About 98 percent of insurance companies have met the new minimum capital requirement of the National Insurance Commission (NIC).

The regulator in June 2019 announced new minimum capital requirements for players in the insurance space. It increased the minimum capital requirement for life and non-life companies from GH¢15 million to GH¢50 million, while that of reinsurance companies was raised from GH¢40 million to GH¢125 million. Insurance brokers also had their minimum capital increased from GH¢300,000 to GH¢500,000 while that of reinsurance brokers remained at GH¢1 million.

All companies in the sector were to have complied with the new minimum capital requirements within two years by June 2021. However, the regulator extended the deadline by six months because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A year after the deadline extension, Head of Marketing and External Relations at NIC, Moses Ackah-Jayne, has indicated that almost all of the insurance companies have met the required capital.

“All the companies that are currently operating have met the minimum capital requirements. There are a few discussing other details, about 98 percent largely have all met the minimum capital,” Mr. Ackah-Jayne said.

Mr. Ackah-Jayne said this in an interview with the B&FT on the sidelines of a four days Micro and Small Business Clinics (MSBC) for artisan leadership, small and medium enterprises (SME) and traders from several markets within Ashanti Region, organised by the National Insurance Commission in partnership with GIZ, Sanlam Insurance and Activa Insurance Company Limited.

Mr. Ackah-Jayne highlighted the need for the NIC to embark on the micro and small business clinic, indicating that it would help erode the negative perception about the insurance industry.

It also afforded the participants a better understanding of the work of insurers and how important it is for them to purchase insurance products and services.

“You would appreciate the fact that the key employers in the country’s economy are the medium and small-scale enterprises. Unfortunately, because of lack of awareness and negative perception about insurance, they have been sidelined and have not been enrolled into the formal systems. Meanwhile, they command a very large chunk of the economy and the most vulnerable.

“This programme is to reach out to these people to sensitise them on what insurance is all about and to help them appreciate the fact that insurance would help them to secure the future of their business,” he stressed.

Additionally, Mr. Ackah-Jayne noted that the NIC is putting in measures to ensure that insurance companies in the country also adhere to the tenets of the sector in a bid to redeem the image of the industry.

The participants were, however, encouraged to report any wrongdoing by insurance companies to the Complaints and Settlement unit at NIC for redress.