Continental Reinsurance has received a license from the National Bank of Rwanda to open a Representative Office in Kigali, extending the pan-African reinsurer’s reach in East Africa.
The office trades as Continental Reinsurance (R) Limited and began operations on 10 August 2026. The National Bank of Rwanda approved the license, and the office will operate under that name. The move gives Continental Re a formal foothold in a market it has served from a distance until now.
What the office will do
The Representative Office will serve as a local liaison, connecting Continental Re with insurers, reinsurance brokers, and other industry players in Rwanda. It won’t underwrite business directly. Instead, it supports the underwriting and technical work already handled through the company’s East Africa operations, putting staff closer to clients and cutting the distance between decisions and the people affected by them.
Continental Re says the office reflects a longer term commitment to the East African market and aims to strengthen ties with insurers, brokers, and other stakeholders in Rwanda. Company leaders describe the goal as staying closer to the local market while offering more direct support to partners there.
Leadership weighs in
Kevin Mworia, Managing Director, framed the expansion as a response to Rwanda’s standing in the region:
“Rwanda is one of the most dynamic and well governed insurance markets in the region, and establishing a presence here reflects our long term commitment to East Africa,” he said. “Our Representative Office allows us to work more closely with our partners on the ground, understand their needs in real time, and continue delivering the responsive service and technical expertise that define Continental Re.”
Continental Re plans to name a dedicated local representative in the coming weeks, giving clients and partners direct access to its teams and products without routing through a regional office elsewhere.
Part of a wider pattern
The Rwanda office fits into what Continental Re calls its “Pan-African commitment made local” approach, pairing continental scale with knowledge of individual markets. The expansion follows a broader trend of international reinsurers seeking formal accreditation in Rwanda, including Africa Specialty Risks, which received approval from the National Bank of Rwanda last year to offer reinsurance capacity in the market.
About Continental Reinsurance
Continental Reinsurance has operated across Africa for four decades, providing life and non-life reinsurance in more than 50 countries. The company works with over 900 cedants and brokers and holds a B+ (Good) financial strength rating from AM Best, alongside a bbb-minus long term issuer credit rating. Kevin Mworia has led the company’s Kenya subsidiary since 2023, following a career that included senior finance roles at Sanlam Kenya Group and Liberty Life.
With the Kigali office now open, Continental Re adds Rwanda to a regional footprint that already spans Kenya and other East African markets, betting that closer proximity to clients will translate into faster, more informed underwriting decisions.
