Nigeria (NG)
Nigeria is Africa's most populous nation and its largest economy — a vibrant, dynamic, and entrepreneurial country of over 220 million people spanning 36 states and 250+ ethnic groups.
Insurance Guide
Which insurances you actually need in Nigeria, prioritised.
Nigeria insurance planning should cover medical evacuation, local HMO, motor, tenant/property contents, employer liability, security evacuation and travel disruption. Public safety nets are minimal for expats; the private insurance market is the primary protection layer.
Legally Mandatory
- - Motor third-party insurance — mandatory under the Motor Vehicles (Third Party Insurance) Act and Insurance Act 2003, updated by the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act (NIIRA) 2025; minimum third-party premium is ₦15,000
- - Health insurance for legal residents — mandatory under the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Act 2022 (Sections 3 and 14), which covers all Nigerians and legal residents
- - Employer pension/social insurance obligations under the Pension Reform Act
International health and evacuation
Major medical cover and evacuation to South Africa, the UK or home country — essential because Nigeria's public hospitals have severe capacity limitations.
Who needs it: All expats
Annual cost: USD 1,000–6,000+ depending on age, cover level and evacuation limit
Check Nigeria-specific security exclusions, civil-unrest clauses and evacuation destination carefully.
Local HMO health plan
Routine private healthcare through a managed care network — covers outpatient, diagnostics and inpatient at accredited hospitals.
Who needs it: Residents and employees; often employer-arranged
Annual cost: NGN 50,000–2,000,000+ per person/family depending on plan tier and hospital network
Hospital network quality matters far more than the brochure. Ask which specific Lagos or Abuja hospitals are included before signing.
Motor insurance
Third-party liability (mandatory) and optional comprehensive cover.
Who needs it: Drivers and car owners
Annual cost: Third-party from ₦15,000; comprehensive varies by vehicle value
Use genuine policies verifiable on the NAICOM portal — counterfeit insurance stickers are common in Nigeria.
Home contents and electronics insurance
Theft, fire, power-surge and household risk for renters and homeowners.
Who needs it: Renters and homeowners with valuable goods
Annual cost: Value-dependent; broker-arranged for expat-grade cover
Power-surge and generator-related damage, and burglary cover wording are critical — read exclusions carefully.
Security evacuation and crisis assistance
Security extraction, political evacuation and crisis support in high-risk zones.
Who needs it: Expats in high-risk regions, NGO workers, energy-sector workers
Annual cost: Employer-arranged; typically USD 500–3,000+ per person
Comparison sites
Obtain guarantee-of-payment letters from your insurer before any hospital admission — Nigerian hospitals require this upfront.
Keep your policy card and insurer hotline number offline; power and network outages are common during emergencies.
Check terrorism and civil-unrest exclusions on all policies — these are not automatically covered and matter significantly in parts of Nigeria.
Verify motor insurance authenticity on the NAICOM portal (naicom.gov.ng/policy-search) before driving — fake certificates are common.
Insurance
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