Growth of African insurance

Insurance premiums collected in Africa in 2011 amounted to 69.8 billion USD, accounting for 1.5% of the global insurance operations and 3.69% of the entire continent’s GDP. Nearly 90% of premiums come from South Africa. Driven by state reforms and the rise of the middle class, the growth of African markets has outpaced that of GDP. Mergers/acquisitions, which are numerous, have been used by large groups to strengthen their positions. These good figures cannot conceal the many obstacles to overcome: low solvency margins, limited services available to customers, inadequate management systems and slow claim settlement.