African Insurers Seek Wider Health Coverage
Insurers and health officials met in Lomé, Togo, to discuss building a sustainable health insurance system across Africa.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Healthcare
Live Poll
Should private insurers be required to offer affordable health plans to informal workers?
Insurers and health officials gathered in Lomé, Togo, on November 4 and 5 for the first Health Insurance Symposium organized by FANAF with APSAT. The two-day meeting focused on building a viable, inclusive and sustainable health insurance system in Africa.
Why it matters
Underwriting losses are weighing on insurers' financial performance in countries regulated by CIMA, raising questions about how coverage can expand without threatening insurers' viability. The World Health Organization reported that 4.6 billion people lacked full coverage for essential health services in 2023.
The World Health Organization reported that 4.6 billion people lacked full coverage for essential health services in 2023, the baseline the symposium sought to address. Underwriting losses in CIMA-regulated countries remain unquantified in the source, leaving the scale of insurers' financial strain unclear.
The players
FANAF
The Fraternity of African Insurers (FANAF) is a regional federation of insurance companies that organized the symposium with APSAT.
Mamadou Koné
Mamadou Koné is the president of FANAF, who called for premiums that better reflect the risks being covered.
The details
FANAF President Mamadou Koné called for premiums that better reflect the risks being covered. Togo's Minister of Health outlined a strategy centered on financial viability, inclusion and sustainability, including electronic medical records, telemedicine, digital prescriptions and unique patient identification numbers linking CNSS, INAM and private insurers.
Timeline
2023: WHO reported 4.6 billion people lacked full essential health coverage.
2024: Togo introduced its Universal Health Insurance (AMU).
November 4-5, 2026: Health Insurance Symposium held in Lomé, Togo.
2027-2030: FANAF plans a roadmap to return underwriting to profitability.
Market Landscape
Togo's Universal Health Insurance (AMU), introduced in 2024, sets the national frame for the symposium's discussions. The meeting extends that effort by asking private insurers to develop affordable products for informal sector workers, artisans, farmers and self-employed people.
Private insurers may begin offering more affordable products to informal workers, artisans, farmers and self-employed people in Togo as the country's strategy takes shape. Residents in these groups could see new options for coverage as insurers and health systems link their records and services.
The takeaway
Expanding health coverage depends on insurers being able to remain financially viable while reaching people who have been excluded. Premiums that match underlying risk are central to whether that balance can hold.
What happens next
FANAF plans to develop a roadmap for 2027-2030 aimed at returning health insurance underwriting to profitability while expanding coverage.
Further reading
For broader context on how health coverage is financed and delivered, explore Healthcare coverage on the site.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Ecofin Agency.
Live Poll
Should private insurers be required to offer affordable health plans to informal workers?
