The Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Association of Insurers in Rwanda (ASSAR) to develop professional standards and skills in Rwanda’s insurance sector.
Under the agreement, the two organisations will assess the development needs of Rwanda’s insurance industry, map skills and competencies, and identify standards and qualifications for different roles. They will focus first on certification pathways for insurance agents, with initial scoping already under way on a localised learning module for around 600 agents.
The partnership grew out of contact between the CII and the National Bank of Rwanda, the country’s insurance regulator, which began when central bank representatives visited the CII in 2025. The regulator has continued to facilitate the work, while ASSAR leads the partnership on behalf of the industry.
“It is the same the world over that professional standards build trust,” said Holly Porter, executive director for markets and opportunities at the CII.
Pamela Umutesi, managing director at ASSAR, called the agreement a major step towards professionalising Rwanda’s insurance industry. She said setting minimum competency standards and bringing internationally recognised qualifications to Kigali would build public trust.
The agreement supports a wider national effort. Rwanda’s insurance sector is small, with premiums equal to about 1.9% of GDP. In March, the National Bank of Rwanda launched a National Insurance Strategy aiming to raise that to 3% by 2030 and 5% by 2035. It also aims to increase the share of adults with insurance from 27% to 45% by 2035. The strategy aims to tackle low public awareness and slow claims processing, as well as low take-up.
Rwanda has 18 licensed insurers. Speaking at the International Conference on Inclusive Insurance in Kigali last week, the central bank’s governor, Soraya Hakuziyaremye, said higher penetration should be a means, not an end, and urged insurers to focus on affordable, reliable cover. ASSAR’s chairman, Andrew Kulayige, called for insurance to offer better value to the people and businesses that need it most.
Better-trained agents are central to both goals. In markets where many customers are buying insurance for the first time, agents often decide whether people understand what they are buying and trust it to pay out.
The agreement extends the CII’s international work at a time when it faces talent challenges in the UK. Its research has found only 4% of young people in the UK express interest in an insurance career. Debbie Mitchell takes over as CII president in January.
For UK and London market businesses with African interests, a more professionalised local distribution network should make it easier to work with Rwandan partners. Common standards and recognised qualifications can give international insurers and reinsurers more confidence in the agents and intermediaries placing business with them.
With Rwanda aiming to more than double insurance penetration within a decade, those partners may become more significant.
