Dawda Sarge is new WAICA president

Sarge taking oath

The Managing Director of Prime Insurance Company Limited, Mr. Dawda Sarge, has taken over the position of presidency of the West African Insurance Companies Association (WAICA). 

His tenure will end in 2013. He succeeded Mr. Fatai Lawal, the Chief Executive of Sterling Assurance Nigerian Limited.  

Mr. Sarge’s inauguration was held on Tuesday at the end of a yearly general meeting and educational conference of WAICA, which brought together some 200 insurance professionals from the West Africa sub-region, held in Banjul, The Gambia (April 15-17, 2012).  

Going through the necessary protocol, Mr. Sarge took the prescribed oath of office pledging “To discharge my duties faithful to the best of my ability and in accordance with the Constitution of WAICA and law.”

In an acceptance speech shortly afterwards, Mr. Sarge said: “I wish to thank my colleagues in the Gambia insurance industry especially the executive committee members of the association (Insurance Association of the Gambia) for your magnanimity and confidence which you demonstrated by nominating me into the (WAICA) executive and as the president for 2012 – 2013.”

“I also like to thank the chairman and board of directors of my company for endorsing my nomination and I equally look forward to their support, understanding and patience during this period,” added Mr. Sarge, who is also the president of the Insurance Association of the Gambia, IAG. 

He acknowledged and salutes his predecessor, the immediate past president of WAICA, Mr. Lawal, “for a successful tenure and for a job well done.” He said Mr. Lawal has laid a solid platform for him to build upon and consolidate.

He is expected during his tenure to increase the membership of WAICA, which he hope to achieve by involving the local industry association, and as a membership base organization, raising the profile of WAICA becomes key for the institution to achieve its goal.  

“What I am referring to here is that since the WAICA objective is to increase its membership in order to maximize revenue, high on my agenda, however, is to consolidate and enhance the good work of the [WAICA] executive by increasing membership of the association so as to have the much needed revenue to sustain the activities and operations of the association,” he explain.   

Earlier, Mr. Lawal, the outgoing president of WAICA, said: “It is already one year and it’s time to hand the mantle of leadership of our association to a brother and a friend, Mr. Dawda Sarge of The Gambia.”

“I feel highly honoured and fulfilled for the opportunity of leading our association in the last one year.  I am particularly grateful to God for His mercies, and to members of the executive committee, and the entire membership of the association for making it possible for us to accomplish our set goals,” he said.

While commending the executive committee of WAICA for the support, Mr. Lawal noted that during his tenure, the membership of the association has increase and was also able to generate greater interest in the association’s activities among members and non-members. 

“I am happy, pleased and proud to take bow and handover our association to a worthy successor, Mr. Dawda Sarge,” he said while handing over the WAICA medal of presidency to Mr. Sarge.  “I belief Mr. Sarge will work harder to take our association to a greater height.”  

The WAICA presidency rotates among its member countries – Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia – that founded WAICA in 1973.  The presidency of the association is transferred to the host country of the rotating yearly general meeting. 

Other Gambians who served as WAICA president includes: Omar B. Dibba (1984), S.S. Fatty (1989), Babou Cisse (1993), Yabor Forster (1997), Pa Alhassan Jagne, (2002) and Senor Thomas (2007).

The Author: Modou S. Joof

 

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