• Cameroonian official Éric Kouaghu Tchuisseu has been appointed secretary general of the regional insurance regulator CIMA.

• He will take office on April 1 in Libreville, succeeding Blaise Abel Ezo’o Engolo.

• His mandate will include strengthening the insurance market in a region where penetration remains around 1%.

Cameroonian national Éric Rochereau Kouaghu Tchuisseu has been appointed secretary general of the Inter-African Conference on Insurance Markets (CIMA), according to the Association of Insurance Companies of Cameroon (ASAC).

He will officially take office on April 1 in Libreville, Gabon, succeeding fellow Cameroonian Blaise Abel Ezo’o Engolo, whose term ends after serving in the position since 2021.

Before his appointment, Kouaghu Tchuisseu held several roles within Cameroon’s Ministry of Finance. He worked as a policy officer at the Directorate of Insurance and later served as head of the Insurance Inspectorate, positions that gave him extensive knowledge of the sector.

As head of CIMA’s general secretariat, he will be expected to address several challenges facing the insurance market across the regional bloc. His priorities will include strengthening cooperation among member states, supporting the development and restructuring of insurance companies, and encouraging greater retention of insurance premiums within the region.

These efforts could help raise insurance penetration, which remains low in the CIMA zone at around 1%, far below the global average and levels seen in more developed African markets such as South Africa.

The weak penetration rate reflects several structural factors, including public mistrust of insurance companies, the large size of the informal sector, and limited awareness of insurance products.

To address these challenges, several avenues are being considered, including digital transformation, the development of microinsurance, efforts to rebuild trust among policyholders, financial literacy initiatives, and the expansion of mandatory insurance coverage.

A few weeks before taking office, Kouaghu Tchuisseu met with insurance professionals in Douala gathered under the Association of Insurance Companies of Cameroon (ASAC), who welcomed his appointment and wished him success in his new role.

Sandrine Gaingne