Insurance school churning professionals

For long, training in insurance was ignored in Uganda. Many considered the business aspect, rather than the required skill set. Unfortunately, this impacted negatively on the performance of many businesses.

Some members of the insurance fraternity decided to start the Insurance Institute of Uganda (IIU) in 1964, as a training arm of the insurance sector.

It's mandate entails; education, training and ensuring professional development in the sector.

Today it is a representative of the professional body under the law. According to Saul Sseremba, the chief executive officer of the institute, it was started as a membership organisation.

Members from the insurance sector came together and formed the institute to assist them in professionalisation. Sseremba says, at first the institute was struggling because it did not have resources.

However, that changed when the regulator proposed a training levy on insurance companies to support the institute.

As a result by 2012, it had gained prominence. A secretariat was formed with human resource. Sseremba says prior to that, the institute was offering programmes accredited in Kenya.

"We would conduct trainings on behalf of other institutions. Our role was to train people, make them ready then the college of insurance conduct the examinations," he says.

This, however, changed in 2014, when the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) accredited it as a private tertiary institution. All the institution's programmes are now accredited and recognised, he says. CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON THIS STORY 

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