What African Risk Transfer does

African Risk Transfer (ART) is a privately held Pan-African commercial insurance brokerage headquartered in Mapou, Mauritius, with regional offices in Seychelles, South Africa, and Zambia, and correspondent or joint-venture arrangements extending into most of Sub-Saharan Africa. Founded in 1993 by Gavin Courtenay with origins in wildlife and tourism insurance, the firm has operated continuously for over three decades and became a member of the firstEquity Insurance Group in 2013. ART is organized into five specialist pillars: Property & Engineering, Financial Lines, Structured Solutions, Human Risks, and Hospitality & Tourism, providing bespoke coverage including assets insurance, political violence and terrorism, contractors all risks, directors and officers, professional indemnity, cyber liability, trade credit, political risk insurance, bonds and guarantees, kidnap and ransom, medical evacuation, and the proprietary Ranger Protect product for rangers. Underlying service infrastructure includes an in-house claims management function and the proprietary ART24 24/7 Critical Incident Control Room for medical emergencies and crisis response.

ART earns revenue primarily by acting as a licensed insurance broker between clients and a panel of global and African insurers, earning commissions on placed premiums, supplemented by fees from specialist risk-transfer consulting and claims management services. Pricing is bespoke, quote-based, and annually renewed, reflecting the customized nature of specialty commercial lines. The go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales delivered through regionally based brokers and account executives who build long-term relationships with corporate, hospitality, conservation, financial, energy, logistics, and project-finance clients. Customer concentration is diversified across enterprise accounts in hospitality (Time + Tide, Malilangwe Trust, Land Marine Seychelles), energy (Heli Drilling Solutions), logistics (Transcom Sharaf Logistica), financial services (Platinum Portfolios), and other verticals, supported by partnerships with The Game Rangers Association and JW Seagon to extend product and distribution reach.

Name

African Risk Transfer

Legal name

African Risk Transfer Ltd

Website

https://africanrisktransfer.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

African Risk Transfer is a privately held Pan-African commercial insurance brokerage, founded in 1993 and headquartered in Mauritius, operating across five specialty pillars (Property & Engineering, Financial Lines, Structured Solutions, Human Risks, Hospitality & Tourism) to deliver bespoke risk transfer solutions to enterprise clients across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Insurance Brokerage

NAICS

Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242), Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411), Fire, Marine & Casualty Insurance (6331), Accident & Health Insurance (6321)

akta.pro primary industry

Travel Insurance & Corporate Risk Transfer (Trip, Medical, Kidnap & Ransom) (THACAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Professional Liability (Errors & Omissions) (FSAJADAB)

Keywords

• Commercial insurance brokerage
• Pan-african insurance broker
• Risk transfer solutions
• Specialty insurance products
• Corporate insurance advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Mapou

HQ country

Mauritius

HQ region

Africa

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Insurance Brokerage Services: ART operates as a licensed insurance broker earning commissions from insurers for placing and administering insurance policies. The company also provides claims management services and specialist consulting for complex risk transfer solutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

African Risk Transfer (ART) is a Pan-African commercial insurance brokerage that places and administers insurance policies on behalf of clients through five specialist pillars: Property & Engineering, Financial Lines, Structured Solutions, Human Risks, and Hospitality & Tourism. The firm operates as a licensed intermediary between clients and a network of global and African insurance underwriters, also providing in-house claims management and a 24/7 Critical Incident Control Room (ART24) for medical emergencies and crisis situations.

Product overview

African Risk Transfer (ART) is a Pan-African commercial insurance brokerage offering a comprehensive suite of risk transfer solutions through five specialist pillars: Property & Engineering, Financial Lines, Human Risks, Structured Solutions, and Hospitality & Tourism. The Property & Engineering division provides asset insurance, public liability, political violence coverage, contractors all risks, marine cargo, and business interruption protection for commercial properties and construction projects. Financial Lines covers Directors & Officers liability, Professional Indemnity, Cyber Liability, Crime, and Investment Managers Insurance. Human Risks offers employee protection including kidnap/ransom, travel insurance, medical evacuation, private medical insurance, and life covers. Structured Solutions delivers customised products including Political Risk Insurance, Bonds & Guarantees, Non-Payment Insurance, and Trade Credit Insurance for complex transactions. Hospitality & Tourism provides specialised coverage for hotels, lodges, wildlife operations, and tourism businesses, including the unique Ranger Protect product. ART operates across sub-Saharan Africa and Indian Ocean islands from headquarters in Mauritius with branch offices in Seychelles, South Africa, and Zambia, and is a member of the firstEquity Insurance Group.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Property & Engineering Insurance programmes designed for Pan-African commercial property portfolios and engineering/construction projects, covering material damage, business interruption, public liability, political violence and terrorism, contractors all risks, advanced loss of profit / delay in start-up, and marine cargo. Targets property owners, developers, contractors, and engineering companies.
• Financial Lines Strategic insurance covers protecting companies and key personnel against exposure from changing legislation, crime, financial risk, and liability, including Directors and Officers (D&O), Professional Indemnity (PI), Cyber Liability, Crime Insurance, and Investment Managers Insurance (IMI). Designed for financial services firms, investment managers, and corporate boards.
• Human Risks Situation-specific insurances protecting employees and their families when working in Africa, covering kidnap, ransom and extortion, corporate travel insurance, travel assistance membership, international private medical insurance, group life and related covers, key person cover, and partnership cover. Targets companies with employees in high-risk African environments.
• Structured Solutions Customised insurance solutions combining insurance and banking expertise to craft bespoke risk transfer products for special projects and complex requirements, including Political Risk Insurance (PRI), Bonds and Guarantees, Non-Payment Insurance (NPI), and International Trade Credit Insurance. Targets sovereigns, private obligors, SPVs, financial institutions, and multinationals with complex transactional risk.
• Hospitality & Tourism Specialist insurance solutions for wildlife reserves, lodges, hotels, and tourism operators covering assets, liabilities, guests and staff, including medical evacuation, the unique Ranger Protect product for rangers, and business interruption cover. Rooted in over three decades of African hospitality insurance experience.

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and specialized.

• firstEquity Insurance GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013ART became a member of firstEquity Group in 2013. firstEquity brings leading skills in the Corporate and Commercial world and has positioned itself as a credible alternative to major internationally owned insurance advisors in the African insurance industry. Vis Govender established firstEquity, bringing a client-focused and innovative mindset to delivering exceptional service.
• JW SeagoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerART formed a strategic partnership with JW Seagon, a leading specialist Health and Life brokerage with exceptional track record in the Indian Ocean Islands and African continent. This partnership expands ART's offerings in international health and life insurance, with Debbie Dando steering the collaboration between ART and JW Seagon.
• The Game Rangers AssociationspecializedStrategic or Co-development PartnerART partnered with The Game Rangers Association to offer Ranger Protect, a unique 24/7 insurance product for rangers across Africa, covering injury or death even when off duty. This product was developed to enhance the well-being of Africa's rangers and their families.
• Global and African InsurerscoreOthersART maintains strong partnerships with both global and local insurance companies, positioning the company to find bespoke solutions for clients. These insurer relationships enable access to competitive pricing and specialized coverage options across African markets.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Old Mutual Emerging Markets: Large African financial services group offering insurance and investment products across sub-Saharan Africa — broad incumbent with overlapping distribution and enterprise coverage in ART's core markets.
• Marsh: Global insurance broker with a large African practice offering property, casualty, financial lines, and specialty risk transfer — comparable as a Pan-African placement intermediary serving enterprise clients in the same product categories as ART.
• Aon: Global insurance broker with established presence across Sub-Saharan Africa covering D&O, PI, political risk, property, and human risks — overlapping with ART across multiple specialist pillars.
• Willis Towers Watson (WTW): Global insurance and reinsurance broker with Africa operations spanning financial lines, structured solutions, and human risks — competes with ART for enterprise and specialty placements.
• Howden Broking Group: Growing specialty insurance broker expanding into Africa with focus on political risk and structured solutions — directly comparable to ART's Structured Solutions pillar.
• Hollard Insurance: Pan-African insurance group operating across multiple African markets with both underwriting and brokerage capabilities — competes with ART across enterprise and consumer lines across the continent.

Direct peers

• Bowring Marsh: Marsh's specialty broker focused on political risk, structured credit, and treaty solutions — competes directly with ART's Structured Solutions and Political Risk Insurance offerings.
• Alexander Forbes: South African-headquartered insurance brokerage and advisory firm serving enterprise clients across the continent — directly comparable to ART's Pan-African commercial brokerage model.
• SATIB Insurance Brokers: South African specialist broker focused on tourism, hospitality, and wildlife insurance; shares historical and family linkage with ART (Gavin Courtenay came from the SATIB founding family), making it the closest functional peer in the hospitality/tourism vertical.

Regional players

• Jubilee Insurance: East African insurance group with presence in Mauritius, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and other markets — comparable as a regional African insurance intermediary in geographies where ART operates.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/african-risk-transfer

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 African Risk Transfer