Prudential Africa CEO reaffirms commitment to raising industry standards

Standing (left - right): 2026 MDRT qualifiers Chinyere Emuchay, Head of Investment; Esther Orji; Feyishola Ogechi; Tochukwu Emefo; Onyinye Obi; Adaobi Nwoye; Imaobong Itoro; Blessing Oseh; Israel Denson; Evelyn Michael; and Queen Jamgbadi; flanked by Chief Agency Officer, Kwabena Yirenkyi; and National Sales Manager, Michael Adimabua. Seated (left to right): Company Secretary/Head of Legal and Compliance, Pauline Ogebe; Executive Director/Chief Financial Officer, Afolabi Lawal; Chief Commercial Officer, Oluwatosin Adebayo-Yusuf; and Head of Human Resources, Doyinsola Atanda-Obalakun, all of Prudential Zenith Life, during the MDRT qualifiers event in Lagos. Photo: Prudential Zenith Life

Prudential Zenith Life Insurance Limited, a subsidiary of Prudential Africa Services Limited, has emerged as Nigeria’s leading Million Dollar Round Table business, ranking number one in-country and featuring among the MDRT’s 2026 Global Top 100 companies worldwide.

The achievement reflects the growing strength and agency excellence of Prudential Zenith Life’s advisers. MDRT is recognised internationally as the benchmark for professional excellence in life insurance and financial services.

Over the past few years, Prudential Zenith Life has achieved a significant uplift in MDRT performance, contributing to Prudential Africa’s wider momentum, with 275 advisers across the continent qualifying in the first half of 2026, following 662 in the whole of 2025.

This progress is underpinned by Prudential plc’s premier sponsorship of the Million Dollar Round Table, a three-year global partnership launched in 2025 that aims to provide advisers across Prudential’s markets, including Nigeria, access to global learning, leadership development, peer networking, and best practices sharing.

Speaking on the achievement, the Chief Executive Officer of Prudential Africa, Emmanuel Mokobi Aryee, said: “Across Africa, including Nigeria, more individuals and families are recognising the importance of planning for their financial future. Our advisers have a significant opportunity to make a meaningful difference in their communities.

“The momentum we are seeing in Nigeria is part of what makes Africa Prudential’s fastest-growing MDRT community globally, and we are incredibly proud of it. By continuing to grow our agency force, we are expanding access to quality advice, serving more customers and helping to raise professional standards in the industry.”

Behind every MDRT qualifier is a clear pathway from recruitment to professional excellence, combining product and sales training, needs-based advisory coaching, mentorship from experienced leaders, and digital tools that enable advisers to focus on building trust and understanding customers’ needs and goals.

Also commenting, the Executive Director and Chief Operations Officer of Prudential Zenith Life, Samuel Ohonusi, noted: “This recognition reflects the discipline, professionalism and customer focus of our advisers across Nigeria. More Nigerian families are recognising the importance of planning for their financial future, and our advisers are increasingly at the centre of that conversation.

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“Ranking No. 1 in-country and featuring among MDRT’s Global Top 100 is a proud moment for Prudential Zenith Life, and it strengthens our resolve to keep raising professional standards, deepening customer trust and expanding access to quality financial advice across the country”, he added.

This momentum is backed by the scale of Prudential Zenith Life’s parent company, Prudential plc, which operates the second-largest MDRT agency force in the world. In its half-year results for the six months to June 2026,

Prudential plc reported an eight per cent increase in new business profit to $1.38bn, with margins expanding two percentage points to 40 per cent. Notably, agency generated 53 per cent of Prudential’s total new business profit, with new business profit per active agent rising nine per cent year-on-year.

Across Africa, including Nigeria, annual premium equivalent sales grew double-digit over the same period, with the business holding top three positions in several of its key markets. Prudential Africa now has 12,000 advisers across Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Ghana, and Nigeria, up 71 per cent over five years, serving 2.6 million customers.

In Nigeria, Prudential Zenith Life continues to scale its adviser force to meet growing demand for protection and savings solutions, creating professional opportunities for young Nigerians at a time when between 10 and 12 million people enter the African labour market annually.

Outside South Africa, life insurance penetration across the continent stands at 0.31 per cent, with a density of $5 per person per year. Nigeria reflects a similar gap between need and access, representing a substantial market opportunity.

By investing in professional standards, technology, and adviser capability, Prudential Zenith Life is positioning itself to help close that gap and make financial security more accessible to Nigerian communities.