South Africa is this year's host for the African Insurance Organisation's (AIO) annual conference which took place in Ghana last year.
"We have taken the baton from such a great country. Ghana truly did an amazing job with this conference last year, and we only hope to build on their sterling work," says Thokozile Mahlangu, CEO of the Insurance Institute of South Africa (IISA) and chairperson of the local organising committee for the AIO 2019 conference.
Themed, Insuring the Uninsured, this year marks the 46th year for the conference and more than 1 000 delegates are expected to attend this weekend's event.
"This year's theme is truly African. To have global delegates tackle this topic over a period of four days should prove to be explosive. For so long we have tried to fit circles into square holes through the products that have been marketing to the public, and this has not worked.
"Hopefully this gathering of great-minds will allow us to dream of finding African insurance solutions for the African market, which I trust will serve as catalysts for the development of African insurance products that meet people's needs," says Mahlangu.
The four-day-conference which will be held at Emperors Palace Conference Centre, Ekurhuleni, from the 9th to the 13th of June has attracted delegates from over 70 countries across the world.
"We live in an era where technology and innovation mean the same thing and conferences of this nature are great platforms to learn from each other, across countries and across continents.
"Africa has immeasurable opportunities. Having other continents on the frontline of insurance gives us the advantage of learning from their experience and expertise. It also allows us the time to find our unique points and assets, the things that matter to our target market, and use tried and tested mechanisms to improve the lives of our people," says Mahlangu.
Coincidentally, The Annual Insurance Conference, The African Insurance Exchange (AIE) is set to start in Sun City a month after this weekend's AIO conference on July 14.
"Our conference will come fresh on the heels of this weekend's lessons and insights which should bode well for engagement and also serve as a catalyst for new ideas and collaborations at the annual AIE," Mahlangu says.
