Conducted for the International Labour Organization (ILO) and United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) this Cenfri research project reviews the opportunities and challenges for microinsurance emerging from the regulatory, supply-side and demand-side characteristics of the Ethiopian microinsurance market.

The purpose is to create a detailed picture of the microinsurance landscape that can serve as basis for discussion with stakeholders and the consideration of potential strategies to develop microinsurance in Ethiopia. Cenfri was responsible for the developing the overall findings and with specific responsibilities to look at the supply-side and regulatory components of the study. Oxfam America was responsible for the demand-side component of the study.

As part of their involvement in the building of an inclusive insurance market in Ethiopia, the ILO and UNCDF hosted a Roundtable Session on the Development of Microinsurance in Ethiopia on 21 October 2008 in Addis Ababa. The purpose of the workshop was to present and discuss the preliminary findings of the review on the microinsurance landscape in Ethiopia and to start a conversation on what actions may be required to facilitate the development of microinsurance in Ethiopia. The Roundtable Session was attended by the insurance regulator (the Insurance Supervision Department in the Bank of Ethiopia) insurance companies, insurance brokers, microfinance institutions (MFIs) and donor organizations. The presentations made at the session can be found below: