Scout InsurTech Interview with Robert Lewis

Robert Lewis is the Chief Executive Officer at INTX Insurance Software, helping carriers, MGAs and program administrators streamline complex insurance operations through configurable policy, billing and claims solutions. Robert was interviewed by Chris Luiz, CEO and Co-Founder at Scout InsurTech.

Rob, how does the African insurance market differ from the US and other global markets? What would surprise people?

“The first thing that shocks most people is sheer scale. There is more insurance premium in Texas than in the entire African continent. That doesn’t mean Africa lacks sophistication, but it does mean carriers can’t survive as monoline specialists. Outside of a few niche sectors like oil and gas or mining, the market simply isn’t big enough.

If you’re a carrier on the ground, you have to be a generalist. You might write mobile insurance at one dollar a month, and then place a hundred-million-dollar offshore oil and gas program in the same week. Even in South Africa, which generates roughly 90 percent of Africa’s total premium, you can’t approach the market the way US MGAs or specialist carriers do.

That generalist reality forces insurers to lean heavily on reinsurers, not just for capacity but for expertise. With only a couple of underwriters on staff, you rely on reinsurance partners to help you manage risk across wildly different lines.

Another surprising difference is how Africa leapfrogged the West in mobile technology. Because fixed-line infrastructure barely existed, mobile networks took over quickly in the 1990s. By the late 90s, mobile adoption was ahead of Europe and the US. That agility extends into insurance, though corruption and uneven infrastructure continue to drag progress in some markets.”

How do reinsurers operate differently in Africa, and what role do they play in day-to-day insurance operations?

“Reinsurers in Africa are far more embedded in everyday business than many people in the US might expect. In the US, a single catastrophe can halt decision-making at a carrier for months. In Africa, cyclones hit the east coast every year. It’s normal, and insurers don’t stop talking to vendors or halt projects because of it.

Every insurer in Africa has several reinsurance treaties, often involving Munich Re, Swiss Re, Everest, and Lloyd’s. These partners support companies not just with capital but with claims management and risk control.

A good example: we had a one-hundred-million-dollar claim in Angola when a large US oil services facility burned down. We approached reinsurers bracing for impact, but because the risk had been carved up across global markets, it barely registered for them. For African carriers, that level of support is what keeps the market functioning. Reinsurers, in many ways, control the market, and they are also indispensable.”

What’s happening with MGAs in Africa, and how does it compare to MGA activity in the US and Europe?

“MGAs, historically called UMAs in South Africa, have been around for about 25 years. They originally exploded because large carriers consolidated, leaving many underwriters with no clear progression. So they went independent. The market then cooled for a while, but the global excitement around MGAs has revived it again.

There are some differences compared to the US. African reinsurers are far more cautious. Capacity is hard to get unless you have a strong track record working for a large carrier with proven profitability. You don’t see the US dynamic where a broker or wholesaler spins up a new MGA because they see an opportunity. In Africa, legislation makes it difficult for brokers to move directly into risk-taking, although it happens occasionally.

Instead, African MGAs are typically built by former carrier underwriters who want autonomy after years of slow decision-making inside huge organizations. And as in the rest of the world, technology is opening the door for new models. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a fully AI-driven MGA soon, one that can ingest data, underwrite, quote, bind, bill, and run claims with minimal human oversight.”

Who tends to launch MGAs in Africa, and is the trend more entrepreneurial or institutional?

“It’s usually individuals leaving carrier roles, not brokerages spinning out platforms. Big carriers in Africa operate almost like government departments. They’re massive, bureaucratic, and slow to move. Talented underwriters get frustrated and decide to launch something of their own where they can control decisions and focus on a niche they understand well.

Broker-driven MGA creation is less common because the regulatory environment makes it harder for brokers to participate directly in underwriting risk. But technology is changing things. People with a strong analytic or data background are starting to explore MGA opportunities, even without traditional insurance pedigrees, as long as they can convince a reinsurer their model is sound.”

What can the US insurance market learn from Africa?

“The US is extremely advanced in technical skill. US underwriters and risk managers are among the best in the world. But African insurance professionals tend to have a much more holistic view of the business.

Because companies are smaller, an underwriter in Africa doesn’t just underwrite. They understand a client’s full payment history before quoting. They know billing issues, outstanding premium, how claims are developing, and what’s happening on the reinsurance treaty. Everyone sees how the whole system fits together.

In the US, people often operate in silos. The companies we’ve seen excel here in the US are the ones where leaders push their teams to understand the whole business, not just their slice of it. Some of the most effective organizations we work with are the ones run by leaders in their 60s who have deliberately transferred that broad knowledge to younger staff and built very diverse, well-educated teams.

A more integrated understanding of how underwriting, claims, billing, reinsurance, and capital all interact would be a major advantage for the US market going forward.”

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