Insurance Must Go Beyond Life Products to Serve SMEs – MML’s Sylvia Otuo Acheampong

 

The Chief Product and Services Officer of MobileMoney LTD (MML), Sylvia Otuo Acheampong, has called for broader insurance solutions tailored to the needs of small businesses, noting that most digital insurance products currently focus largely on life coverage.

She made the call during a webinar hosted by the Microinsurance Network (MiN) in collaboration with the GSMA as part of a discussion on mobile-enabled microinsurance. The event also featured the launch of a joint report titled “From Connectivity to Coverage: Scaling Resilience through Mobile-Enabled Microinsurance.”

The report presents fresh evidence, market insights and strategic recommendations on how mobile network operators (MNOs), mobile money providers (MMPs), technical service providers and insurers can work together to close the protection gap through mobile-enabled insurance solutions.

Speaking during the panel discussion, Sylvia said expanding insurance offerings beyond traditional life policies will be critical to improving adoption and delivering meaningful protection to underserved segments of the economy. According to her, most insurance products currently available through mobile money platforms are individual life policies, leaving significant gaps for other customer groups.

“About 95% of what we have as insurance products are individual and largely life insurance. There is a whole segment of SMEs and gig workers that are not adequately covered,” she said. She explained that while mobile money platforms provide convenient channels for delivering insurance services, including through USSD, mobile applications and agent networks, product innovation must evolve to meet the real needs of customers.

Sylvia added that relevance remains one of the biggest drivers of adoption. “Anything that customers do not find relevant, they will not patronize,” she said, emphasizing the need for insurance products that align with how individuals and businesses manage risk and savings. She further underscored the importance of stronger collaboration between regulators and industry players to unlock the full potential of embedded and contextual insurance solutions.

Other speakers on the panel also highlighted the evolving nature of mobile-enabled insurance and the need for new models to improve accessibility.

Richard Leftly, an independent consultant and industry expert, noted that early digital insurance models relied heavily on free products offered by mobile operators to encourage customer behaviour such as increased airtime usage or mobile wallet transactions. While these products helped achieve rapid scale initially, he said converting customers from free insurance to paid products proved challenging.

Teresa Nyatuka, Principal Officer for Planning at Kenya’s Insurance Regulatory Authority, highlighted the critical role of regulation in ensuring consumer protection while enabling innovation in the sector. She noted that regulators must strike a balance between encouraging adoption and safeguarding customers through measures such as informed consent, clear product disclosures and accessible complaint mechanisms.

The webinar convened leaders from the mobile industry, insurance sector, development organisations, regulators and digital finance practitioners to explore how mobile technology can transform access to risk protection for low-income and underserved populations.

Grounded in the latest findings from the GSMA–MiN report, the discussion highlighted emerging models, regulatory innovations and enabling factors shaping the future of mobile-enabled insurance.