The National Insurance Commission has recommended Ghana's National Bureau to move the ECOWAS Brown Card Insurance Scheme's issuance to a digital platform in order to reduce the spread of bogus stickers.
The plan was implemented to enable free mobility of foreign motorists, enterprises and institutions, as well as transporters and unions, within the ECOWAS sub-region.
It was created to offer coverage for death, injuries, and property damage in the event of a motor vehicle accident.
The true beneficiaries, however, are cross-border motor accident victims and their relatives. The Commissioner of NIC, Dr. Justice Ofori, told Joy Business on the sidelines of an event to mark the 40th anniversary of the signing of the ECOWAS Brown Card Insurance Scheme protocol, that while the scheme has had some successes since its inception, it has also been fraught with challenges, particularly fake stickers.
According to him, his organization would work with the Bureau to digitize the procedure in order to combat the threat. "We need to create something similar to what we have in Ghana with the Motor Insurance Database because we know there are some bogus brown card stickers out there," he stated.
"For example, if a Ghanaian vehicle is involved in an accident in Nigeria, the police there should be able to dial a short code on their phone to establish whether the brown card handed to them is real or not," the Insurance Commissioner stated.
"ECOWAS Brown Card Insurance Scheme: The Role of Key Stakeholders" is the topic of the 40th anniversary celebration. Until the system was established, motorists traveling across national borders had to ask for an extension of their car insurance plans' geographical coverage to include the country they were visiting.
This brought to light the arduous process policyholders had to go through in order to get their claims settled.
Supplementary Act No. 2
Meanwhile, Thomas Mbomba, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, says the government's decision to add a supplemental act to the plan was motivated by a desire to consolidate and domesticate the scheme's accomplishments.
"The additional act was revised in June 2021 under President Akufo-leadership, Addo's and with this new development, the scheme's future appears bright," he stated.
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