The National Insurance Commission (NIC) is intensifying efforts to reduce fraudulent claims in a bid to accelerate the processing and payment of legitimate insurance claims.

The Commission intends to leverage the 2025 Inclusive Insurance Innovation Challenge to, amongst others, attract proposals that offer innovative solutions to curb fraud in the sector.

Speaking to Citi Business News on the sidelines of the launch of the 2025 Inclusive Insurance Innovation Challenge, Deputy Commissioner of the National Insurance Commission, Bernard Ohemeng-Baah, said the Commission is keen on adopting innovation and collaborative approaches to improve claims payment

“We believe there could be more achieved in terms of the speed at which some of these things happen, but then you raise an important question about claims fraud. As part of the innovations that we are inviting, we want to see people who bring creative ideas on how we can reduce fraud, so that we can help speed up the claim processes. Normally, when claims come and insurers have questions on them, it prolongs the time that it takes to settle.

So once you can suppress fraud then it gives you the confidence to pay claims much quicker,” he said.

Bernard Ohemeng-Baah also revealed that the NIC is seeking to engage the Chief Justice on the possibility of establishing special courts dedicated to the prosecution of insurance fraud cases — a move aimed at deterring fraudulent behavior and strengthening regulatory enforcement.

“It is a crime to make false claims and as an industry, we take fraudulent claims very seriously. Some people have gone to jail for fraudulent claims. In fact as part of the issue on our plate as the leadership of NIC, we want to go and have conversation with the court, the leadership of the court…the Chief Justice to see if we can establish a special court for trying insurance fraud and insurance related crimes so that people can see those getting involved in these crimes getting punished and that will be able to deter people from going into the space,” he added.

Meanwhile, Insurance and Risk Finance Facility Coordinator at the UNDP, Amina Sammo, also speaking to Citi Business News stressed the need to broaden insurance coverage, particularly among informal sector workers, to build resilience and promote inclusive growth.

“We want to at the end of this challenge be able to have products from innovators that will cater for the traditionally excluded sectors of the population,” she remarked.

The 2025 Inclusive Insurance Innovation Challenge aims to spark solutions that makes insurance more accessible, affordable, and inclusive