Africa re-backed workshop sparks debate over insecurity, climate change, others

Ahead of the Africa Reinsurance Corporation-backed two-day journalism workshop scheduled for September 15 and 16, 2026, Nigerian journalists have begun a wide-ranging debate on how insurance and risk can be used to deepen reporting on some of the country’s biggest challenges.

This was contained in a statement over the weekend by Ifeanyi Ugwuadu, Project Coordinator, all-inclusive mass media seminar for Journalists.

According to him, the workshop, organised by Insurance Publication Ltd (IPL) and sponsored by the Africa Re Foundation (ARF), has already generated intense discussions among participating journalists, with questions focusing on how the media can move insurance reporting beyond specialised business and pensions desks.

“At the centre of the debate is how journalists can practically apply the concept of “risk everywhere, in everything” to reporting on insecurity, climate change, cybercrime, politics, healthcare, housing, agriculture and economic hardship without turning their stories into advertisements for insurance products.

Participants are asking: “How can journalists practically use risk and insurance as a reporting lens on beats like climate change, politics and cybercrime without making the stories sound like financial product ads?”
Another question gaining attention is: “With risk everywhere, in everything, what two or three insurance and risk concepts should every journalist understand in 2026 to make reporting more credible and solutions-oriented?”

Journalists are also seeking to establish how “insurance thinking” can be deployed in reporting insecurity and economic hardship without concentrating solely on the damage caused by such events.

A major question awaiting Professor Ismail Ibraheem of the University of Lagos is how journalists can move beyond reporting insurance merely as a financial product and begin to investigate it as a major risk-management and accountability issue affecting individuals, businesses and government.

Participants will also put legal questions before Dr Omogbai Omo-Eboh, a leading maritime and insurance lawyer, particularly on the growing legal risks confronting investigative journalists.

One of the questions is: “From a legal perspective, as investigative journalists expose risk in high-stakes industries like insurance and finance, they face increasing legal threats like SLAPP suits and defamation claims. How can media law and insurance frameworks evolve together to better protect journalists legally when reporting on systemic, high-risk corporate and governmental failures?”

The workshop, themed “The Universe of Insurance and Journalism: Risk Everywhere, in Everything,” comes at a significant period for Nigeria’s insurance industry, following the completion of the sector’s recapitalisation exercise and the implementation of a new comprehensive legal framework.

According to IPL, the programme is designed to break the traditional silo approach to insurance reporting by equipping journalists from diverse beats with the knowledge and tools to integrate risk protection, resilience and accountability into everyday news coverage.

The convener said low public awareness of insurance remains a major challenge to financial resilience and economic development, stressing that journalists, as influential shapers of public opinion, have a critical role in promoting mass financial literacy.

It said the programme would take insurance conversations beyond specialised insurance desks and introduce risk-based reporting across mainstream news platforms.

“Through Africa Re’s support, we are continuing engagement with journalists this September. We are set to seize the moment and crystallise a broader insurance and risk awareness era in the country and elsewhere in Africa,” IPL said.

The programme will feature opening remarks from the Lagos state governor, Mr Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, while the Commissioner for Insurance, Mr Olusegun Omosehin, and the Director-General of the National Health Insurance Authority, Dr Kelechi Ohiri, are expected to provide policy and industry perspectives.

Among the key speakers is Dr Femi Oyetunji, Chairman of the Board of Directors of SanlamAllianz Life Insurance Nigeria Ltd, who will examine “Nigeria’s Insurance Gap: The Risks We Carry, the Protection We Ignore and the Economic Opportunities We Are Missing — Why Should Journalists Care?”

Professor Ismail Ibraheem, Professor of Journalism and Communications Studies at the University of Lagos, will serve as Theme Speaker, addressing what “Risk Everywhere, in Everything” means for contemporary journalism.

Dr Omogbai Omo-Eboh, Lead Speaker, will provide legal and insurance perspectives, while Dr Augustine Aipoh will examine the risks Nigerians carry without adequate protection, particularly from the healthcare perspective.

The initiative will also feature beat-specific training, an interactive digital learning platform, journalist toolkits for field reporting and a monitoring framework.

Implementation is being advanced in partnership with stakeholders, including the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ).

IPL said it expects the programme to increase public engagement with insurance issues, stimulate stronger policy discussions on risk management and contribute to improved national insurance awareness and uptake.

The media-driven model is also designed to be scalable across Africa.
The programme sponsor, Africa Re Foundation, is the corporate social responsibility arm of the African Reinsurance Corporation, supporting the development and growth of the insurance market and industry across Africa.

The Foundation’s activities cover risk awareness, insurance, health, education, disaster recovery, technology development, research and community development.

Its parent organisation, African Reinsurance Corporation (Africa Re), is marking its golden jubilee this year and has also reached the billion-dollar mark in premiums.