On Friday, August 12, 2022, Hollard Ghana held another edition of the H.Insured streetwise financial literacy series at the Kaneshie lorry station to educate commercial drivers on the relevance of insurance and correct misconceptions about insurance policies, and improve lives.
The recent edition themed, “Making Insurance Relevant to Commercial Drivers,” witnessed the presence of key stakeholders in the commercial driving sector, including representatives from the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), National Insurance Commission (NIC), Progressive Transport Owners’ Association (PROTOA), National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) and a retired former Commander of the Motor Traffic Transport Directorate (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service and former head of the NRSA; ACP Victor Tandoh (Rtd).
In her welcome address, Group Head of Marketing and Corporate Communications at Hollard Ghana, Cynthia Ofori-Dwumfuo, shared that the initiative is geared toward creating a more secure and sustainable future for drivers. “We are a group of insurance companies here in Ghana, and although we are international, we are also very local. We have Hollard Insurance which offers general insurance, including the best motor insurance policies on the market. We also have Hollard Life assurance which offers life insurance products such as the popular “MebanBo” Life insurance product. At Hollard Ghana, we aim to enable more people to create and secure a better future through educative platforms like “H. Insured”, our streetwise financial literacy series. We understand commercial drivers’ risks and the constant driving challenges within and between cities. So today, we are bringing together key stakeholders and insurance experts to have a frank conversation about what it takes to make insurance relevant to commercial drivers,” she shared.
On his part, the Planning Manager for the NRSA, Felix Owusu, delivering his goodwill message, highlighted some roles of the agency in controlling the rate of road accidents as he warned of the menace of uninsured vehicles on the road. “I am here on behalf of the Ag Director General of the NRSA and our Regional Director. At NSRA, we engage in road sensitisation to control the rate of road accidents on our roads. Despite our several educational attempts and outreach sensitisations, we continue to witness and record more road accidents. That is why it is important to have an insurance policy cover to have some form of support in difficult moments,” he said.
The initiative hosted speakers including Richard Amankwah, the Deputy General Secretary of GPRTU, Charles Ansong Dankyi, Senior Manager, Marketing and External Relations Dept of the NIC, ACP Victor Tandoh (Rtd) and Gustav Bruce Business Development- Hollard Ghana to discuss the importance of motor insurance and address the concerns of drivers.
Sharing his thoughts on whether insurance comes as a blessing or a nuisance to drivers, Richard Amankwah, Deputy General Secretary of GPRTU, said that insurance is a double-edged sword for drivers. “I will say it’s either way; it could be a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing because when an accident occurs, the insurance company comes to the rescue of the driver as promised, and with that, it’s a blessing. It’s a blessing when you insure your vehicle, taking into consideration the possible situations you may encounter, so you protect your future and, in effect, you do not carry the burden alone. But what doesn’t help us and what comes as a nuisance is that when there’s a problem and the driver reports that to the insurance company, they now tend to give stories and spell out what they didn’t initially tell the driver during the onboarding stage. That for me is what comes as a nuisance,” he said.
Addressing the comments of Mr Amankwah, Gustav Bruce, Business Development Manager at Hollard Ghana, advised commercial drivers to demand the necessary information and explanation from insurance companies at the onboarding stage. Mr Bruce further highlighted the benefits of motor insurance to commercial drivers. He further advised commercial drivers to patronise comprehensive insurance packages to ensure they are well cushioned and secured for unfortunate incidences.
ACP Victor Tandoh having had many years of encounters with drivers reiterated that most drivers lack a comprehensive understanding of insurance policies and congratulated Hollard Ghana for organising the forum to educate drivers.
He admonished commercial drivers to not only focus on their insurance claims but also comply with road regulations to have a genuine report for securing their insurance claims.
“Don’t wait for the expiration of your insurance before you begin stressing yourself and have troubles with the police. Always confirm the validity of your insurance and license because once they expire, you can no longer use the road. These are some of the important things when we meet drivers we educate them on. You’re not also allowed to drink and drive as a driver”, he added.
Charles Ashong Dankyi from the NIC also shared initiatives rolled out by the NIC to curb the menace of insurance fraudsters. He also disclosed that plans had been put in place to expand its capacity by having an office across all constituencies.
The “H.Insured: A Streetwise Financial Literacy Series All About Insurance” ended with questions and answered sessions and networking among commercial drivers.