The organizational model of the AIO

The AIO's organizational model is built around four entities: the General Assembly, the Executive Committee, the Presidency and the General Secretariat.

The General Assembly of the AIO

Meeting once a year, the General Assembly is the African Insurance Organization’s supreme body. It defines the organization's strategic orientations and appoints its key executives: the President, Vice-President and members of the Executive Committee.

AIO Executive Committee

After the General Assembly, the Executive Committee is the AIO's second decision-making body. The term of office for members of the Executive Committee is three years, renewable.

The Executive Committee comprises a President, a Vice-President, the Immediate Past President and 17 other members. All Executive Committee members are appointed by the Assembly. Most are senior executives from insurance companies or regulatory bodies.

The main missions of the Executive Committee are:

• to implement the decisions of the General Assembly,
• to draw up strategic orientations and propose development policies for the African insurance sector,
• to manage the organization's missions, including the work of the General Secretariat,
• to monitor the implementation of the budget, programs and projects,
• to manage the organization's administrative and financial problems,
• to represent the AIO in certain events or partnerships on a mandate basis.

The executive committee currently in office comprises:

• Patty Karuaihe-Martin, AIO president since 2024
• Mola Yared, Vice-President since June 2024
• Cherif Benhabiles, outgoing President
• 17 other members ⁽¹⁾

Patty Karuaihe-Martin,
AIO President since 2024

⁽¹⁾ Countries of origin of the 17 members: Nigeria (2 members), Kenya (2 members), Cameroon, Uganda, Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire, Tunisia, Egypt, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Republic of Guinea, Algeria and Ghana.

The AIO President

To promote regional balance, the presidency of the organization is pursuing a rotating principle between the different geographical zones of Africa. In practice, the President is a representative of the country hosting the Annual General Assembly.

The President is appointed from among the organization's ordinary members (insurance or reinsurance companies) in the host country.

Patty Karuaihe-Martin, current AIO President, has held this position since the 50th General Assembly, held in Windhoek, Namibia, in 2024.

P. Karuaihe-Martin, CEO of NamibRe, is the sixth woman to take the reins of the organization since its creation in 1972. She succeeds Cherif Benhabiles, General Manager of the Caisse Nationale de Mutualité Agricole (Algeria), whose term of office ended at the same Windhoek conference.

The role of the AIO President

Once elected, the President shall:

• lead meetings of the General Assembly and the Executive Committee,
• represent the AIO in international bodies,
• guide the work and ensure that decisions be implemented, in collaboration with the General Secretary.

AIO Women's Leadership

* Delphine Traoré served two consecutive terms due to the Covid-19 pandemic

List of the different AIO Presidents

The AIO General Secretariat

The AIO's Secretary General plays a central role in the due progress of the organization. He or she is the head of administration, tasked with operational management, coordinating activities and implementing decisions taken by the organization's governing bodies.

As a knowledgeable professional, the Secretary General has executive responsibilities which include:

• ensuring the day-to-day management of the AIO (administrative, financial, logistical fields),
• implementing the decisions of the Executive Committee and General Assembly,
• coordinating technical activities, training, forums, publications,
• preparing meetings of the Executive Committee and General Assembly,
• representing the organization externally, on a technical and institutional level.

The General Secretariat comprises:

• a Secretary General, appointed by the General Assembly,
• a six-member administrative team.

The AIO Secretary General

Jean Baptiste Ntukamazina has held the position of Secretary General since September 2019. J. B. Ntukamazina was appointed to this position at the 46^th Conference and General Assembly, held from 9 to 13 June 2019 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Prior to his appointment, the current AIO Secretary General had held the position of Managing Director of Prime Insurance (Ex Cogear), Rwanda. He was a member of the Executive Committee from 2012 to 2015 and President of the AIO in 2014-2015.

J. B. Ntukamazina succeeds Prisca Soares in this position for 12 years.

List of AIO Secretaries-General

Since AIO's establishment to the present day, seven African personalities have succeeded each other as Secretary General of the organization.

NA: Not available

Other AIO bodies

The African Insurance Organization has set up numerous pools, committees and associations that enable member companies to better manage their risks, while facilitating inter-African exchanges.

Committees, pools and associations

No less than 10 specialized structures and committees have been set up to support the development of the insurance sector in Africa.

The Life Committee

This committee has been designed to promote life insurance and pension funds in Africa. It holds a seminar once a year on the sideline of the Annual General Assembly.

The Life Committee is currently working on a life insurance pricing project and the development of African mortality tables.

The Oil & Energy Pool

It was at the 13th General Assembly, held in Bujumbura, Burundi, in June 1986, that the establishment of the Oil and Energy Pool (AOEIP) was formalized. Managed by Africa Re, the pool began operations on 1 January 1989. It currently has 51 members, and by 31 December 2023 had an underwriting capacity of 90 million USD.

Written premiums had risen from 0.28 million USD in 1990 to 27.13 million USD in 2023.

The Aviation Pool

Set up in 1983, the aviation pool, like the oil and energy pool, is managed by Africa Re with currently 52 member companies.

The Association of African Insurance Educators and Trainers (AAIET)

Founded in 1999 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the association operates under the umbrella of the AIO as an entity with legal personality and financial autonomy. During the 2023-2024 period, AAIET trained 300 members from 20 countries, registering a 30% increase in membership.

The association is currently developing a program called “Train the Trainers” and organizes at least two webinars a year.

The African Center for Catastrophic Risks (ACCR)

Set up in 2005 in Casablanca, Morocco, in partnership with UNCTAD and the World Bank, A.C.C.R is managed by Atlantic Re (formerly Société Centrale de Réassurance, SCR), Morocco.

The center’s task consists in developing insurance and reinsurance capacities for natural catastrophe risks, and in consolidating prevention against these hazards.

The Africa Insurance Women Association (AIWA)

Since its establishment in May 2023, the association has expanded its membership from 13 to 25 countries. It has also recorded the creation of 11 new women's insurance associations.

AIWA has been developing strategic partnerships, organizing educational webinars on insurance-related topics.

Le Réseau Africain des Associations d'Assurance (African Network of Insurers Association, ANIA)

Set up in 2023, the ANIA network currently comprises 17 national associations representing 600 insurance companies. ANIA is intent on extending its network to French-speaking African countries.

In collaboration with the AIO and local regulators, the organization is aiming to strengthen and harmonize the regulatory framework in member countries.

Pan African Insurance Agents' Association (PAIAA)

This is a continental organization bringing together national associations of African insurance agents. Its mission is to promote the profession of insurance agent and defend the interests of its members.

The microinsurance network

This network has been established to promote a range of low-premium products, with simplified guarantees, designed to cover health, death, agricultural or economic loss risks for underprivileged populations or those excluded from the traditional insurance system.

African Insurance Brokers Association (AIBA)

AIBA was one of the first organizations established by the African Insurance Organization (AIO). Its aim is to facilitate, encourage and promote the insurance broker profession in Africa. AIBA is based in Lagos, Nigeria.

The AIO sub-committees

In addition to committees, pools and associations, the AIO has three sub-committees:

• The Audit, Finance &Organisational Strategy Sub-Committee
• The Governance, Nomination and Human Resources Sub-committee
• The Capacity Building, Education and Partnerships Sub-committee

50^th general assembly, held in Windhoek, Namibia, in 2024