The Guinean Professional Association of Insurers (APAC) has launched a campaign to digitise car insurance certificates. This is a major step forward in modernising the insurance sector in Guinea.
Through this initiative, carried out with the support of the Central Bank of the Republic of Guinea, particularly the Insurance Supervision Directorate, as well as the Guinean National Office for the ECOWAS Brown Card, industry stakeholders aim to strengthen transparency and secure insurance contracts. They also aim to curb fraud linked to counterfeit car insurance documents, reported Guineematin.com.
APAC officials said that the digital transformation will allow policyholders to have their motor insurance certificates directly on their phones through a secure digital system.
Speaking at the launch held in May 2026, the Managing Director of SUNU Assurances’s life and non-life insurance units in Guinea, Ms Mariame Bah Barry, representing the APAC Executive Board, said that paper documentation has shown many limitations, particularly in the face of a rise in fraud: falsification, duplication.
She said, “The circulation of fake certificates have severely damaged policyholders' trust in the sector and weakened the insurance market. Too often, it is only after an accident that people realise they are not actually covered. Faced with this situation, it was imperative to act.
“Since September 2024, the professional association, with the support of the National Bureau of the Brown Card and the Central Bank of the Republic of Guinea, has undertaken a process of digitising car insurance certificates.”
The digital solution secures the issuance of insurance certificates, guarantee their authenticity and traceability, and facilitate their verification by the authorities.
Ms Barry added, “This reform goes beyond a simple change of medium. It contributes to cleaning up the market and restoring trust. Its success depends on everyone's involvement. That is why significant training and awareness-raising work has been carried out for several months with the security forces, particularly the police and the gendarmerie, who will play a key role in verification.”
The police are equipped with devices that allow them to verify whether a vehicle is insured or not, using QR codes.
Trust
For his part, Mr Ibrahima Keita, Secretary General of the Guinean Professional Association of Insurers, denounced the extent of insurance policy fraud, which has severely damaged relations between insurance companies and policyholders.
“We took this initiative because we’ve observed for several years that counterfeiters have taken the market hostage. Insurance certificates were being duplicated, fake documents were circulating, and some individuals had set themselves up as bogus insurers, deceiving potential policyholders. They were offering contracts for GNF200,000 ($22.80) or GNF50,000, when these contracts actually cost GNF600,000, GNF500,000, or GNF400,000. The policy documents given to these people are forgeries. In the event of a traffic accident, these documents cannot be accepted by any insurance company. This is why some insurers had problems with policyholders and accident victims. This created a crisis of confidence between policyholders and insurance companies, as well as between accident victims and the insurance sector in Guinea.”
Online purchase of motor insurance
He also said that the new digital system will allow users to subscribe to and pay for their insurance policies via their mobile phones. He said, “Your insurance contract, which used to be on paper and easily falsified, will now be on your phone. It will be a digital document. Even subscribing can be done via your phone: you can call your insurer, communicate with them, provide your car or motorcycle details, and quote a price for insurance for one year or six months. From your phone, you make the payment and receive your contract. This way, no one can falsify it."