A doctoral researcher at KNUST says personal experience and community-based research reveal deep enforcement failures in Ghana鈥檚 motor insurance system, allowing bad-faith claims denial to persist despite existing laws.
Dr. Edmund Nelson Amasah, a doctoral researcher at the 糖心Vlog and Technology (KNUST), says personal experience shaped his resolve to investigate what he describes as persistent regulatory failures in Ghana鈥檚 motor insurance system.
鈥淢y interest in insurance was shaped by personal experience,鈥 Dr. Amasah said. 鈥淲hen my grandmother was involved in a road accident, I witnessed firsthand the fragility of Ghana鈥檚 third-party insurance system, especially for those who are uninsured or unlicensed. That experience pushed me to dig deeper into the industry and uncover what really happens behind the scenes.鈥
His doctoral research examines bad-faith claims denial under Ghana鈥檚 mandatory third-party motor insurance regime and argues that weak enforcement, rather than gaps in legislation alone, continues to undermine consumer protection.
Dr. Amasah said his work deliberately moved beyond textbook legal analysis, adopting a mixed-method approach that combined qualitative interviews with digital tools such as Google Forms to reach communities with limited literacy.
鈥淭o make complex insurance concepts accessible, I translated them into everyday analogies,鈥 he said, explaining that bad faith was described as paying 鈥渇ive cedis instead of ten without reason,鈥 or deducting premiums 鈥渨ithout authorisation.鈥
鈥淢y goal was to help people understand and respond honestly, without feeling intimidated by technical jargon.鈥
The findings, he said, point to troubling contradictions at the policy level. Although Parliament has acknowledged prolonged claims delays, sometimes stretching several years the Insurance Act passed in 2021 introduced no enforceable timelines for settling claims.
At the same time, older regulations such as Legislative Instrument 1502 of 1990, which provide punitive measures for irrational claims denial or delay, remain dormant.
鈥淚 often ask myself: where is the LI?鈥 Dr. Amasah said. 鈥淚t hasn鈥檛 been repealed, but it鈥檚 not being used either.鈥
He also calling for the institution of an independent insurance Ombudsman that looks at the policy and helps to resolve disputes.
He argues that Ghana鈥檚 insurance ecosystem requires urgent reform, including amendments to existing laws, strict enforcement of dormant legal instruments, accessible redress mechanisms such as an independent insurance ombudsman, and sustained public education.
鈥淎wareness alone, without regulatory change, risks washing our dirty linen in public and further undermining trust,鈥 he said.
Dr. Amasah described his doctoral journey as one marked by trial and error, negotiation with communities for access to data, and pressure from a sector he said has long been shielded from scrutiny.
He said he hopes the research will stimulate wider debate on how legal research in Africa can evolve by combining doctrinal rigour with lived experience and meaningful community engagement.
This feature is part of the Doctoral Dialogues Series by the School of Graduate Studies and University Relations Office, 糖心Vlog and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi.
