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Africa Launches the First Pan-African Pact for Insurance Inclusion

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Africa

400 decision-makers gathered in Cotonou to accelerate access to insurance and contribute to doubling insurance penetration by 2040

DAKAR, Senegal, June 23, 2026/APO Group/ –Faced with a major paradox representing nearly 19% of the world’s population while accounting for less than 1% of global insurance premiums African insurance stakeholders are mobilizing.

 

From July 6 to 8, 2026, the Federation of African National Insurance Companies (FANAF) will organize the General Assembly on Insurance for All at the Sofitel Hotel in Cotonou, Benin, a major pan-African gathering dedicated to inclusive insurance.

The event will bring together nearly 400 African decision-makers from governments, regulatory and supervisory authorities, insurance and reinsurance companies, financial institutions, development banks, technical and financial partners, as well as professional organizations from across the continent.

The ambition is clear: to foster a shared vision and concrete commitments aimed at accelerating access to insurance for African populations while strengthening the sector’s contribution to the continent’s economic and social development priorities.

The discussions will culminate in the adoption of the Pan-African Pact for Insurance Inclusion and a 2026–2030 Strategic Action Plan, designed to structure collective action around an ambitious objective: contributing to the doubling of insurance penetration across the FANAF region by 2040.

An Economic, Social and Development Imperative

Within the CIMA zone, insurance penetration remains below 1% of GDP, compared to more than 6% globally.

As a result, millions of households, farmers, entrepreneurs, SMEs and informal sector actors remain deprived of essential protection mechanisms against health, climate, economic and social risks.

For FANAF, this reality now constitutes a major development challenge.

Africa cannot build sustainable growth without strengthening protection mechanisms for its populations, businesses and investments

“Africa cannot build sustainable growth without strengthening protection mechanisms for its populations, businesses and investments. The Cotonou General Assembly must mark the starting point of a new continental ambition for African insurance and its role in the continent’s economic transformation,” said Mamadou Koné, President of FANAF.

Beyond Insurance: A Driver of Continental Transformation

For FANAF, insurance is no longer merely a risk coverage mechanism. It is also a strategic lever for economic resilience, savings mobilization, investment security, SME financing, support for climate transitions and the strengthening of financial inclusion.

Through this General Assembly, FANAF seeks to reposition insurance as a key stakeholder in Africa’s economic, social and financial transformation.

A Pact to Accelerate Action

The conclusions of the General Assembly will lead to the adoption of the Pan-African Pact for Insurance Inclusion, a reference framework intended to mobilize governments, regulators, market players, financial institutions and development partners around shared objectives.

The Pact will be accompanied by a 2026–2030 Strategic Action Plan defining priority intervention areas, coordination mechanisms and monitoring arrangements for the commitments undertaken.

A broad mobilization of public, private and financial partners will support its implementation in order to translate commitments into tangible results for African populations and economies.

Cotonou 2026: Building a Shared Vision

Beyond the insurance sector, the General Assembly aims to create an unprecedented platform for dialogue between governments, regulators, investors, financial institutions, technical partners and market actors in order to identify the levers needed to accelerate insurance inclusion across the continent.

Holding this event in Benin reflects the country’s broader economic and financial transformation momentum and illustrates the collective determination of African stakeholders to develop solutions tailored to the continent’s realities.

Through this initiative, FANAF intends to make Cotonou 2026 a defining moment for the future of African insurance and the starting point of a lasting continental mobilization in favor of insurance inclusion.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Fédération des Sociétés d’Assurances de Droit National Africaines (FANAF).

 

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Global advertising spend surges 11.9% to $1.34trn this year despite consumer caution

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WARC

Social media is expected to record the strongest growth up 21.3% to $394.6bn
VOD (15.1%), retail media (14.3%), search (14.2%) and digital OOH (13.7%) are all set for double-digit increases
Technology and electronics (20.7%), travel and transport (19.3%) and automotive (17.8%) to be fastest growing product categories
Ad spend growth in 2027 expected to moderate (8.4%) to $1.46trn

WARC Media Global Ad Spend Forecast Q3 2026 update

8 October 2026 – Global ad spend is forecast to grow 11.9% to $1.34trn in 2026, according to the latest data from WARC Media. This comes on the back of strong 10.0% growth in 2024 and 2025.

 




 
 

Advertising investment continues to grow despite consumer pressure and geopolitical uncertainty, fueled by significant corporate AI investment and major events including the Olympics, FIFA World Cup, and US mid-term elections. While the economy has remained resilient to date, further escalations of global tensions pose potential downside risks.

Suzy Young, Head of WARC Media Data, says: “These are unusual times for advertising. Investment is accelerating even as many consumers face cost-of-living pressures and become more cautious with spending. This apparent contradiction reflects an increasingly uneven economy, where growth – particularly from the AI boom – is benefiting some companies, sectors and consumers more than others.”

Performance priority

Social media, search and retail media are three of the biggest channels for ad investment. Altogether they are expected to account for 66.4% of total global ad spend in 2026, rising to 70.0% in 2028.

Social media is set to register the strongest growth in ad spend this year, up 21.3% to $394.6bn, and is on course to exceed $500bn in 2028. Video on-demand (15.1% to $48.4bn), retail media (14.3% to $202.1bn), search (14.2% to $295.7bn) and digital OOH (13.7% to $21.7bn) will also see double-digit increases this year. Performance channels, which can adapt quickly to changing conditions, continue to benefit as uncertainty becomes the new norm.

Technology and electronics is forecast to be the fastest growing product category this year, rising 20.7% compared with 2025, followed by travel and transport (19.3%) and automotive (17.8%). Social media is expected to account for 40.2% of all tech and electronics spend in 2026.

2027 and 2028 ad spend outlook

Ad spend growth is expected to moderate in 2027, rising 8.4% to $1.46trn, reflecting tougher comparables and a normalisation from the exceptionally strong growth seen in recent years.

In 2028, ad spend will increase by a further 7.9% to $1.57trn – putting the market on course to be 2.3 times larger than it was a decade ago in 2019.

New AI destinations emerge

AI is driving advertising growth from multiple angles. New tech businesses are investing to acquire customers and build brands, while established companies spend heavily to compete in an increasingly crowded market. Simultaneously, AI tools are enhancing targeting, asset creation, and campaign optimisation – boosting ROI and fueling further investment.

AI is also opening new destinations for advertising. As generative search and AI assistants become gateways to product discovery and purchasing, ad dollars will follow – fundamentally reshaping where consumers encounter brands and where advertisers invest.

AI fuels ad triopoly

Alphabet, Amazon and Meta are set to take a combined market share of 59.7% of global ad spend (excluding China) this year – equivalent to $659.6bn. This is predicted to rise to 61.5%, or $804.1bn, in 2028.

Ad spend signals opportunity

Ad spend per capita vries dramatically across global markets. Developed economies like the US ($1395 per capita forecast for 2026), UK ($935), Austria ($850), and Switzerland ($825) show significantly higher advertising intensity, while China ($170), Brazil ($110), and India ($13) combine lower per-capita spending with massive consumer populations – highlighting substantial growth potential as these emerging markets mature.

WARC Media subscribers can read WARC’s global ad spend Q3 2026 update report in full.
 




 

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Investors Back Platinum Credit Uganda: First Tranche Subscribed Nearly 2.5 Times

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The tranche is the first issuance under a UGX 70 billion Medium Term Note programme approved by the Capital Markets Authority (CMA)

KAMPALA, Uganda, October 7, 2026/APO Group/ –Platinum Credit Uganda this week listed its Medium Term Notes on the Uganda Securities Exchange (USE), after investors bid for almost two and a half times the amount on offer in the first tranche.

 




  

Download document: https://apo-opa.co/4rUcD15

Ugandan investors have given Platinum Uganda a strong vote of confidence

The first tranche of the private placement, with a base quantum of UGX 20 billion with a greenshoe option of UGX 10 billion, closed at a subscription rate of 246%, with investors applying for more than UGX 49 billion. Given the strong demand, Platinum Credit exercised the greenshoe option, and UGX 30 billion of notes was accepted. The tranche is the first issuance under a UGX 70 billion Medium Term Note programme approved by the Capital Markets Authority (CMA). The programme also includes a greenshoe option of UGX 30 billion, which takes the full programme to UGX 100 billion.

Investors could choose between three-, five- and eight-year notes, with interest paid quarterly. The notes were issued on 30 September 2026.

The company plans to use the new funding to grow its lending to the individuals and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) it already serves. At the end of 2025, Platinum Credit Uganda had over 30,000 active clients across Uganda. In the same year, small and medium businesses received more than UGX 71 billion in loans, helping them keep their cash flow steady and their operations running. In 2026, the company aims to put a further UGX 10 billion into Ugandan small businesses, prioritising those led by women and young people, and to expand its lending to smallholder dairy farmers.

Albert Abaasa, Managing Director of Platinum Credit Uganda, said: “We invited bids for UGX 20 billion and investors offered us nearly UGX 50 billion, which allowed us to exercise our greenshoe option and raise UGX 30 billion. That is a clear sign of trust in how we run this business and in where we are taking it. These funds will help us reach more customers across Uganda, and listing on the USE gives investors an opportunity to back a business that is expanding access to finance.”

Brett Sievwright, Chief Executive Officer of Platcorp Group, said: “Ugandan investors have given Platinum Uganda a strong vote of confidence. Raising long-term funding locally, in shillings, means the business can lend in the same currency its customers trade in. The strength of demand shows clear investor confidence in Platinum Uganda’s growth story. We thank the Capital Markets Authority, the Uganda Securities Exchange and our partners for their work in bringing these notes to market.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Platcorp Group.

 

 




 

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All Roads Lead to Namibia: The 7th Canada-Africa Business Conference Returns to Windhoek, 2–4 February 2027

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Ateau Zola

The Conference is anticipated to be the largest event the Chamber has convened on the African continent in its 33-year history

TORONTO, Canada, October 7, 2026/APO Group/ –The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business (www.CanadaAfrica.ca) is pleased to announce that the 7th Canada-Africa Business Conference will take place in Windhoek, Namibia, from 2–4 February 2027, under the headline sponsorship of B2Gold. The program opens with a site visit to B2Gold’s Otjikoto operations on 2–3 February, followed by a full conference day on Thursday, 4 February — in the days immediately preceding the Investing in African Mining Indaba in Cape Town. The Conference is anticipated to be the largest event the Chamber has convened on the African continent in its 33-year history.

 




  

During Africa Accelerating 2026, held in Toronto, a point was made that echoed throughout the program: all roads lead to Namibia for the next Canada-Africa Business Conference. “We are so delighted to be returning to Windhoek, and to be doing so with partners who continue to demonstrate what Canada-Africa collaboration can achieve,” said Garreth Bloor, President of The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business.

“Last year we welcomed over 50 Canadian company representatives among the hundreds of delegates – we’ve now doubled capacity for the next event, based on demand,” explained Bloor during the Africa Accelerating conference underway in Toronto this year.

Otjikoto has shown what is possible when a Canadian company and a Namibian community build together over the long term, in a country that is a gateway to the African continent

In remarks to the previous Canada-Africa Business Conference in Windhoek, the Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable Mark Carney, recognized the Chamber “for convening leaders from across Canada and Africa” — commending its role in advancing investment, trade and partnership, and in connecting businesses and institutions to drive practical collaboration and shared growth.

“B2Gold is proud to support the Chamber’s largest event on African soil in its 33-year history, and proud that it is taking place in Namibia,” said John Roos, Managing Director of B2Gold Namibia. “Otjikoto has shown what is possible when a Canadian company and a Namibian community build together over the long term, in a country that is a gateway to the African continent. Welcoming business leaders to the mining operations, and to the investments in other sectors that have grown up around them, alongside the launch of the B2Gold Foundation in Windhoek, is our way of inviting others to see that partnership for themselves — and to consider what they might build here.”

Africa Accelerating, the Chamber’s flagship conference taking place in Canada this week, also featured a keynote address by Neil Reeder, Vice President, Government Relations at B2Gold, underscoring how vital B2Gold’s work is as a model for Canada-Africa trade and investment — and for deeper engagement between Canada and African markets.

Individuals who wish to find out more may visit the conference page here (https://apo-opa.co/4zjUsEH).

Registrants who wish to indicate their interest in joining the event may do so here (https://apo-opa.co/4hwRBlL).

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business.

 




 

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