Expanding Access for the Poor in Eastern and Southern Africa

Date: March 2-4, 2009
Location: Kampala, Uganda
Organized by: World Bank, with support from the IFC, the Private Sector Foundation of Uganda, the Uganda Insurers Association, Africa Re, Munich Re Foundation, MicroEnsure, the Microinsurance Network, Microcare, Cenfri, MicroInsurance Centre, and BMZ and Making Finance Work for Africa.
View Workshop Brochure
View Speaker Biographies
View Images from the Field Trip to Owino Market
Target audience: The seminar will gather insurance companies operating in Eastern and Southern Africa that are underwriting or planning to get involved in serving the poor. These business plans would be shared and discussed in an open format. Regulators and supervisors of the insurance industry in Eastern and Southern Africa are also invited, and would benefit from the discussion of different business models that serve the poor and enabling environment..
Contact: Colleen Mascenik at cmascenik@worldbank.org or via fax: +1 202 522 7105
Overview: The World Bank’s Insurance for the Poor Program is stepping up to the challenge, working with partners including donors, governments, and the insurance industry, to build technical capacity, develop distribution service channels, and promote an enabling environment for insurance to serve the poor better. As a part of this effort, the Insurance for the Poor program has been rolling out regional workshops on Expanding Access to Insurance for the Poor around the world. The Workshop on Expanding Access to Insurance for the Poor in Eastern and Southern Africa will take place March 2nd-4th, 2009 at the Sheraton Kampala Hotel, in Kampala, Uganda.
Format: The course work will focus on three areas related to microinsurance: product design, alternative and cost-effective distribution channels, and service delivery models. Participants will learn from international insurance experts about the essential technical aspects of insurance for the poor, they will join two interactive case studies, and they will apply concepts to real-life market problems where insurance companies in the audience have been involved.

Agenda

Monday, March 2nd, 2009

08:00–08:30 Registration (Rwenzori Ballroom, Kampala Sheraton Hotel)
08:30–09:30 Welcome and Opening Remarks 

• Kundhavi Kadiresan, Country Manager, Uganda Office, World Bank
• Gabriel Hatega, Executive Director, Private Sector Foundation, Uganda

• George O. Otieno, Regional Director, East Africa, Africa Reinsurance Co. (session chair)
• Overview of the microinsurance sector in Uganda, Olli-Pekka Ruuskanen, CEO, Uganda Insurers’ Association (View presentation here) (View paper on Microinsurance in Uganda here)
• Overview of the microinsurance sector in Kenya, Nelson Kuria, Managing Director, Co-operative Insurance Company of Kenya Ltd ( CIC Insurance), and Chairman, Association of Kenya Insurers (View presentation here)

• How to structure products for microinsurance markets, basic concepts, Brandon Mathews, Head, Microinsurance Unit, Zurich Financial Services, Switzerland, and Member of the Executive Committee, Microinsurance Network (View presentation here)
• Various international experiences with product design, Craig Churchill, Microfinance Expert, Social Finance Programme, International Labour Organization, and Microinsurance Network (View presentation here)

• How to distribute and manage claims for microinsurance, basic concepts, Michael J. McCord, President, The MicroInsurance Centre
• International examples of distribution and claims management practices, Dubby Mahalanobis, Chief Product Officer, MicroEnsure (View his presentation here)
• International examples of distribution and claims management practices, Craig Churchill, Microfinance Expert, Social Finance Programme, International Labour Organization, and Microinsurance Network (View background notes from Microinsurance Network:
  Note on Delivery of Services
  Note on Claims Management
  Note on Partnership with Microfinance Providers

• Weather-indexed insurance products in Malawi, Shadreck Mapfume, Vice President, Agriculture Insurance, MicroEnsure (View presentation here)

• Innovative distribution in South Africa, the story of Hollard, and super-market insurance distribution, Doubell Chamberlain, Director, The Centre for Financial Regulation and Inclusion (Cenfri), and Consulting Director, FinMark Trust (View presentation here)
• Jeremy Leach, Principal for MicroInsurance, Business Development, Hollard Insurance Group (View presentation here)

• Microcare’s innovative use of technology in Uganda, Francis Sommerwell, CEO, Managing Director, Microcare, Uganda

• Evelyn Nkalubo-Muwemba, Secretary to the Commission, Deputy Commissioner (Finance and Administration), and Acting Commissioner for Insurance, Uganda Insurance Commission (session chair) (View transcript of her remarks here)
• Doubell Chamberlain, Director, The Centre for Financial Regulation and Inclusion (Cenfri), and Consulting Director, FinMark Trust (View presentation here)
• Martina Wiedmaier-Pfister, Consultant, Financial Systems Development Support, GTZ (View presentation here)

• Dirk Reinhard, Vice Chairman, Munich Re Foundation (session chair)
• Jeremy Leach, Principal for MicroInsurance, Business Development, Hollard Insurance Group (View presentation here)
• Martina Wiedmaier-Pfister, Consultant, Financial Systems Development Support, GTZ (View presentation here)