ECOWAS Brown Card Insurance Scheme still relevant -Ghana Bureau
The Ghana National Bureau of the ECOWAS Brown Card Insurance Scheme has reemphasized the relevance of the scheme to motorists traveling within the sub region.
The bureau said this in response to an article published in the Daily Graphic on December 6, 2021 under the title “How relevant is ECOWAS Brown Card Secretariat?”
In the said Article, the writer, Mr Kwesi Amo was of the view that a young man who was 23 years old at the time he had an accident in Ghana, involving a Nigerian registered and insured vehicle, has had his hope of receiving compensation fading.
But in response to the writer, the Ghana National Bureau noted that in as much as it appreciated the concerns of the writer, it was important to state that the Ghana National Bureau of the ECOWAS Brown Card Insurance Scheme had done and continues to do its best to secure compensation for the victim of the accident.
Reason for delay in compensation
The Ghana Bureau noted that the said victim has not received any compensation due to the decision of the Nigeria Bureau to decline liability resulting from the accident with the reason that the accident did not occur on an international road in Ghana.
“It is also important to state that the Ghana National Bureau is not an insurance company.
“The Bureau as per the ECOWAS Brown Card Insurance Scheme Protocol A/PI/5/82 and the new Supplementary Act A/SA.01/06/20, handles claims arising from cross-border accidents involving Ghanaian insured vehicles, which occur outside Ghana, and accidents occurring in Ghana which involve insured vehicles from other ECOWAS States,” it explained.
The release further indicated that the Ghana Bureau, which in this case is acting as a handling Bureau, could only pay claims after the issuing Bureau, which in this case is the Nigeria National Bureau, has accepted liability and settled the claim or agrees to settle.
“The Ghana National Bureau, however, may make payment to a vulnerable victim on exceptional cases only, based on humanitarian grounds, when an Issuing Bureau other than the Ghana Bureau, decides not to pay.
“Contrary to Mr. Amo’s concern regarding the relevance of the Secretariat, we wish to state that the Ghana National Bureau is judiciously carrying out its mandate. It is worthy to state that between July and November 2021, despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated foreign travel risks, five Inter-Bureau meetings were held to discuss and settle cross-border accident claims with its counterparts in Togo, Niger, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, and Benin.
“Four of the meetings were held outside Ghana with only one meeting in Ghana. The meetings culminated in the settlement of claims in favour of Ghanaian claimants in the sum of GH¢1.77 million, while GH¢1.83 million was settled in favour of citizens of other ECOWAS Member States,” the release noted.
