The Chartered Insurance Institute of Ghana (CIIG) has held its maiden insurance industry awards at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra last week.

CIIG proved to be a super organiser when it held the maiden edition of the award ceremony, which they have long wanted to do over the past years but hadn’t been successful.

The CIIG is the umbrella-body of all insurance professionals in the industry, and under the leadership of outgoing president, Rev. Asante Marfo-Ahenkora who thought it wise to institute a credible event to fill that gap.

Speaking at the ceremony, Rev. Marfo-Ahenkora said the insurance industry – unlike other industries, had been bereft of an award team and an effort was made by the Ghana Insurers Association (GIA) some years ago to organise one, which unfortunately did not meet expectations of the industry and public as the event-planners failed to understand fully their peculiar industry nuances and complexities.

He recalled that attempts were subsequently made to resuscitate the awards and bring representatives from various industry bodies to form a committee to champion it.

Importantly, he affirmed that the CIIG was better placed as a professional body with membership spanning the whole spectrum of industry bodies – and more so as a neutral, credible non-market body – to initiate and organise their wards in a way of promoting excellence in the profession and industry as a whole.

He therefore encouraged all in the insurance industry to put in their best to regain the public’s trust in insurance companies, adding that the event will be an annual programme as it has come to stay.

The event was sponsored by the Ghana Insurers Association (GIA), Insurers Brokers Association (IBAG), Ghana Insurance College (GIC), and Chartered Insurance Ladies Association of Ghana (CILAG).

Chairperson of the CIIG Committee, Lydia Lariba Bawa, noted that for some time insurance industries have been yearning for a credible award scheme. At the end of the event, five individuals were recognised for the professionalism exhibited in their field of operations.

Nominees for the individual awards had at least five years’ working experience and were assessed based on their professional conduct, leadership skills, contribution to the industry and, more importantly, the field they entered to be awarded.

The individual awards are: Claims Professional of the Year – Iris Jacqueline Odarkor Logan of Hollard Insurance Ghana; Risk Management Professional of the Year – Tackie Abdul-Sallaam of Hollard; Young Insurance Professional of the Year – Isaac Kwakwa Sarpong of Prime Insurance Company; Insurance Professional of the year – Yaw Adom-Boateng of NSIA insurance Ghana.

Companies Awards 2019: Life Insurance Company of the Year – Enterprise Life Insurance Company; General Business Company of the Year – Enterprise Insurance Company Limited; Insurance Broker of the Year-Life – KEK Life; Reinsurance Company of the Year – Ghana Reinsurance Company; CIIG Reinsurance Broker of the Year – KEK Reinsurance Brokers (Africa) Limited.

CIIG Product of the Year-Life – (MiWay) MiLife; CIIG Product of the Year-General Business – Go Girl Motor Policy; I.T Innovative Company of the Year – Star Assurance; Corporate Social Responsibility Company of the Year – SIC Life Insurance Company Limited; Professional Underwriter of the Year – Nana Serwaa Abrahams of Star Assurance.