In the heart of Kanda, a bustling enclave of Accra, Ghana’s insurance industry has planted a milestone destined to redefine how insurance is perceived, accessed, and delivered. Recently, the Ghana Insurers Association (GIA), in partnership with the Ghana National Bureau (GNB) of the ECOWAS Brown Card Insurance Scheme, commissioned a modern, three-storey office complex—aptly named “Insurance House”.
The new headquarters, occupying approximately 1,750 square meters and featuring facilities that rival any global standard, is more than just another office building. It is a powerful statement of vision: that insurance in Ghana must evolve beyond paperwork, beyond abstract promises, and become a living, visible commitment to transparency, innovation, and public trust.
The Insurance House project represents a long-anticipated transition from transience to permanence. For decades, the GIA had operated from rented premises just a few buildings away, while the GNB moved repeatedly, settling most recently in the Mainstream Reinsurance House in Osu. This disjointed arrangement mirrored the fragmented perception of insurance among the Ghanaian public—distant, bureaucratic, and often inaccessible.
But on the day of the commissioning, that narrative shifted decisively. Industry leaders, regulators, and practitioners from every corner of Ghana’s insurance ecosystem gathered under the same roof to witness the dawn of a new era. An era where the sector embraces a collective and unified front to champion inclusivity and consumer confidence.
As a building, Insurance House is designed to accommodate this bold ambition. The facility boasts a large reception hall to welcome the public, a banking hall for seamless transactions, multiple conference and meeting rooms for policy deliberation, and modern office spaces for the GIA and GNB.
Inclusivity and Accessibility: The New Mandate
Beyond its physical footprint, the inauguration carried an underlying message captured by the event’s theme: Inclusivity and Accessibility: Purpose Beyond Profit. In her keynote address, the Commissioner of Insurance, Dr. Abiba Zakariah, underscored the urgent need for Ghana’s insurance sector to recalibrate its priorities. She called on industry players to innovate products that meet the realities of all Ghanaians, particularly those in the informal sector who remain uninsured and economically vulnerable.
Her sentiment echoed the broader policy shift underway at the National Insurance Commission (NIC), which is implementing programs to demystify insurance and deepen penetration. These include the Insurance Awareness Month campaigns, initiatives to embed insurance companies on university campuses, and the design of tailored products such as microinsurance for agriculture and small businesses.
At the heart of this push is a simple conviction: insurance must be relevant and practical to everyday life. Whether a farmer recovering from floods or a market trader rebuilding after a fire, insurance should no longer be seen as a distant luxury but as a real, dependable solution.
Dr. Abiba Zakariah celebrated the resilience and unity that made the Insurance House possible: “This building stands because of a collective perseverance and unshakable unity.”
She described the Insurance House as a symbol of progress and a catalyst for transformation: “A bold symbol of progress, unity and our collective commitment to transforming Ghana’s insurance sector.”
Furthermore, Dr. Zakariah called on the industry to look beyond profitability.
The theme—Inclusivity and Accessibility: Purpose Beyond Profit—calls on us to make insurance relevant and accessible to all Ghanaians. We are driving initiatives that promote inclusive insurance and foster innovation within the industry. We reaffirm our commitment to driving regulatory reform, encouraging product innovation, and strengthening consumer education.”
Specifically, she detailed targeted programs that will build awareness and expand access.
We are fostering insurance innovation challenges, designed to stimulate creative solutions for local insurance needs. We are also investing in agricultural risk management through the establishment of an Agricultural Insurance Fund, with plans to expand coverage across the entire agricultural value chain.”
A Symbol of Unity and Professional Maturity
If there was one theme that resonated among all speakers at the inauguration, it was the symbolism of the building itself. Dr. Zakariah described the Insurance House as “a bold symbol of progress, unity and our collective commitment to transforming Ghana’s insurance sector.” That sense of collective achievement was palpable as attendees reminisced about the years of bureaucratic hurdles, funding challenges, and competing priorities that nearly derailed the project.
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For decades, the insurance industry in Ghana operated in silos, each association and company managing its affairs in isolation. The inauguration of a shared headquarters marks a departure from that fragmented approach. Insurance House now stands as a testament to what is possible when institutions pool resources and align visions.
It is no coincidence that the facility includes spaces designed for public engagement—lounges, a reception hall, and a banking hall where consumers can walk in to resolve complaints, make inquiries, or learn more about insurance products. The building, in its very architecture, embodies the industry’s commitment to open its doors—literally and figuratively—to the Ghanaian public.
A New Era for Ghana’s Insurance Sector
Mr. Seth Aklasi, President of the Ghana Insurers Association (GIA), in his welcoming address, reflected on the deeper significance of the new headquarters, urging industry players and the public to see beyond the building itself. “This event is not about bricks and mortar, but about legacy, collaboration, and shared vision,” he remarked, emphasizing that the Insurance House represents far more than a physical structure. He explained that the edifice was deliberately designed to serve as an accessible hub for everyone in the insurance value chain. “Anybody who comes here should know that whether it’s a complaint or an enquiry, this is the place to come,” he said, underscoring the Association’s commitment to transparency and openness.
Mr. Aklasi also highlighted some of the practical tools the GIA has introduced to improve public trust and responsiveness across the sector. “We have introduced tools like the CMAB hotline (0800442000) to resolve claims issues promptly, a vital step in building public trust,” he stated. These innovations, he noted, will enable policyholders to receive faster assistance and ensure that their concerns are addressed without unnecessary delays.
Speaking to The Vaultz Africa on the sidelines of the inauguration, Mr. Seth Aklasi, President of the Ghana Insurers Association, iterated the historic significance of the edifice.
In this edifice we have the Complaints Management and Advice Bureau, where we say that if you have any challenge with insurance anywhere, at least there is a point of contact. GIA offices are here and the Brown Card Bureau, and this is why we are glad and proud that we have brought insurance to the people of Ghana by giving them something physically tangible that they can relate to.”
The development of Insurance House has been a long journey marked by commitment and strategic collaboration. Mr. Aklasi recounted the complex process that began decades ago. “The land was acquired in the 90s, and then we had to do a swap. So it’s taken some considerable period from the late 90s, early 2000s for us to get here,” he explained. This milestone, he noted, reflects the GIA’s ambition to demystify insurance and make it more relatable to Ghanaians.
The essence of having to have an edifice for the association is that, to a large extent, insurance is an intangible thing. People may not necessarily realize and touch insurance. We’ve tried to get to a point where anybody who has any need for insurance, has any dispute for insurance, can come here and know that, yes, it’s not something that insurance is just going to pass through. We’re trying to establish our footprint and our presence.”
A Hub for Collaboration, Regulation, and Professionalism
The new Insurance House is more than a symbol; it is designed to strengthen collaboration and reinforce professional standards within Ghana’s insurance ecosystem. Mr. Aklasi emphasized that insurance, by its nature, is often subject to contractual complexities and disputes. “The fact that globally insurance always is being sold, there are always contractual things that come up—construction, contractual disputes that come out relating to insurance. People have to sometimes go to court,” he observed.
To address this, the association has integrated a robust claims management and advisory function within the new facility.
One of our goals is to get insurance to the people. So, the association has a claims management and advisory Bureau, which is supposed to sort out the contractual differences between our insuring public and the insurance companies. We house that in this building. We needed that presence that anybody who goes around and says that we have a building here should know that if there is anything insurance, whether it’s complaint or inquiries, we should be able to get it from this place.”
Enhancing Engagement and Service Delivery
For years, policyholders have complained about the lack of visibility and engagement from insurers, particularly at the critical point of claim settlement. Mr. Aklasi stressed that the Insurance House represents a clear departure from that perception. “As I initially mentioned…, the whole point with policyholders is that people then always talk about the fact that, when it comes to claims, you do not see insurance people. It’s only at the point of collecting the premium (that you see them),” he said candidly.
We have this edifice here. If you have any challenge with any claim, this is the point that you have to come to. And once you come here, everything is going to be sorted. That is, trying to bring insurance to the doorsteps of people and to establish a base to which we can have interaction and consensus building with the insuring public.”
The physical presence of the Insurance House, Mr. Aklasi said, is intended to inspire trust and make insurance more real and approachable to the public.
There’s always this complaint about insurance people: we do not see them. We want you to see us. We want you to know where we are. We want to engage you and we want you to come with all your complaints, then we can solve them, because we want to actually bring insurance to life. And this is an edifice that is bringing insurance to life in the minds of the people.”
In addition to hosting the association’s offices and the Complaints Bureau, the facility has been developed as a commercial investment property.
It also serves as a commercial investment property, designed to generate resources for its maintenance.
Navigating Economic Shifts and the Cedi’s Fluctuations
Turning his attention to the broader economic environment, Mr. Aklasi commented on the recent appreciation of the Ghanaian cedi and its impact on the industry. “The appreciation of the cedi is something that is good for everyone. Consistently, we have been complaining that the values and sums assured get to change over a period as a result of inflation and depreciation of the cedi,” he explained.
He elaborated that currency stability is crucial for insurers to deliver on their promise of indemnity.
Once the cedi is stable, then we know that it’s good for the planning horizon. And everybody knows that, assuming you have an asset that at the beginning of the year is 10 million cedis, you’re sure that in November, when something happens to that asset, 10 million can restore it, because there wouldn’t be extreme fluctuations in price.”
However, Mr. Aklasi cautioned that the cedi’s appreciation also has nuanced effects, particularly for those who shifted investments into foreign currencies after the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP).
Some people have moved their money into dollars, but as the cedi is appreciating, it means that on their books, whatever they could realize is reducing. So definitely it has an impact. But on the whole, I think that once we have some consistency in the value of the cedi, we can all plan for it and do exactly what we can do with it.”
With the Insurance House now a reality, the GIA is poised to deepen engagement, build trust, and create a more resilient insurance industry that truly serves the people of Ghana. He emphasized the mission to make insurance part of everyday life: “We are working tirelessly to ensure every Ghanaian sees insurance not as a promise, but as a solution.”
As the sun set over Kanda on the day of the commissioning, the significance of the Insurance House was unmistakable. For an industry that has long struggled to win public trust, the new headquarters offers a chance to reset perceptions and rebuild relationships with consumers.
GIA Celebrates Insurance Awareness Month
The Ghana Insurers Association, meanwhile, celebrated the 2025 edition of its annual Insurance Awareness Month, an important campaign to expand public understanding of insurance and promote a culture of protection and resilience. The event was formally inaugurated at the GIA’s new head office, aptly named the Insurance House, located in Kanda, a suburb of Accra. This year’s celebration was anchored on the theme Inclusivity & Accessibility – purpose beyond profit.
Mr. Nashiru Iddrisu, the 1st Vice President of the GIA, stressed that the theme goes beyond catchy words and represents a rallying call for real change.
“This year’s theme is not just a slogan—it is a call to action. It challenges us to look beyond the balance sheets and profit margins, and to focus on the real impact of insurance on the lives of Ghanaians.”
He underscored that insurance must be seen as a right for everyone and not a privilege reserved for a few, describing it as “a tool for empowerment, resilience and shared prosperity.” He further explained that the message #Charge Right or Phase Out# is more than a campaign mantra; it embodies the principle of fairness, transparency, and value in pricing models—an approach essential to long-term industry sustainability.
The CEO of the GIA, Dr. Kingsley Kwesi Kwabahson, unveiled a comprehensive line-up of activities scheduled for this year’s awareness month. Among the highlights were the GIA Industry Games at the University of Ghana, Legon, which brought companies together in friendly sporting competition, as well as a Street Insurance Programme that took insurance education directly to motorists and pedestrians across major cities.
An Insurance Solutions Forum also created space for innovators to propose new products and services, while Insurance Clinics in partnership with Graphic newspapers demystified insurance for the public. The GIA moreover carried out community donations, hosted a thanksgiving service and musical concert, and aired “Drive Time with Insurers” radio sessions to educate listeners on relevant insurance topics. As the campaign got underway, practitioners across Ghana’s insurance industry became optimistic that this year’s edition was the most impactful yet.Bottom of Form
