By Ngozi Onyeakusi—-Mr. Davis Ebelechukwu Iyasere of Nigeria has been appointed the new Secretary-General/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the West African Insurance Companies Association (WAICA).

The appointment was approved by the Governing Council of the West African insurance and reinsurance body at its current 50th anniversary conference in Lagos, Nigeria.

The appointment of Iyasere follows the retirement Mr. William Coker, the incumbent Secretary-General/ CEO of WAICA.

According to media reports, Iyasere now becomes the first Nigerian to occupy the position of Secretary-General in the 50 years of WAICA.

Currently, Iyasere is the Deputy Director in-charge of Corporate Communications, Human Resources and Administration at the Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA), where he had a career spanning almost two decades.

He joined the Association as Corporate Affairs Manager in 2004 and rose through the ranks to his current position by dint of hardwork, strength of character, pursuit of excellence, humility and strong intellectual capacity.

Iyasere started his career as a freelance sports journalist with Vanguard Newspapers and later with National Times Newspaper before he joined The Guardian newspapers as a sub-editor in 2000. He later joined Sporting Champion, then Nigeria’s highest selling weekly sports newspaper from where he joined the Nigerian Insurers Association as Corporate Affairs Manager in 2004.

He attended Comprehensive High School Igbodo, in Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State and was the Senior Prefect during his time. He later proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Ogba, Lagos for a professional Diploma in Journalism.

He obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication Arts from the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State with a second-class upper division and was the President of the Faculty of Arts Students Association (FASA).

He later obtained a Master’s Degree in Communication Studies from Lagos State University before proceeding to University of Lagos for a second Master’s Degree in Industrial and Labour Relations.

He is currently pursuing a doctorate degree in Public Relations at Babcock University, Ilishan, Ogun State.
He is a member of many professional bodies and Associations such as:

Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Advertising Practitioners Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON), Chartered institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM), Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN), Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), USA, and Association of Corporate Governance Professionals of Nigeria.

The West African Insurance Companies Association (WAICA) is the umbrella Association of Insurance and Reinsurance companies as well as brokers in Anglophone West Africa.

As Secretary-General and CEO, he will oversee the activities of insurance institutions in Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia.
He would be based at WAICA’s Secretariat in Accra, Ghana.