The 2026 Almond Insurance Industry Awards have officially entered the voting phase following the unveiling of nominees across major categories, with organisers saying the process is designed to recognise individuals and companies that have made significant contributions to the development of Nigeria’s insurance industry.
The panel of judges, chaired by Sir Ogala Osoka, announced that 796 nominations successfully emerged across the various award categories after a month-long nomination exercise. The number represents a decline from the 914 nominations recorded in 2025, but the panel said the reduction reflected a more rigorous screening process and stricter compliance with the awards’ guidelines.
According to the organisers, nominations were received from insurance and broking firms, corporate organisations, individual clients, government agencies and other stakeholders across the insurance sector. The entries were subsequently subjected to screening based on predetermined criteria before the final nominees were selected.
Osoka said the objective of the process was to ensure that the final list consisted of deserving individuals and organisations whose contributions could be assessed against the standards established for the awards.
Among the categories attracting attention this year is the General Insurance Company of the Year, where Rex Insurance Limited, Leadway Assurance Company Limited, Capital Express Indemnity Insurance Company Limited, Coronation General Insurance Limited, Fin Insurance Company Limited and NEM Insurance Plc made the shortlist.
In the Life Insurance Company of the Year category, Leadway Assurance, Coronation Life Assurance, Capital Express Assurance, Heirs Life Assurance, Stanbic IBTC Life Insurance and Mutual Benefits Life Assurance will compete for the award.
The Insurance Broking Company of the Year category features SCIB Nigeria & Company Limited, Ark Insurance Brokers, Stanbic IBTC Insurance Brokers, Glanvill Enthoven Insurance Brokers, FBN Insurance Brokers and Hogg Robinson Nigeria Limited.
Competition is also expected to be strong in the individual categories. Nominees for Insurance CEO of the Year include Gboyega Lesi of Leadway Assurance, Ebelechukwu Nwachukwu of Rex Insurance, Stephen Alangbo of Cornerstone Insurance, Adewale Koko of Capital Express Indemnity Insurance, Olamide Olajolo of Coronation General Insurance and Adaobi Nwakuche of Veritas Kapital Assurance.
For Insurance Woman of the Year, the nominees include Ebelechukwu Nwachukwu, Adaobi Nwakuche, Adetutu Arusiuka of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria, Muibat Jimoh of Coronation Life Assurance, Abimbola Akinloye of Cornerstone Insurance and Mary Adeyanju of Consolidated Hallmark Insurance.
The awards also reflect the increasing importance of specialised insurance segments. Nominees for Micro Insurance Company of the Year include Casava Microinsurance, Lifeguard Microinsurance, Prudent Choice Microinsurance, Ally Microinsurance, Goxi Microinsurance and New Dawn Microinsurance. The Takaful Insurance Company of the Year category features Noor Takaful, Hilal Takaful, Jaiz Takaful, Crown Takaful and Salam Takaful.
Another notable category is Most Valuable Insurance Customer of the Year, which recognises major corporate and institutional customers. Dangote Group, NNPC Limited, Air Peace Limited, the Central Bank of Nigeria, Hitech Construction Company, M. L. Lee Group of Companies and PwC Nigeria are among the nominees.
The awards are structured around a combination of public participation and professional assessment. According to the judges, public votes will account for 10 percent of the final outcome, while the judges’ assessment will contribute another 10 percent. Industry data will carry the largest weighting at 80 percent.
The voting process will also retain the One-Time Password verification system introduced during the previous edition. The mechanism is intended to prevent duplicate voting and strengthen the credibility of the exercise. Voting is scheduled to close on September 6, 2026, ahead of the final assessment by the judging panel.
The winners will be announced at the 2026 Almond Insurance Industry Awards and Consumers’ Nite, scheduled for November 6 at the Stable Event Centre in Surulere, Lagos. The event is expected to bring together insurance executives, brokers, regulators, corporate customers and other stakeholders to celebrate achievements across the sector.
The significance of the awards extends beyond recognition. Nigeria’s insurance industry is currently undergoing substantial transformation, particularly following regulatory reforms aimed at strengthening insurers’ capital positions and improving the sector’s ability to underwrite larger risks. In this environment, industry awards can provide an additional platform for highlighting companies and professionals demonstrating strong performance, innovation and customer value.
The previous edition of the Almond Insurance Industry Awards, held in November 2025, attracted more than 17,000 votes from stakeholders within and outside the insurance industry. NEM Insurance emerged as General Insurance Company of the Year, while AXA Mansard won Life Insurance Company of the Year and Casava Micro Insurance took the Micro Insurance Company of the Year award.
This year’s awards therefore come at an important point for the industry, as operators seek to translate stronger capital positions and regulatory reforms into improved products, wider insurance coverage and better customer experiences.
For Almond, the continuation of the awards provides an avenue to recognise those efforts while encouraging competition around performance and innovation. For nominees, the voting process represents an opportunity to demonstrate the confidence they have earned among customers, colleagues and other industry stakeholders.
As voting gets underway, attention will shift to the nominees and their respective performances ahead of the November ceremony. The final results will ultimately reveal which companies and individuals have distinguished themselves in an increasingly competitive Nigerian insurance market, while reinforcing the awards’ broader objective of celebrating excellence and encouraging continued progress across the industry.
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