All importers in Uganda are required to obtain marine cargo insurance from licensed local insurers, in accordance with new regulations from the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) and the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA).
This directive, outlined in IRA Circular Ref No: IRA/CIR/01/25/1055, mandates that marine insurance be processed through the newly launched IRA-URA Integrated Marine Platform. Non-compliance will result in cargo clearance delays.
To help importers meet these new requirements efficiently and safeguard their goods in transit, Alliance Africa General Insurance is offering compliant, comprehensive marine insurance solutions.
Following this development, Alliance Africa General Insurance Limited, licensed under IRA License No: IN/009/2020, wishes to offer comprehensive marine insurance coverage for all imports.
This coverage is designed to protect your cargo against any potential risks while ensuring full compliance with the regulations now in force.
In addition to marine insurance, Alliance Africa General Insurance offers a full range of non-life insurance covers tailored to meet both project and operational needs.
These needs include Corporate Plus, Directors’ and Officers’ Liability, Electronic Equipment, Employer’s Liability, Erection All Risks, Fidelity Guarantee, Fire and Allied Perils, Contractors’ Plant and Machinery, Asset All Risks, Aviation, Banks’ Blanket Bond, and Burglary.
Others needs include Contractors All Risks, Industrial All Risk, Marine (Cargo), Marine (Hull), Money, Motor Vehicle Comprehensive, Personal Plus, Political Violence and Terrorism, Professional Indemnity, Public and Product Liability, Travel, Agriculture, and Workmen’s Compensation.
The public has been notified of the launch of the Integrated IRA-URA Marine Platform. Section 8(3) of the Insurance Act, Cap 191, stipulates that all local risks and persons, including imports, must be insured by companies licensed to operate in Uganda.
To ensure compliance with this statutory requirement, the Insurance Regulatory Authority of Uganda and the Uganda Insurers Association, in partnership with the Uganda Revenue Authority, have officially launched the Marine Insurance Platform. This platform has been successfully integrated with the URA Customs Window.
This initiative comes in response to a pronouncement by the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development regarding the compulsory nature of marine cargo insurance.
Accordingly, the public is informed that all imports will be required to obtain marine cargo insurance policies through the IRA-URA Integrated Marine Platform, authorized by the Insurance Regulatory Authority, effective 6th November, 2024.
Marine cargo and goods in transit insurance can be accessed online via its portal, for further assistance, you may contact the Uganda Insurers Association. The Authority remains committed to being a model regulator of a secure and developed insurance industry.
According to IRA Circular Ref No: IRA/CIR/01/25/1055, dated 31st January, 2025, and addressed to all non-life insurers, the mandatory use of the local marine and goods in transit insurance portal is now in effect. This follows the launch of the portal on 6th November 2024.
Insurers were expected to guide customers to channel all marine-related business through the platform, even while it remained a voluntary measure. This innovation was introduced for the benefit of the industry, and it was expected that insurers would support and utilize it accordingly.
However, it is regrettable that, to date, no marine transactions have been uploaded to the portal, and therefore, no marine insurance certificates have been issued through it.
In light of this, all insurers are now directed to ensure that all new marine-related business is processed through the portal. Furthermore, all existing annual marine insurance business must be uploaded onto the system.
The Uganda Insurers Association and the system developers are required to provide a template for uploading these existing annual policies. Insurers are encouraged to reach out to them for any necessary support in using the platform.
As a final reminder, the enforcement of mandatory local marine and goods in transit insurance will take effect. Certificates issued through the online portal will be a requirement for the Uganda Revenue Authority to clear any imported cargo.
