Monrovia – Delegates from across West Africa are now in Monrovia for the singular purpose of the 41st General Assembly of the ECOWAS Brown Card Insurance Scheme, a regional mechanism established in 1982 to facilitate the free movement of vehicles and ensure cross-border motor insurance coverage.
By Emmanuel Weedee-Conway
The ECOWAS Brown Card Scheme, which was created under Protocol AP1582 and domesticated into Liberian law via Article 95(b) of the 1986 Constitution, extends compulsory motor liability insurance across national borders, enabling seamless travel throughout the sub-region. Under this scheme, each member country maintains a National Bureau to investigate, adjudicate, and settle international motor claims.
Speaking at a press briefing in Monrovia on Monday, November 24, 2025 ahead of the conference, the Secretary-General of Liberia’s National Bureau, Musa Kaba, said the assembly marks a significant moment for Liberia.
According to him, the Assembly comes on the heel of Liberia meeting all eligibility requirements, including becoming a debt-free nation to assume chairmanship of the regional scheme at the close of the conference on November 29.
“Liberia did not just arrive at this point by accident. Eligibility criteria must be met, and indebted countries cannot chair the scheme. We are proud that Liberia is debt-free and ready to assume leadership,” SG Kaba noted.
Primarily, he disclosed that the Assembly will focus on strengthening the governance, legal, and operational framework of the Brown Card Scheme, which currently coordinates more than 162 insurance companies across the region.
He told reporters that delegates from Ghana, Nigeria, The Gambia, Benin, Guinea-Bissau and other West African nations are expected to participate.
He revealed that core issues for deliberation will include Prompt Claims Settlement; wherein Members States will review all outstanding international motor claims for 2025 and assess the efficiency of settlement procedures.
The Liberia National Bureau reported receiving 32 cases this year, with 28 fully resolved and the remaining four awaiting loss adjuster reports.
The agenda will also center on issue of Digital Transformation of Motor Insurance, where the Assembly will feature case studies from Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Nigeria, showcasing how digitalizing motor insurance portfolios reduces fraud, increases revenue, and enhances accountability.
Sadly, Mr. Kaba admitted that Liberia remains among the countries that have not fully transitioned to digital motor insurance systems, despite a regional resolution mandating digitalization. One major barrier has been regulatory fragmentation.
“Currently Liberia has two regulators; the Ministry of Transport overseeing motor insurance and the Central Bank regulating financial aspects. Other countries have a single insurance commission. Liberia’s new Insurance Act, now before the Legislature, seeks to create a national insurance commission that will harmonize regulation and fast-track digital transformation,” Mr. Kaba explained. “
Furthermore, the Assembly will revisit provisions of the Supplementary Protocol signed in Accra on June 19, 2021, and evaluate the implementation of past resolutions that remain outstanding.
The ECOWAS Brown Card Liberia chief scribe at the same time highlighted the growing sophistication of insurance fraud in the country, including the duplication of motor insurance certificates by unauthorized individuals, adding that some offenders have been jailed, but the persistence of such activities emplifies the need for digitalization.
“When we digitalize, government gets the needed revenue, insurers collect the right premiums, and motorists receive secure, verifiable coverage. On the overall, accountability will be at our fingertips.”
Accordingly, the week-long Assembly, which runs from November 24–28, is supported by the ECOWAS Brown Card Permanent Secretariat in Lomé, alongside several local gold and silver sponsors, including the Insurance Company of Africa, ZUMO, BlueCross, National Insurance Corporation of Liberia (NICOL), AO, SKY, SECURIX, and others. Delegates are being hosted across three hotels: Paris, Bella Casa, and Morex Plaza.
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