Insurers Urged to Unlock Capital for Africa Infrastructure
Coronation Insurance's Olamide Olajolo called for regulatory reform to channel insurance capital into African infrastructure development.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Financial Services
Olamide Olajolo, Managing Director of Coronation Insurance, called for regulatory reforms to unlock insurance capital for Africa's infrastructure development. He spoke at a strategic roundtable during the Africa Financial Summit (AFIS) 2026 in Luanda, Angola.
Why it matters
High regulatory capital charges under existing solvency requirements limit insurers' participation in long-term infrastructure investment. Insurers must match their investments to their liabilities, so the rules governing those charges shape how much capital reaches projects across the continent.
The roundtable discussion did not report specific capital volumes, investment totals or regulatory capital thresholds. The extraction contains no measurable figures for insurers' infrastructure exposure.
The players
Olamide Olajolo
Olajolo is Managing Director of Coronation Insurance, a Nigerian insurer, and a voice on insurance sector regulation in Africa.
Adilson Gabriel Alves Catala
Catala is Angola's Secretary of State for Civil Aviation, Maritime and Port Sectors, who chaired the roundtable and called on insurers to treat infrastructure investment as a strategic objective.
The details
The roundtable, held during the Africa Financial Summit under the theme "Making Capital Count: Unlocking Growth Through African Finance," was chaired by Adilson Gabriel Alves Catala, Angola's Secretary of State for Civil Aviation, Maritime and Port Sectors, and Victor Hugo Guilherme, Minister of Planning. Asmae Kaddouri of Africa Business+ moderated the discussion, which featured leaders from insurance, investment and development finance.
Timeline
November 6, 2026: Olajolo's call for regulatory reform was published.
Market Landscape
The call echoes a long-running debate over whether solvency-based capital rules, such as those modeled on Solvency II, discourage insurers from holding long-dated infrastructure assets. Pressure to loosen those charges sets African regulators against the matching principle that keeps insurers solvent.
For consumers, the outcome of these reforms would affect whether insurers can back infrastructure projects that influence local utilities, transport and housing costs. Readers would see the effects through pricing and availability of services rather than through any immediate change to policy.
The takeaway
Insurance capital is a potential source of long-term funding for African infrastructure, but its flow depends on how regulators set capital charges. Watching how solvency rules evolve will show whether that capital moves into projects.
Further reading
For more on how capital rules shape lending and investment, see the Financial Services section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Inspenonline.
