Mike Ashurst, Senior Vice President for Reinsurance and Learning at ICMIF (United Kingdom), recently facilitated the "Strategic Masterclass for IIC Project Leaders," as part of the support provided under the UNDP ICMIF Insurance Innovation Challenge (IIC). This masterclass brought together 20 participants from IIC project implementors from CIC Kenya, CIC Malawi, Sanasa Life Insurance (SLIC), and MiMAP (also known as RIMANSI). These organisations joined the masterclass to help in their scaling of inclusive insurance products in their respective communities. The sessions took place on 27 August and 3 September for CIC Kenya and CIC Malawi, and on 29 August and 5 September for SLIC (Sri Lanka) and MiMAP (Philippines). 

The interactive sessions provided participants with valuable tools and strategies to tackle and respond to complex project challenges. The first session focused on strategic thinking and effective decision-making, while the second session emphasized harnessing collective intelligence and collaborative problem-solving through pre-mortem exercises and an Innovation Matrix. 

Participants engaged in identifying potential obstacles and developing actionable strategies, applying insights from the Innovation Matrix to address key challenges. The sessions highlighted the importance of understanding complexity, utilizing collective intelligence, and preparing for future scenarios to enhance project success. Interactivity was a key aspect of the masterclass; for example, project partners broke into teams to analyze potential failures, and develop solutions, which they subsequently shared with each other. 

Zachary Wambugu, Managing Director, CIC Insurance (Malawi) noted, "The discussion has been enlightening and broadened our perspective on project implementation. While challenges remain, the insights gained will be invaluable. We appreciate the support and believe these strategies will help us achieve our desired outcomes." 

Looking ahead, the ICMIF Foundation will follow up with each project team in three months' time to assess the masterclass's impact on their initiatives and evaluate the effectiveness of the strategies implemented. Subsequent sessions will be held after year one and year two of the projects.