The AfCFTA Continental Insurance Market Implementation Framework has moved from feasibility into implementation, according to Mr Jean Baptiste Ntukamazina, Secretary General of the African Insurance Organisation (AIO).
The framework is a strategic initiative designed to integrate and unify Africa's insurance and reinsurance sectors under the umbrella of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). It aims to remove barriers to cross-border insurance services and mobilise financial resources across the continent. It is supported by the AIO, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and Africa Re
Mr Ntukamazina, whose remarks are published in the AIO’s Annual Report 2026, said, “12 months ago, we were discussing a feasibility study for an integrated continental insurance market framework under the African Continental Free Trade Area. Today, working with the United Nations Development Programme and the African Reinsurance Corporation, that framework is a live project, with an appointed technical partner, a steering committee and an inception report already in hand.”
He also gave an update on the AIO African Insurance Data Repository (AIDR) project.
He said, “The AIDR project has moved into negotiations. The vendor has sent an updated proposal that expands the use of AI to collect data automatically (‘agentification’), so the project can keep up with fast-moving changes in the field.”
He added, “Artificial intelligence makes this work more valuable, not less. AI is only as good as the data it’s given, and the repository is what supplies the curated, verified inputs that make analysis meaningful for Africa’s insurance sector. It’s the foundation that lets AI and other tools produce results decision-makers can trust.
“Beyond serving AIO members directly, the repository will strengthen the case for regulatory reform and support positioning insurance as a foundational pillar of trade and project finance across the continent.”
Referring to the AIO Insurance Mortality Tables Facility project, he said that the feasibility study, which is the first phase of five stages in this project, is underway.
Looking ahead
Mr Ntukamazina said, “The AIO’s principal goal remains increasing insurance penetration across Africa and establishing insurance as an undisputed catalyst for the continent’s development. Concretely, we’re equipping African underwriters with technical skills in agriculture and climate risk, through training across English- and French-speaking markets.
“Agriculture remains the backbone of most African economies and a major source of employment, and climate-related risks, including droughts, floods and other extreme weather events, are growing in frequency and severity. Building adequate risk transfer mechanisms to absorb these shocks, and to protect food security, financial stability and economic growth, will be central to our work this year.”