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Mrs Grace Murahdzikwa

Leonard Ncube Victoria Falls Reporter
Delegates from Ebola affected countries have been barred from attending the 18th Association of Insurance and Reinsurers of Developing Countries conference in Victoria Falls.Sadc ministers of health met in Victoria Falls last month and agreed on a number of measures aimed at preventing the spread of the Ebola virus from West Africa which included reducing movement of people from affected countries.

Chairperson of the local chapter of insurers Grace Muradzikwa said about 250 delegates from 24 countries were attending the 18th Insurance Congress of Developing Countries (ICDC).

“This is an annual congress that brings together players from different countries but we stopped those affected by Ebola because we didn’t want to expose our delegates to fears of the Ebola pandemic,” said Muradzikwa.

She said previous conferences would attract  close to 400 experts including those from West Africa who were hard hit by Ebola which has claimed about 3,000 lives since it broke out in March.

Ebola affected countries include DRC, Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Liberia.

Association of Insurers and Reinsurers of Developing Countries (AISADC) secretary general Evangeline Crisostomo said the idea to exclude those from Ebola affected countries was for the safety of other delegates.

“The organising team of Zimbabwe worked very hard as everything is in order despite the Ebola scare. I understand they banned delegates from affected areas, anyway that is the decision of organisers and we are full of hope the conference will yield positive results despite absence of other members,” she said.

AISADC has a membership of about 50 countries and support institutions from the three continents of Africa, Asia and Latin America.

This is the first time the conference is being held in Southern Africa. Last year’s edition was held in Sri Lanka after a four year absence due to economic challenges, Crisostomo said.

Muradzikwa said development of the insurance sector was dependent on the economy.

“Insurance development is dependent on the economy. We have been growing but not to the level we want. There are a lot of challenges but we are happy because people know what insurance is about and the fact that a few take up a policy is encouraging,” she said.

The congress which ends today is running under the theme: “Insurance Trends – Opportunities and Challenges in Developing Economies.”