The much-expected Association of Insurers and Reinsurers of Developing Countries (AIRDC) meeting has been postponed to next year, 2021.
A letter signed by Professor Januario C. Aliwalas, Secretary-General of the Association, pointed out that due to the special circumstances prevailing in AIRDC’s member-countries in respect of the COVID-19 pandemic, the board of trustees has decided to postpone the 2020 General Membership meeting that was scheduled to be held in Ghana to September 2021.
AIRDC was supposed to have organised the conference in conjunction with the National Insurance Commission and Ghana Insurance Industry. It was supposed to be the 22nd International Conference in Accra, which was expected to be held from 22nd to 25th September 2020 on the theme ‘Increasing Insurance Penetration in Developing Countries – the Way Forward’.
AIRDC is an International Insurance Association with it secretariat located in Manila, Philippines. Its membership cuts across Asia, Africa and the Middle East, with a mission to serve as a forum of collaboration for the exchange of insurance knowledge and best practices.
Ghana was chosen at the 2018 AIRDC conference in Kathmandu, Nepal, to host a 2020 AIRDC conference in Accra; and Mrs. Dr. Elizabeth Wyns-Dogbe, Managing Director of SIC Life – who is also a member of the Board of Trustees, was appointed Vice President of the Association.
Subsequently, a Local Organising Committee (LOC) made up of representatives from the various industry associations and institutions – including the National Insurance Commission (NIC), Ghana Insurers Association (GIA), Insurance Brokers Association of Ghana (IBAG), Chartered Insurance Institute of Ghana (CIIG), National Association of Ghana Insurance Agents (NAGIA) and Chartered Insurance Ladies Association of Ghana (CILAC) – were inaugurated by the Commissioner of Insurance, Justice Ofori, to plan and organise the 2020 AIRDC conference in Accra.
Unfortunately, the global pandemic struck to disrupt the much-awaited gathering that was budgeted to draw the attention of about 500 local and foreign delegates from over 20 countries to attend, which warranted the board of trustees’ shift to next year.
The coordinator in Ghana, Mr. George Otoo of the National Insurance Commission (NIC), has therefore called on companies to start planning their budget toward membership registration of their companies to attend the conference.
The membership subscription is minimal and comes with other benefits for members.
It will be recalled that during the period of uncertainty owing to the pandemic, AIRDC organised live via Zoom online meetings for members. Last week Friday, AIRDC chose the topic of ‘What Insurers need to do to sustain the Growth of Micro Insurance’. The host was Professor Januario C. Aliwalas, and the special guest Jong Merida Jr. – who is an Author/Teacher/CEO and doubles as Director and Lead Faculty of the Centre for Wealth Management, in addition to being a Faculty Member of the Insurance Institute of Asia and the Pacific.
