Architecting a $1 Trillion Economy: Rashidat Adebisi Launches Strategic Blueprint for Nigeria’s Insurance Sector Under NIIRA 2025
After a landmark 21-year career in institutional finance, Rashidat Adebisi, former Executive Director at AXA Mansard, has formally unveiled The Re-Architecture Project, a bold strategic pivot designed to reposition Nigeria’s insurance and financial systems in alignment with the Federal Government’s $1 trillion economy ambition.
Adebisi, who officially resigned from the Board of AXA Mansard effective December 31, 2025, brings to this initiative more than two decades of executive leadership experience, having served as CFO, Chief Distribution Officer, and Chief Client Officer.
Her newly launched project seeks to strengthen Nigeria’s insurance and financial infrastructure, positioning the sector as a central engine of macro-economic stability at a time when the nation is navigating the implementation of the Nigeria Insurance Industry Reform Act (NIIRA 2025). She describes this period as a watershed moment for the industry.
According to Adebisi, building a trillion-dollar economy demands more than capital inflows. It requires a comprehensive re-architecture of financial systems, particularly in how they engage with the informal economy, which accounts for over 60% of employment across Africa.
Macro-Economic Resilience as a National Imperative
At the heart of The Re-Architecture Project is a reframing of insurance, from a transactional product to the foundational stabilizer of economic resilience.
With insurance penetration below 3% in many African markets, Adebisi emphasizes the urgency of closing the continent’s protection gap. She maintains that sustainable macro-economic growth cannot occur without robust risk management systems embedded within national financial structures.
“Insurance is the net that allows a nation to jump higher,” she stated, underscoring that every decimal point in financial projections represents real businesses protected and real futures secured.
The initiative argues that Nigeria’s primary challenge is not capital scarcity, but the absence of what she terms “invisible infrastructure”, namely Trust, Access, and Regulatory Clarity.
NIIRA 2025: From Regulatory Obligation to Strategic Advantage
Adebisi views NIIRA 2025 not as regulatory friction but as structural reinforcement necessary for long-term competitiveness. The Act’s emphasis on Capital Recalibration, Enhanced Governance, and Consumer Protection, she notes, establishes the institutional discipline required to support a $1 trillion GDP trajectory.
The reform represents a recalibration of industry foundations while accelerating digital transformation across the ecosystem.
“Those who view compliance as a burden will struggle; those who see it as a competitive advantage will thrive,” Adebisi remarked, positioning policy fluency as a critical leadership competency for the next decade.
Economic Visibility and the Integration of the Informal Sector
A core pillar of the project is “Engineering Inclusive Ecosystems,” demonstrated through the FileAm App. The initiative reimagines tax compliance as a digital utility for SMEs and informal entrepreneurs, transitioning them from economic invisibility into formal digital tax rails, insurance coverage, and structured credit systems.
By building digital identities and verifiable credentials, the project seeks to transform compliance into credit history, and credit history into sustainable access to capital capable of driving intergenerational wealth creation.
As a Financial Systems Strategist and Architect, Adebisi’s framework for the next decade rests on a clear governing principle: Data-aware. Policy-conscious. Africa-focused.
She calls on industry leaders and policymakers to move beyond incremental adjustments toward the deliberate design of interoperable financial ecosystems capable of sustaining Africa’s long-term growth ambitions.
“The future of finance in Africa will not be inherited. It will be architected,” Adebisi concluded. “It is our turn to build.”
About Rashidat Adebisi
Rashidat Adebisi is a Financial Systems Strategist and Insurance Thought Leader with over two decades of experience in institutional finance and executive leadership. Her career includes serving as CFO, Chief Distribution Officer, and Chief Client Officer at AXA Mansard. She is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA) and an alumna of the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School.
The Re-Architecture Project is a strategic initiative focused on developing and strengthening financial infrastructure across Africa.
