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SENIOR managers and decision-makers in the insurance industry are expected to converge on Victoria Falls next week for the Insurance Institute of Zimbabwe annual conference that will take place from November 10 to the 13.The annual conference will be held under the theme “Shaping the future of insurance in Zimbabwe”.
Topics to be discussed include opportunities and challenges in the development of micro-insurance: CIC Insurance Group’s experience, Big picture trends in African Insurance: A Reinsurer’s Perspective and Enterprise-risk management: The present and the future.
Others include Employee Risk benefits for an emerging market, Using innovation to exploit opportunities in the insurance sector,
Re-engineering the insurance value chain for the development of the insurance industry, Leading from where you are and a motivational speech by Pastor K. Mazibuko — South Africa
Speakers will include IIZ president Mr Chomi Makina, CIC Insurance Kenya Group group CEO Nelson Kuria, Champions Insurance Company managing director Mr Nathan Chikono and Mr Ben Kajwang.
Others include Continental Reinsurance PLC Nigeria executive director Mr Lawrence Nazare, Alexander Forbes Health-South Africa managing director Ms Butši Tladi and the head of Hollard Group Risk International Mr George Allen.
Mr Makina said the conference is a forum for captains of the insurance industry to come together and craft strategies that will help build the insurance sector.
“It will be a meeting of minds where industry leaders will share ideas and they also get to hear about experiences from other nations from our speakers who will be coming from the region,” he said.
Mr Makina said it was also an opportunity for the industry leaders to take stock of developments that have taken place during the course of the year as well as resolutions that were passed during the last conference.
The insurance industry is on a recovery path with insurance companies battling to overcome negative public perception about the industry that emanated from losses of investments by clients in the insurance sector after the Zimbabwe dollar was demonetised in 2009.
Most of the losses related to life policies and other investments in instruments offered by the insurance sector.
The sector is also battling other issues such as under-cutting on pricing of insurance products due to stiff competition in the industry.
The IIZ is a professional insurance organisation and an independent examining body for people working in and affiliated to the insurance industry that is registered with the Ministry of Higher Education.
The other core function of IIZ is to promote efficiency and improvement in business practice among its members and the delegates that it trains.
The institute achieves this by providing a wide range of both academic and training activities including the setting of examinations.
IIZ compares and shares experiences with the Chartered Insurance Institute of the United Kingdom and the Insurance Institute of South Africa.
The IIZ management board is drawn from the Insurance Council of Zimbabwe, the Life Officers Association of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Insurance Brokers’ Association and the Zimbabwe Association of Reinsurance Organisations.
Others include the Zimbabwe Association of Funeral Assurers, the Insurance Institute of Harare and the Insurance Institute of Bulawayo.
Online Reporter