President of the Directors Guild of Nigeria, Uche Agbo, has urged insurance providers to develop policies specifically designed for the country’s creative industry instead of relying on conventional plans that do not address the sector’s unique challenges.
Agbo made the appeal during a stakeholders’ engagement organised by the Office of the Special Assistant to the President on Art, Culture and the Creative Economy, headed by Ayomide Adeagbo, in collaboration with Insurtainment, a platform founded by Temitayo Akpan.
The event brought together government officials, insurance professionals and key players in the creative industry to discuss practical insurance solutions that can better protect professionals working across Nigeria’s entertainment sector.
Speaking during a panel session, Agbo described the engagement as an important step toward strengthening the future of the country’s creative economy. He noted that many existing insurance products fail to reflect the realities of an industry where most professionals work on project based contracts, experience irregular income and face production risks that differ from those in other sectors.
According to him, filmmakers and other creative professionals require more than the traditional insurance packages currently available. He called for comprehensive production insurance as well as health and life insurance plans specifically designed to meet the needs of people working in the entertainment industry.
Agbo identified several areas that should receive adequate insurance protection, including errors and omissions, accidents on production sets, damage or loss of equipment, production delays caused by the illness or absence of essential cast and crew members, as well as disruptions resulting from fire outbreaks, flooding, civil unrest, protests and other unexpected incidents.
He maintained that producers should not be left to shoulder the financial consequences of unforeseen events that are beyond their control.
The DGN president also appealed to insurance companies to improve the speed of claims processing, saying timely settlements would help build confidence in the system and encourage more creative professionals to embrace insurance coverage.
He praised the organisers for creating a platform for meaningful discussions and welcomed the participation of the Chairman of the House Committee on Insurance, who pledged legislative support for recommendations that may emerge from the engagement.
Agbo expressed confidence that stronger collaboration among government agencies, insurance providers and stakeholders within the creative industry would produce a framework capable of protecting professionals while also increasing investor confidence.
He added that with Nollywood and Nigeria’s wider creative economy continuing to expand, establishing an effective insurance system has become a necessity rather than a choice.
