AXA Mansard Insurance Plc has launched its first pan-African brand campaign in Nigeria, seeking to position insurance and financial protection as an extension of the culture of care already embedded in families and communities.
The campaign, tagged ‘Culture of Care’, is designed to broaden the conversation around protection beyond insurance policies, with the company linking everyday acts such as caring for children, supporting ageing parents, protecting employees and preparing financially for the future to the wider concept of insurance.
Kunle Ahmed, chief executive officer of AXA Mansard Insurance, said the campaign was intended to draw attention to the role of protection in helping individuals, families and businesses manage uncertainty, while also recognising people who routinely provide care for others.
Ahmed said the campaign was particularly relevant to Nigeria’s insurance market, where penetration has remained below one percent, arguing that increasing uptake would require insurers to connect their products with values that consumers already understand.
“The challenge is therefore not simply awareness but helping Nigerians see insurance not as an expense, but as a practical expression of care,” he said.
According to Ahmed, insurance should be viewed in the context of the protection people already provide within their families and communities.
He cited parents paying for healthcare and education, businesses providing protection for employees and individuals supporting relatives as examples of care that could also extend to financial and insurance protection.
“When a parent purchases health insurance for a child, that is care. When a business protects its employees, that is care,” Ahmed said.
He said the company’s approach was informed by the African philosophy of Ubuntu, which places emphasis on the connection between individual wellbeing and the wellbeing of others.
Ahmed noted that AXA Mansard had provided protection through insurance, healthcare, investment and other financial solutions, covering areas ranging from families and businesses to communities and, more recently, state-level risks associated with climate change.
He said the campaign was therefore intended to encourage Nigerians to consider protection as something that begins with people and their responsibilities to one another, rather than with the purchase of an insurance policy.
The health dimension of the campaign was highlighted by Tope Adeniyi, chief executive officer of AXA Mansard Health, who said the initiative would also focus on preventive healthcare and the protection of caregivers.
Adeniyi said caregivers often carry emotional, physical and financial responsibilities while neglecting their own healthcare needs.
He argued that the concept of care should extend beyond households to workplaces, healthcare systems and public policy, adding that stronger protection for caregivers could contribute to more resilient families and communities.
“Care is not a weakness. Care is strength. Care is not merely an emotion. It is an action,” Adeniyi said.
He said AXA Mansard Health would continue to focus on expanding access to health insurance and quality healthcare as part of efforts to address gaps in Nigeria’s healthcare protection system.
The campaign also extends the concept of care to personal finance and long-term wealth creation.
Deji Tunde-Anjous, chief executive officer of AXA Mansard Investments, said financial planning should form part of how individuals think about caring for their families.
He noted that many Nigerians make significant financial sacrifices to provide education, healthcare, housing and other necessities for their families, but could leave their own long-term financial needs inadequately protected.
According to him, saving and investing for future needs should therefore be viewed as another form of care.
“When parents save for their children’s education, it is care. When individuals invest and build wealth that can support future generations, it is care,” Tunde-Anjous said.
He said AXA Mansard Investments would continue to promote financial education, digital solutions and accessible investment products to help individuals convert current income and savings into longer-term financial security.
The launch comes as insurers in Nigeria continue to contend with low market penetration, limited public understanding of insurance and affordability concerns, alongside efforts to expand the industry through broader product offerings and digital channels.
For AXA Mansard, the campaign represents an attempt to frame insurance within familiar social responsibilities, linking protection of people and assets with the financial decisions individuals and businesses make for those who depend on them.
