisation remained unchanged at N1.055 trillion as the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) followed the same route, remaining at 3,012.50 points like the previous trading session.
However, the activity chart witnessed changes as the volume of securities traded at the bourse went down by 92.5 per cent to 447,905 units from the 5.9 million units transacted a day earlier.
In the same vein, the value of securities bought and sold by investors declined by 86.6 per cent to N3.02 million from the N22.5 million recorded in the preceding trading day.
But the number of deals carried out during the session remained unchanged at 21 deals, according to data obtained by Business Post.
When trading activities ended for the day, Geo-Fluids Plc remained the most active stock by volume (year-to-date) with 1.7 billion units sold for N3.9 billion, Okitipupa Plc came next with 752.2 million units valued at N7.8 billion, and Afriland Properties Plc was in third place with 297.5 million units worth N5.3 million.
Also, Aradel Holdings Plc remained the most active stock by value (year-to-date) with 108.7 million units worth N89.2 billion, followed by Okitipupa Plc with 752.2 million units valued at N7.8 billion, and Afriland Properties Plc with 297.5 million units sold for N5.3 billion.
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