(Business in Cameroon) – The board of directors for Chanas Assurances, a subsidiary of the state-owned National Hydrocarbons Corporation (SNH), has appointed Bibiane Francine Mbia as acting general manager, effective August 20, the company announced in a statement. The appointment was made during an extraordinary session in Douala, with a permanent general manager expected to be named in the coming days.
Mbia, a veteran of the insurance sector, previously served as Chanas Assurances’ technical director. She succeeds Henri Théodore Bayouak, who was removed from the position just 11 months after his appointment on October 18, 2024. The company described Mbia as a leader dedicated to active listening, accessibility, and efficiency in serving policyholders.
With this appointment, Chanas Assurances is adopting a new strategic direction focused on ethics, accountability, and quality of service. The company’s objective is to better serve its clients by strengthening proximity, transparency, and responsiveness. After dominating Cameroon’s insurance market until 2013, Chanas Assurances SA lost its prominence due to a leadership conflict. Since 2020, the company has been undergoing a recovery process, supported by a 2.3 billion CFA franc injection from SNH, which raised the company’s capital to 6 billion CFA francs.
For 2025, Chanas Assurances aims to increase its revenue and net income by about 10%. To achieve this, the company’s leadership is prioritizing a climate of genuine collaboration, mutual respect, and shared commitment. The company emphasized the importance of building a corporate culture founded on integrity and solidarity, believing that sustainable performance comes from building trust and listening to policyholders.
According to figures from the Association of Insurance Companies of Cameroon (ASAC), Chanas Assurances SA was the third-largest non-life insurer in Cameroon in 2023, with a 10.9% market share. The company, once a leader in this segment, has been surpassed by France’s AXA (12.4% market share) and Cameroon’s Saar (11.5%).
Frédéric Nonos
