Nigerian journalists are set to receive specialised training on the role of insurance and risk management in news reporting as a two-day workshop sponsored by the Africa Re Foundation opens on Tuesday.
The programme, organised by Insurance Publication Ltd (IPL), will hold from September 15 to 16, 2026, under the theme, “The Universe of Insurance and Journalism: Risk Everywhere, in Everything.”
The organisers said the workshop is designed to broaden the way journalists approach insurance by encouraging reporters across different beats to examine risk, protection and resilience as part of their everyday coverage.
Moving insurance beyond specialist desks
According to IPL, the programme is partly aimed at addressing Nigeria’s relatively low level of insurance awareness by expanding coverage beyond traditional insurance and pension reporting.
Participants are expected to examine how insurance perspectives can be applied to reporting on politics, climate change, healthcare, agriculture, cybercrime, insecurity and economic hardship.
The organisers said the objective is not to turn journalism into product promotion, but to help reporters identify the risks affecting individuals, businesses and public institutions and investigate how those risks are being managed.
The approach is expected to shift reporting from simply documenting losses after they occur to examining prevention, preparedness, resilience and accountability.
Legal risks for journalists
The workshop will also consider the risks journalists themselves face while investigating sensitive sectors and institutions.
Sessions will address issues including defamation and Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation, commonly known as SLAPPs, alongside broader questions around media law and insurance protection for journalists.
Professor Ismail Ibraheem of the University of Lagos is expected to examine the implications of the workshop’s central theme for journalism, while maritime and insurance lawyer Dr Omogbai Omo-Eboh will provide legal and insurance perspectives.
Other speakers will bring industry, health and business perspectives to discussions around Nigeria’s insurance gap and the consequences of inadequate risk protection.
Recapitalisation provides fresh opportunity
The workshop comes against the backdrop of the recently completed recapitalisation exercise in Nigeria’s insurance industry.
IPL said the development presents an opportunity for stronger engagement between the media and insurance sector, particularly as the industry seeks to deepen public understanding and expand insurance penetration.
The organisation identified poor awareness as one of the factors contributing to vulnerability among Nigerians and said the media has an important role to play in improving financial literacy and public understanding of risk protection.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is expected to deliver opening remarks, while Commissioner for Insurance Olusegun Omosehin and Director-General of the National Health Insurance Authority, Dr Kelechi Ohiri, are scheduled to offer perspectives from the insurance and health sectors.
Dr Femi Oyetunji, Chairman of SanlamAllianz Life Insurance Nigeria Ltd, is also expected to speak on the country’s insurance gap, the risks Nigerians bear without adequate cover and the economic opportunities associated with wider insurance adoption.
Augustine Aipoh will contribute to discussions on the scale of uninsured risks carried by Nigerians.
Digital tools and beat-specific training
Beyond the two-day sessions, the initiative is expected to include beat-focused training, a digital learning platform, reporting toolkits and a monitoring framework.
IPL said it is implementing the programme in collaboration with stakeholders, including the Nigerian Union of Journalists, with the intention of creating a model that can be expanded across Africa.
The organisation expects the initiative to stimulate greater public discussion around insurance, encourage policy conversations on risk management and ultimately support higher insurance adoption.
The programme is backed by the Africa Re Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of the African Reinsurance Corporation.
The foundation supports initiatives spanning insurance and risk awareness, healthcare, education, disaster recovery, technology, research and community development across Africa.
The African Reinsurance Corporation is marking its 50th anniversary in 2026 and has also crossed the $1 billion milestone in premiums, according to the organisers.
