The ECOWAS Brown Card Insurance Scheme was established to facilitate seamless trade and travel within ECOWAS member states, ensuring that the movement of goods, services, and people is safeguarded by a reliable insurance framework.

The main objective of the Scheme is to ensure prompt and fair compensation to the victims of road accidents for the damages caused them by non-residing motorists traveling from other ECOWAS member States to their country.

Last week, the 39th General Assembly and Ordinary Session of the Council of Bureaux of the ECOWAS Brown Card Insurance Scheme was held in Accra, Ghana to take stock and reflect on successes and challenges encountered during the implementation of the insurance scheme.

The four-day event centered on how the insurance scheme can be positioned as a Specialized Institution/Agency of the ECOWAS Commission for effective Free Movement and Trade Facilitation.

The Chairman of the Ghana National Bureau, Henry Bukari, during the opening ceremony, described the ECOWAS Brown Card Insurance Scheme as a hallmark of regional integration.

Acting Commissioner of Insurance, Michael Kofi Andoh, called upon all insurers and bureaus to adhere to provisions of regulatory frameworks.

He said “The advent of automatic brown card issuance promises a more efficient settlement process yet we must not become complacent. Proper reinsurance Arrangements are also essential to sustaining this momentum guaranteeing timely settlement. We call upon the motor underwriting companies to honour the obligations with the same zeal irrespective of where the claim originates”.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, represented by her deputy, Mavis Nkansah Boadu charged the Council of Bureaux for the ECOWAS Brown Card Insurance Scheme to address the challenges facing the implementation of the scheme to further facilitate and enhance trade and movement of people in the sub-region.

She said, “Several years down the line some challenges have arisen which include frauds in the acquisition of the certificate at the borders, frauds in the settlement of claims, delays in the settlement of claims, inadequate funding for the national bureaux and lack of public awareness and education amongst others.

These issues have hindered the smooth functioning of the scheme and have negatively impacted its effectiveness in facilitating seamless travel and trade within the ECOWAS member states”.