The Ghana Insurers Association (GIA), has launched the first insurance literacy club at the Kanda Cluster of Schools, in Accra, to engender pupils’ interest in insurance security.
The new initiative was introduced by the Insurers Association ,in collaboration with the Sub-Metro Directorate of the Ghana Education Service (GES), to inculcate into pupils the benefits of insurance so that it becomes a way of life for them as they grow.
Mr Ivan Abubakar Avereyireh, GIA President, speaking at the launch said the idea was to reach out to young ones who in turn could serve as agents of change to influence parents, relatives and the entire community about insurance.
“It is unfortunate in our part of the world, the important role and contribution of insurance is not given the recognition it deserves. No wonder insurance penetration is still below two per cent.
“We have realised that the key reason contributing to this is the lack of knowledge and awareness among the citizenry. The GIA is therefore working with other stakeholders to increase awareness,” he said.
Mr Avereyireh said the establishment of the insurance clubs in the first and second cycle schools is to promote insurance knowledge among school children and make them insurance ambassadors.
He said the club members would be equipped with basic knowledge about insurance as well as serve as a platform to introduce the young ones to a possible future career as insurance professionals.
He said policies such as the motor third party policy and insurance policy for commercial buildings, have been made compulsory by law to provide compensation to innocent third parties who may fall victim but because people are not insurance literate they fail to enjoy these benefits.
He said the industry would be engaging the GES, Economic Community of West African States and the West African Examination Council to include insurance education in the academic curricula of students to help teach insurance knowledge and benefits into the future leaders of this nation.
Mr Simon Nero Davor, the Deputy Commissioner of Insurance, said insurance is very important in every aspect of human life.
He said Ghanaians needs to know that the best form of protection for their properties is insurance and not the watchman, the alarms, dogs and CCTV cameras.
Mrs Lena Adu-Kofi, the Chief Executive Officer of Safety Insurance Brokers Limited and Vice President of Ghana Insurance Brokers, congratulated the GIA for the initiative saying: “It will enable the pupils to have a positive mindset on insurance.”
She said most Ghanaians know about street laws but do not know what to do when their properties are damaged.
“Many people have been displaced due to various forms of disasters and we want to end this, I call on all to insure themselves as well as their properties in other that they can be restored to their original state in emergency situations.”
The GIA is the trade Association of all insurance and reinsurance companies licenced to transact insurance business.
Source: GNA
