Country Assessments

In general, there is limited public awareness of insurance in Nigeria, and distrust by those who are aware of it, particularly in urban areas. There is plenty of room for improving business practices towards consumers and innovating to serve the retail and microinsurance segments. The very low penetration of insurance coupled with a large and growing population and economy, represent an attractively large potential market. The top priority for creating an inclusive insurance sector in Nigeria is improving public confidence, trust and awareness. This will depend on strong investment in capacity building, innovative and cost-effective delivery channels, and alliances with partners who are closer to the potential clients. Insurers will need to create simple and affordable products and business models that, when achieving higher scale, can create a viable and sustainable operation. In addition to profound changes within the industry, the regulatory and policy framework and supervisory system need to support inclusive insurance.