African Sustainable Insurance Summit 2026

Powering pledge into practice: integrating sustainability into African insurance

The South African Insurance Association (SAIA) today co-hosted the second African Sustainable Insurance Summit?2026 (ASIS) alongside the Nairobi Declaration on Sustainable Insurance (NDSI) and in partnership with the Africa Insurance Organisation (AIO).

The 2026 Summit, themed “Powering Pledge into Practice — Integration of Sustainability in African Insurance”—was opened by Philip Lopokoiyit, Group Chief Executive Officer, ICEA Lion Group, and chairman of NDSI, who thanked SAIA for its support. “This summit is a testament to your leadership, and shared belief that sustainable insurance in Africa is no longer a work of few institutions—it is a collective continental mission.”

In her opening remarks, Viviene Pearson, CEO of the South African Insurance Association (SAIA), thanked Lopokoiyit, saying the non-life insurance industry across Africa played a strategic role in fostering sustainable economic growth.

“Through the summit, we will engage on issues that go to the heart of the industry’s future: climate risk, capital resilience, sustainable underwriting, the regulatory environment, inclusive insurance and the evolving role of insurance in Africa’s development journey,” said Pearson. “Across Africa, the non-life insurance industry increasingly plays a strategic role, fostering economic resilience, infrastructure development and sustainable growth.”

She said convening in Cape Town boosted Africa’s voice in global ESG, reflecting that while the sector is learning from international standards, it is also shaping approaches reflecting African realities, a message echoed by Lopokoiyit and subsequent speakers.

“The core of our business model is integrating ESG into operations while establishing a strong and credible African voice on sustainable insurance,” said Lopokoiyit. “Most importantly, it is a community of practice grounded in African realities.”

Pearson emphasised the Summit’s theme—from pledge to practice—is “focused on advancing the NDSI objectives” by moving from commitments to institutions and from principles to practice. This summit is about not only talking about theory, but how we are going to implement it practically.”

Keynote speaker Jonathan Dixon, Secretary General of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS), told delegates that working together would “create an environment where insurance not only protects, but empowers, building resilience for today’s and tomorrow’s challenges.”

“We all know that sustainable, well-functioning insurance markets protect farmers, businesses and households from financial shocks, support credit and investment, and enable faster recovery from crises – and these are not nice-to-have benefits, they are preconditions for resilient and sustainable development,” he said. “Insurance provides a critical lifeline that can often mark the difference between a life of sustained security and one that spirals into poverty and hardship, particularly in Africa.”

This spiral impacts urban communities. Insurers must evolve from passive risk-takers to active urban resilience partners. This requires a shift toward partnership, innovation and embedding risk reduction into the core business model. On a panel discussion on “Cities and Urban Resilience,” Pamela Ramagaga, General Manager for Insurance Risks, South African Insurance Association (SAIA), was joined by Moses Khangale, Manager, Stakeholder Programmes, Santam Insurance, Francois Petousis, CEO, Lumkani, and Nabeel Rylands, Director, Disaster Risk Reduction, Western Cape Government. The moderator was Mia Thom, Technical Director, Cenfri.

Ramagaga noted that climate- and disaster-linked losses are increasingly systemic, making insurers hesitant to extend cover outside their tried-and-tested “healthy books”. She said the priority for SAIA was to broker practical solutions, encourage innovation and ensure market sustainability.

She cited years-long workstreams, including a proposal to National Treasury for premium subsidies (which evolved into designing parametric / index products for emerging farmers), enabled by regulator-supported testing with fintech/insurtech players, but emphasised that index products only work at scale and require government support to help people afford premiums.

For all these problems, she ended, there are solutions. What was essential was a structured collaborative approach, and that was the role of SAIA—“our interest is to facilitate, to provide the opportunity for growth and innovation.”