Niger is a Sahelian, landlocked and low-income country of approximately 25 million inhabitants with an estimated GDP per capita being among the lowest in the world (US$ 591 in 2021). The country is exposed to multiple risks of fragility, conflict and violence which coupled with extreme weather conditions and natural disasters result in increased food insecurity and other challenges. Successive shocks, most recently the Covid-19 pandemic and the 2020 flooding disaster only heighten the fragility. The WBG has initiated a new technical assistance project supported jointly by GIIF and by the CDRF

AON(1) estimates that economic losses from global natural disasters in 2022 reached $ 313 billion. Of these, insurers covered $132 billion: ranking 2022 as the fifth costliest year for insurers on record. The range of extreme weather events included floods, droughts, earthquakes, typhoons and heatwaves. Floods were the deadliest and accounted for 88.4 per cent of total deaths globally(2). As a snapshot: in Pakistan floods affected 33 million people and caused 1,739 deaths while in Bangladesh and India floods affected 7.2 million and 1.3 million people, respectively. Though on a smaller scale

IFC recently concluded two regional insurtech mapping studies in Africa and South-East Asia. The studies provided useful insights on industry trends and investable opportunities. Insurtech is reimagining insurance for incumbent (re)insurers and customers. Key trends include data-driven process optimization, industry-agnostic product development and cloud-based platforms . Usage-based personalized products and personalized customer service platforms such as offered by Naked Insurance are industry-agnostic and provide a large value add applicable across various insurance sectors. Remote claims

During December 5 – 8, 2022, a delegation of seven Nigerian industry experts were on a learning mission in Kenya. The study tour was organized as part of the GIIF South-South knowledge exchange effort for incumbent insurers transitioning to digital insurers. The delegates work towards transforming Nigeria’s insurance industry through the agile design, promotion and adoption of insurtech to increase the protection cover for millions of Nigerians. This was the second phase of the Neo Insurer Training Initiative (NITI). The study tour took the delegates to Safaricom, APA Insurance, ACRE Africa

What if there was a solution to help farmers take the guesswork out of what to plant in their fields and how to optimally nourish it based on the soil nutrient profile? This is precisely what Omishtu-Joy is providing to smallholders in Ethiopia. Omishtu-Joy, which means “Joy of the Farmer” in Afaan Oromo (a native Ethiopian dialect), has developed a soil testing device that uses artificial intelligence (AI)-powered sensors to measure different soil parameters. These soil fertility parameters include pH levels, nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous, humidity, radiation, temperature and soil

The Philippines is highly dependent on the agribusiness sector, which employs close to one third of its workforce and takes up to 40% of the country’s land. The country and the agricultural sector are also highly vulnerable to climate risks; it is ranked among the world’s highest disaster prone countries, and it is ranked the 3rd most disaster prone country in the world, experiencing multiple typhoons a year. These natural events cause significant damage to farms and the assets of small-holder farmers. The high risk of typhoons is one of the main reasons why most banks are unwilling to extend

The GIIF Program hosted a knowledge exchange session at the 2022 International Conference on Inclusive Insurance, held in Jamaica between 24-28 October 2022. The International Conference, hosted by the Munich Re Foundation, the Microinsurance Network and the Insurance Association of Jamaica, was attended by over 400 experts from 50+ countries. The objective was to offer a platform to discuss and identify ways of accelerating growth and economic viability in inclusive insurance for emerging markets. In this conference, the GIIF program hosted a session on agriculture index insurance focusing on

With a population of 211 million(1) and a low insurance penetration of less than 1%(2) , Nigeria represents one of Africa’s most important insurance markets. Despite this potential, the market’s growth is constrained by a lack of suitable products, cumbersome claims’ processes and unsuitable premium collection methods, limited awareness among consumers, lack of trust in insurance and low purchasing power. Market actors are innovating to surmount these challenges and reach the underserved through insurtech: to fast-track customer acquisition, enhance insurance awareness and scale last mile

Smallholder farmers hold the key to feeding Africa’s rising population. However, increasing risks from climate change-related crises threaten their ability to do so as these risks affect both agricultural productivity and food security. Though insurance can increase their resilience, few farmers have access to agricultural insurance. With overall insurance penetration at 2.78%(1) in Africa, and especially low agricultural insurance uptake, there is need to broaden the toolkit for smallholders to increase their resilience. To contribute to the efforts in increasing access to agricultural

Kenya, dubbed, Africa’s “Silicon Savannah” is leading the charge in technological innovations in financial inclusion. It is among the continent’s leaders in insurtech innovations. Could the widespread use of mobile money, coupled with a supportive regulatory environment spur the development of inclusive insurance for the underserved? These were among the questions that more than 60 insurance stakeholders recently addressed during the First Insurance Development Forum (IDF) -Microinsurance Network (MIN) Country Workshop on Inclusive Insurance in Kenya during September 28 and 29, 2022. Kenya is