Continental Reinsurance

What Continental Reinsurance does

Continental Reinsurance is a privately held pan-African composite reinsurer headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria, with its Group Holding Company re-domiciled to Gaborone, Botswana in December 2025. Founded in 1985 and operating across more than 50 African countries through six regional offices (Lagos, Gaborone, Nairobi, Douala, Abidjan, Tunis), the company provides treaty and facultative reinsurance capacity across both Non-Life and Life business lines to over 1,000 cedants and brokers. The business is B+ (Good) rated by AM Best with a stable outlook, reaffirmed in January 2026, and was previously listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange from 2007 until a 2019 Scheme of Arrangement and 100% acquisition by CRe African Investment Limited.

The company operates specialized underwriting platforms across multiple risk classes including Engineering, Agriculture, and Bonds and Guarantees, and runs an Environmental and Social Management System progressing toward ISO 14001 certification. Its proprietary CREST programme delivers parametric drought insurance using satellite vegetation and rainfall data to trigger automatic payouts, currently deployed in Kenya's Garissa and Tana River counties. Across the group, more than 150 employees participate in annual awareness sessions, with 100% of staff completing at least five training courses in FY2025.

Revenue is generated primarily through treaty reinsurance premiums (proportional and non-proportional) and facultative reinsurance premiums, supplemented by advisory and consulting services. Pricing is quoted per client and per risk based on profile and coverage, with annual billing cadence. Group-level distribution is direct, relationship-driven B2B, served through six regional offices and supported by industry development platforms including CRe Academy (reaching 2,000+ professionals annually), the CRe CEO Summit, and the Pan-African Re/Insurance Journalism Awards.

Name

Continental Reinsurance

Legal name

Continental Reinsurance Plc

Website

https://continental-re.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Continental Reinsurance is a privately held pan-African composite reinsurer providing treaty and facultative capacity across Non-Life and Life lines to over 1,000 cedants and brokers in 50+ African countries through six regional offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Reinsurance

NAICS

Reinsurance Carriers (524130), Reinsurance Carriers (52413)

SIC

Fire, Marine & Casualty Insurance (6331)

akta.pro primary industry

Casualty Treaty Reinsurance (FSAOAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Property Treaty Reinsurance (FSAOAEAC), Life Treaty Reinsurance (FSAOAEAA), Facultative Specialty Lines Reinsurance (Marine, Aviation, Energy, Cyber, Surety, Political Risk) (FSAOAFAD), Property Facultative Reinsurance (FSAOAFAA), Casualty Facultative Reinsurance (FSAOAFAB), Credit & Surety Treaty Reinsurance (FSAOAEAI)

Keywords

• Treaty reinsurance
• Facultative reinsurance
• Non-life reinsurance
• Life reinsurance
• Parametric insurance

Headquarters

HQ city

Lagos

HQ country

Nigeria

HQ region

Africa

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Treaty Reinsurance Premiums: Continental Re provides treaty reinsurance capacity to primary insurers across Non-Life and Life business lines. Premiums are collected based on proportional (quota share) and non-proportional (excess of loss, stop loss) arrangements. This is the primary revenue stream.
2. Facultative Reinsurance Premiums: Case-by-case reinsurance coverage for specific risks that fall outside treaty arrangements or exceed treaty limits. Charged individually based on risk assessment.
3. Advisory and Consulting Services: Specialist advisory services including reinsurance structuring, actuarial and risk management advisory, and product development support provided to cedant partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Continental Reinsurance is a composite reinsurer providing treaty and facultative reinsurance capacity to primary insurers (cedants) across Africa. Treaty reinsurance is offered through proportional arrangements (quota share) and non-proportional arrangements (excess of loss, stop loss) across Non-Life and Life business lines including Motor, Accident & Liability, Marine, Aviation, Fire, Engineering, Bonds & Guarantees, Oil & Gas, Political Violence & Terrorism, and Agriculture. Facultative reinsurance is provided on a case-by-case basis for specific risks outside treaty limits. The company also offers specialist advisory services including reinsurance structuring, actuarial and risk management advisory, and product development support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CRe Academy: A dedicated learning and capacity-building platform delivering technical training, market development programmes, and professional development resources for insurance practitioners across Africa. Reaches over 2,000 participants annually.
• CRe Awards
• CREST
• CRe Foundation

Products and services

• Treaty Reinsurance Treaty reinsurance capacity offered to primary insurers (cedants) across Africa through proportional arrangements (quota share) and non-proportional arrangements (excess of loss, stop loss). Available across Motor, Accident & Liability, Marine, Aviation, Fire, Engineering, Bonds & Guarantees, Oil & Gas, Political Violence & Terrorism, Life Insurance, and Agriculture lines.
• Facultative Reinsurance Case-by-case reinsurance coverage for specific risks that fall outside treaty arrangements or exceed treaty limits. Charged individually based on risk assessment for each individual risk.
• CREST Parametric Drought Insurance Parametric drought insurance using satellite vegetation and rainfall data to automatically trigger payouts when drought strikes, removing delays and disputes associated with traditional indemnity insurance. Designed for government, NGO, and community-level climate resilience applications.
• Advisory and Consulting Services Specialist advisory services including reinsurance structuring, actuarial and risk management advisory, and product development support provided to cedant partners and insurance companies across Africa.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% customer policy renewal rate reflecting strong trust and engagement
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FSD AfricacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023FSD Africa selected Continental Re for a structured technical assistance programme focused on ESG integration within African financial institutions. The programme provided targeted advisory support aligned with the Group's ESG maturity level and strategic priorities, including development of ESG framework, implementation roadmap, and initial ESG KPIs.
• PwCcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPwC facilitated technical sessions under the FSD Africa programme, supporting pilot implementation of IFRS S1 and S2, including a Pilot Implementation Toolkit covering disclosure templates, materiality frameworks, and data collection guidance.
• Navex Global Ethics Pointe SystemcoreTechnology or IntegrationWhistleblowing mechanism outsourced to Navex Global Ethics Pointe System, fully operational and tested with all employees trained on its use.
• College of Insurance and Financial Management (CIFM, Nigeria)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2025, Continental Re partnered with CIFM to establish the M.H. Koguna IT Lab, a state-of-the-art ICT centre named in honour of the company's first Chairman, as part of investment in professional development and institutional strengthening.
• Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with CIIN for professional development initiatives in Nigeria, supporting the establishment of the M.H. Koguna IT Lab and insurance industry capacity building.
• UNEP FI Principles for Sustainable Insurance (PSI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn October 2012, Continental Re became the first African reinsurance company outside South Africa to sign up for the UNEP FI Principles for Sustainable Insurance, a commitment that continues to underpin the company's approach to ESG integration.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• African Reinsurance Corporation (Africa Re): Africa Re is the largest pan-African reinsurer, owned by African member states and the African Development Bank. Both compete head-to-head for treaty and facultative reinsurance across all African markets, with similar product offerings (life, non-life, specialty lines) and overlapping cedant relationships. Africa Re is the most direct comparable to Continental Re given comparable pan-African scale, though Africa Re is a multilateral institution while Continental Re is privately held.
• East Africa Reinsurance Company (EA Re): Regional East African reinsurer offering treaty and facultative reinsurance across Eastern Africa with comparable product lines. Continental Re's Kenya subsidiary competes directly with EA Re for the same cedant relationships in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi. Jane Mberia, Continental Re's Group Finance Officer, previously held senior roles at EA Re.
• Kenya Reinsurance Corporation (Kenya Re): Kenya-based reinsurer offering both treaty and facultative reinsurance across Africa and select international markets. Direct competitor to Continental Re's Eastern Africa subsidiary in the Kenyan and regional cedant market, with similar product offerings including non-life, life, and aviation lines.
• ZEP-RE (PTA Reinsurance Company): Regional reinsurer serving Eastern and Southern African markets under the COMESA framework. Direct competitor for treaty and facultative placements across the same geographies Continental Re operates in, with overlapping product lines including non-life, life, and microinsurance.
• WAICA Reinsurance Corporation: West African reinsurer founded by ECOWAS member states to provide reinsurance capacity within the CIMA region. Continental Re's CIMA subsidiary and Abidjan office compete directly with WAICA Re for francophone West African cedants, offering overlapping treaty and facultative products.

Broad incumbents

• Munich Re: One of the world's largest reinsurers, with a long-standing African presence (Munich Reinsurance Company of Africa). Continental Re competes with Munich Re for large facultative and treaty placements across Africa, but Munich Re offers broader global diversification and higher credit ratings. Comparable as a reinsurance carrier serving cedants with similar product lines.
• Swiss Re: Global top-tier reinsurer with significant African business. Continental Re's CIMA subsidiary CEO Oumar BA previously served at Swiss Re as Regional Manager West Africa and Senior Client Manager. Both offer treaty and facultative reinsurance across life and non-life lines, with Swiss Re being a much larger and higher-rated competitor.
• Hannover Re: One of the world's largest reinsurers with growing African footprint. Comparable as a multi-line reinsurance carrier offering treaty and facultative capacity, particularly in specialty lines like Engineering, Credit & Surety, and Agriculture where Continental Re also has Center of Excellence mandates.
• Scor SE: Global tier-1 reinsurer with multi-line offerings including life and non-life treaty and facultative reinsurance. Comparable in offering similar product lines to Continental Re across specialty risks including Engineering, Marine, Aviation, and Credit & Surety, although operating at much greater scale and with superior credit ratings.
• Lloyd's of London: Global specialty insurance and reinsurance market providing capacity for complex and large risks. Comparable as a reinsurance provider to primary insurers for specialty lines including marine, aviation, energy, and political risk, where Continental Re also offers capacity. Lloyd's premium size dwarfs Continental Re but competes in overlapping specialty lines.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeopen.spotify.com/show/6UsSZTzfwzZYX1UkQl2lmn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Continental Reinsurance