'Without insurance it will be difficult for a nation to develop'

The Secretary General of the Insurance Association of The Gambia (IAG) has reiterated the importance of insurance to a nation, saying that with without insurance it will be difficult for a nation to develop.

SG Henry Jawo made this statement in Banjul yesterday at the start of the IAG's weeklong sensitization campaign geared towards raising consciousness and awareness of the public about insurance and insurance policies.

"Insurance is a requirement to the development of any nation," Mr Jawo said. "Without insurance you will find out that it will be difficult for a nation to develop because building of a nation is very expensive and it calls for a lot of resources but if there is no protection, disasters do happen and when a disaster occurs without adequate protection in the form of insurance, it means you have to start from the beginning."

The Insurance Awareness Week, which is to lay the foundation for building a trusting relationship between insurance providers and the public, started with a march-past from the National Assembly to the IAG Secretariat in Banjul, by member-companies of the IAG and some students alongside the police band.

Mr Jawo said the campaign, which is part of IAG’s information, education and clarification programme, seeks to let the public know that insurance is good for oneself and for a nation because "it let you to take protection of yourself, your property or anything that is of value to you".

The weeklong event that seeks to draw attention to the noble profession of insurance, will contribute in providing better understanding of basic insurance by the public, improving the public image of the industry and developing public interest on insurance, to pave way for a more insurance responsive public. 

Dawda Sarge, IAG president and the Managing Director of Prime Insurance, said the IAG is trying to raise consciousness and awareness about some of the things which are actually "affecting the industry - they may be positive or negative".

"The positive side of it is to make sure that we build and enhance the relationship," he elucidated. "We feel that it is necessary to make sure that all stakeholders, be it people who purchase insurance, people who sell it, people who intermediate and people who even aspire to be participants in the industry have the confidence to come on board. 

"When it is negative, we try to make sure that the right image is created, the right understanding is cemented so that together we build a better industry, build better economy, and build a better nation."

The IAG president says the campaign will be conducted annually. "We want to make sure that every year we have a week wherein we keep harping on some of these things so that it will be entrenched in the minds of every stakeholder or every concerned individual."

The weeklong campaign focuses on creating improved public relations and offers students, business entities and communities in The Gambia the opportunity to engage in educational activities from dynamic lectures and presentations on various issues about insurance in the country.