WAICA Reveals Speaker Lineup For 2025 Education Conference

The West African Insurance Companies Association (WAICA) has announced the lineup of speakers for its 2025 Education Conference, set to take place this October at Eko Hotels and Suites, Lagos.

WAICA’s Secretary-General and CEO, Mr. Davis Iyasere, confirmed that the keynote address centered on the theme “The West African Insurer in the Face of Climate Change” will be delivered by Mr. Olusegun Ayo Omosehin, Commissioner for Insurance and Chief Executive Officer of the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM).

Notable speakers scheduled to feature at the event include Mr. Bockarie Kaloko, Deputy Minister of Finance, Republic of Sierra Leone; Mr. Wole Oshin, Group Managing Director of Custodian Investments Plc; and Dr. Abiba Zakariah, Acting Commissioner of Insurance, Ghana.

The conference is expected to host around 150 participants from WAICA member countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and delegates from outside the sub-region.

Commenting on the conference, the Director-General of the Nigerian Insurers Association, Mrs Bola Odukale, said,

“We expect this conference to impact a lot on our understanding as far as the theme of the conference is concerned.

We are going to hold it in Lagos, which is the Centre of Excellence as far as Nigeria is concerned. From this conference, we expect a lot of learning in terms of the conference paper in itself. Learnings that will, at the end of the day, impact our thoughts and even our businesses across Africa, across West Africa, as far as the insurance business is concerned. We know Lagos is a beautiful place to be.”

In his contribution to the hosting of the conference in Lagos, Nigeria, Chairman of CHI Holdings Limited and former President of WAICA, Mr Eddie Efekoha, stated,

“I am happy that Nigeria will be hosting the conference this year. For me, we would extend to delegates, particularly the first-timers, the usual Nigerian hospitality. We have our way of welcoming our guests, and we will extend that to them. They are coming to Lagos, where the conference will be held, and Lagos is the commercial centre of Nigeria, and we believe that any visitor, any delegate, would indeed enjoy himself or herself during their stay.

“We expect that they don’t just limit their stay to the conference. They either come ahead of the conference or stay one or two days after the conference so that they can visit some of the monuments or places of interest that we have, which could be refreshing, and this will be a total package for them. I think WAICA, by its very nature and structure, rotates its conference amongst member countries, so it’s standard that Nigeria is hosting this conference from October 12 to 15, 2025. It’s something of a delight, and Nigeria is a big market, if not the biggest market, amongst the five countries making up WAICA. I’m trying to be a bit modest in my speaking; otherwise, I know for a fact that we are the biggest market.”

Also speaking at the conference, Past President of the African Insurance Organisation, Mr Tope Smart, and Chairman of NEM Insurance Plc also highlighted the market opportunities in the country.

“Nigeria is a very good place. If you are talking about Nigeria, you are talking about a country with good talents, our people are well talented. Most importantly, Nigeria remains one of the best investment destinations in the world. People will come here and have fun and come back to take advantage of investment opportunities that we have in Nigeria.”