Vanguard Assurance Event Updates

35 Anniversary Celebrations - Programme Line - Up

Mon Oct 5 2009

Please do well to attend.

1stZonal Vanguard Best Taxi Drivers Awards and Commissioning of a 100 New TaTa Indigo Taxi Cabs

Thu Nov 29 2007

WELCOME ADDRESS BY CEO OF VANGUARD ASSURANCE MR MAHAMA EMMANUEL BABA AT THE 1ST ZONAL VANGUARD BEST TAXI DRIVER AWARDS AND THE COMMISSIONING OF 100 NEW TATA INDIGO TAXI CABS.

Mr. Chairman,

Our Honourable Guest of Honour,
The Executive Vice Chairman of Vanguard Assurance
Our Distinguished Guest, Mr. Kwabena Pepera, a renowned industrialist and Chairman of PHC Motors,
The Managing Directors of Ecobank and PHC Motors
The MTTU Commander
National & Regional Executives of Transport Organisations
Executives of Taxi Unions and Societies within the Greater Accra Region
Our friends from the Press
Ladies & Gentlemen

I deem it a great honour to welcome you all to today’s function – the twin events of the 1st Zonal Vanguard Best Taxi Driver Awards and the Commissioning of the 100 new Tata Indigo Taxi Cabs which Vanguard has assisted taxi drivers to acquire through a leasing arrangement from Ecobank.

Since 2003 when our Board of Directors took the decision to institute the Taxi Project, a lot has happened and today marks a major milestone in the life of the Project and Vanguard’s relationship with taxi drivers, taxi unions and indeed taxi owners throughout Ghana. It has been a very fruitful relationship so far and we appreciate the fact that without the support and active participation of Taxi Drivers, Taxi Unions and Taxi owners for the Vanguard Project, we will not have come this far. I also want to recognise the contribution of governmental agencies such as DVLA, MTTU, National Road Safety Commission, and Ghana Tourist Board. Through our collective efforts, I can confidently say that the Vanguard Taxi Project is the most unique intervention by an insurance company to create and maintain a significantly close relationship with a key segment of its market and help develop it for the benefit of the country as a whole. This is a social responsibility project we are very much committed to as a company because we believe it holds tremendous benefits for all of us.

At this juncture Mr. Chairman, Our Special Guest of Honour, Distinguished Guests, ladies and gentlemen, I want to refresh our memories on the key objectives of the Project.
These are:
        1.    To complement the efforts of agencies involved in road safety
        2.    To contribute to the development of Tourism in Ghana
        3.    To contribute towards uplifting the image of the taxi driving profession in     Ghana

To achieve these objectives, we have five key components of the Project:

    The annual Vanguard Best Taxi Driver Awards
    The annual Training of Trainers Programme for Taxi Unions/Drivers
    The Group Taxi Insurance Scheme
    Drivers’ Life Assurance/Welfare Scheme
    Vanguard’s support for taxi drivers to acquire taxi cabs

In 2004 when we had the first Vanguard Best Taxi Driver Awards at this same venue, only 23 taxi unions and societies participated in that pilot awards ceremony. We projected that by 2007, we would have extended the awards to all the 10 regions and also have the first National Awards and put up a brand new taxi cab for the ultimate winner. Due to certain operational difficulties we have been able to effectively cover only five regions – Greater Accra, Western, Ashanti, Eastern, and Brong Ahafo. We also have extended the Project to the Northern and Central Regions and recently to Aflao in the Volta Region. Since inception in 2004, we have had regional awards in Greater Accra (3 times), twice in Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Eastern regions. This is the first time we are bringing together winners and first runners up in their respective regions to compete among themselves to determine who is the best taxi driver in the five (5) participating regions. I have been informed about how keen the competition was among the 10 contestants. Next year we will zone the country into two – the Northern Zone and the Southern Zone. The Northern Zone will include Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and the three(3) Northern Regions. The Southern Zone will cover Greater Accra, Central, Eastern, Western and the Volta Regions. Each of these zones will compete for one brand new taxi cab. This is to make for effective participation in the awards and make future awards more competitive and all-inclusive.

Apart from the grand prize which is the brand new taxi cab, we also have over 250 consolation prizes – double door refrigerators, table top refrigerators, 20’ colour Television sets and standing fans. Every driver who represented his or her union as the best driver will go home with one consolation prize or another.

Mr. Chairman, Distinguished Guests, ladies and Gentlemen

For us at Vanguard today is a very important day in our corporate calendar, a day set aside to recognise and reward hardwork, discipline and all the virtues that we all cherish and wish to see in our commercial drivers. We feel most honoured to have all of you here this morning to join us recognise deserving taxi drivers in five(5) regions of Ghana - Greater Accra, Western, Eastern, Ashanti and Brong Ahafo Region.
Amongst us today are also the Chairmen of various taxi unions from the five regions mentioned whose unions have been adjudged the best unions in their respective regions.

The question we have been asked over and over again is why are doing all these for Taxi drivers?

Taxi drivers, we sincerely believe constitute an indispensable group in our transport service delivery. Apart from taking us to and from work, many of us use their services in several other respects. Tourists and other foreign visitors to this country rely very much on taxi drivers to carry them around. To such visitors, taxi drivers mirror the image of this country. We sincerely believe that taxi drivers also deserve such recognition as accorded other professions like teaching, farming, nursing etc which all have award schemes to give recognition to deserving members.

It is therefore appropriate that in this golden jubilee year, we have chosen as the theme for this 1st Zonal awards “Ghana@50: the Contribution of the Taxi Driver, Taxi Union and the Taxi Owner.” The taxi industry has no doubt contributed its fair share in bringing our nation this far and it is just fine that while singing the praises of other sectors of the economy, we give the taxi industry and its key practitioners their due.

Distinguished Chairman, we are very much encouraged by the interest the awards and our training of trainers workshops continue to generate among taxi unions and taxi drivers throughout the country. The participation that we saw in the just ended workshop and also at today’s ceremony attest to this fact. I want to take this opportunity to commend the taxi drivers and executives of all taxi unions all over the country for sharing so effectively in our vision.

This is a project to transform the taxi industry in Ghana and to give the taxi driving profession a new image. We will continue to count on your support. It is our hope that the enthusiasm you have shown so far will grow even bigger so that together with your colleagues all over the country, we can make this Project an enduring success.

We are sincerely very grateful to members of the various regional Awards Committees and our special gratitude to the Greater Accra Regional Awards Committee which also doubled as the Zonal Awards Committee. You have all done a yeoman’s job. You have performed a national duty excellently, with so much professionalism and enthusiasm. We hope we can continue to count on your support.

At this juncture, Mr. Chairman, I wish to pay a special tribute to memory of Mr. Kojo Moses whose untimely death came to us yesterday. Mr. Kojo Moses had been the Chairman of the Greater Accra Best Driver Selection Committee since the inception of the awards in 2004. He was again invited this year to chair the Greater Accra Regional Selection Committee and the Zonal Committee but he wrote to us to be excused due to ill-health. When the history of the Vanguard Taxi Project is written, the role of Mr. Kojo Moses will be inscribed in gold not only because of his pioneering role as chairman of the Greater Accra Regional Best Driver selection committee, we have benefited tremendously from his advice on how to improve upon Taxi Project as a whole and to make the project an enduring success. May his soul rest in perfect peace.

To the 10 contestants who represented their various regions and to all taxi drivers who represented their various unions in their respective regions as best drivers and to the eventual winner and runners up, I say congratulations. Taxi drivers, Taxi Unions and Taxi Union executives in the five(5) participating regions and indeed throughout the whole country will continue to occupy a special place in the minds of the management and staff of Vanguard Assurance Company.

To all other stakeholders in the transport industry, who responded to our invitation to participate in both the just ended two-day training of Trainers workshop and today’s ceremony, we are grateful for your presence and wish to inform you that we will welcome your contribution and partnership to enhance the quality and sustainability of all aspects of our Taxi Project.

Thank you.

The CEO'S Welcome Address at the Training of Trainers Workshop for Taxi Unions and Societies

Thu Nov 29 2007

A BRIEF WELCOME ADDRESS BY THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF VANGUARD ASSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED, MR. MAHAMA EMMANUEL BABA READ ON HIS BEHALF BY MR. GEDION AMENYEDOR, THE CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE 3RD TRAINING OF TRAINERS WORKSHOP FOR TAXI UNIONS AND SOCIETIES IN THE GREATER ACCRA REGION ON THE 12TH OF NOVEMBER 2007.

Mr. Chairman,
Hon. Nii Adjiri Blankson, Mayor of Accra & our Special Guest of Honour
Distinguished Invited Guests
Executives of Various Private Road Transport Organisations
Representatives of Taxi Unions
Our friends from the Press
Ladies and Gentlemen

Its gives me a great pleasure to welcome all of you to this morning’s function – the opening ceremony of the 3rd Vanguard Training of Trainers Workshop for taxi unions and societies in the Greater Accra Region.

The annual training of trainer’s workshop for taxi unions and societies is a major component of the Vanguard Taxi Project, a social responsibility project which we instituted in 2003. The objectives of the Project are three-fold.

    1.    To complement the efforts of agencies involved in road safety
    2.    To contribute to the development of Tourism in Ghana
    3.    To contribute towards uplifting the image of the taxi driving profession in Ghana

Key components of the Project are:
   The annual Vanguard Best Taxi Driver Awards
   The annual Training of Trainers Programme for Taxi Unions/Drivers    The Group Taxi Insurance Scheme    Drivers’ Life Assurance/Welfare Scheme

Mr. Chairman, Honourable Mayor of Accra, Distinguished Guests, Ladies & gentlemen

This is the third such workshop we are organising for taxi unions in the Greater Accra Region. We have also organized one for the Car Rentals Association of Ghana. This year, we will also organize similar workshops in the Ashanti and the Western Regions. This is because these are among the venues for the Ghana 2008 football fiesta, which kicks off early January next year and is expected to bring foreign visitors into this country in numbers which are likely to challenge our hospitality industry to the limit. I believe among the key service providers in our hospitality industry are taxi drivers and we need to prepare them to face up to the challenges of the Ghana 2008.

Mr. Chairman, Honourable Mayor of Accra, Distinguished Guests,

The need for training to improve the skills of our taxi drivers became evident after the first Vanguard Best Taxi Driver Awards Selection process in 2004. The report submitted by the Selection Committee showed clearly certain deficiencies in the driving skills and customer care behaviour of our taxi drivers hence our decision to institute a training programme to correct such deficiencies.

Due to practical difficulties in getting all taxi drivers to effectively participate in such training programmes, we decided to rather train trainers for the taxi unions and societies. We usually advise the union executives that in nominating drivers to be trained of trainers, the ability of the nominee to impart the knowledge acquired to his colleagues should be given prime consideration. I therefore believe that the drivers we have here today have been carefully chosen and will see themselves as key agents of change and partners in our efforts to improve the driving and customer relations skills of our taxi drivers throughout Ghana.

We have over the years enjoyed the collaboration of governmental agencies such as DVLA, National Road Safety Commission, the Motor Transport and Traffic Unit of the Ghana Police Service, the Fire Service and indeed all the Private Road Transport Organisations and their umbrella body the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council. We are very grateful to them.

We are also privileged to have the Ministry of Transportation and of course the Honourable Mayor of Accra taking keen interest in our Taxi Project this year. I am also glad that Mr. J. Y. Amegashie, who is no doubt one of the experts on driver training and licensing agreeing to chair the opening ceremony of this year’s workshop. We are sincerely grateful and hope to have him as a resource person at future workshops to share his vast knowledge and experience with our taxi drivers.

Mr. Chairman, Our Special Guest of Honour, ladies and gentlemen, Vanguard is committed to transforming the taxi industry in Ghana and to the creation of a new image for the taxi driver. Our taxi project this year has made significant progress with our decision to support the acquisition of new taxis for distribution to taxi drivers on “work and pay basis”. We believe patrons of taxi services in this country deserve some comfort and that taxi drivers will be economically empowered through this arrangement. The first batch of 100 vehicles will be commissioned in two days time, the day for the Zonal Vanguard Best Taxi Driver Awards Ceremony. I believe you are aware that the winner of the grand prize will take home a brand new taxi cab. We also have over 250 consolation prizes comprising Double door Fridges, Table Top Fridges, Color TV Sets and Standing Fans.

I have no doubt that by now taxi drivers in Ghana are realizing how serious we are with our Taxi Project and our vision to transform the taxi industry in Ghana. The laudable objectives of the Project cannot however be achieved without the active involvement of taxi drivers, taxi owners and taxi unions. Taxi drivers and taxi unions must take ownership of this project, make it your own and ensure that it succeeds. We need a transformation of our minds and our attitudes. We must obey driving rules and regulations. We must adopt customer care practices and avoid the things we use to do which have given us the not too good an image over the years. It is time for a new breed of taxi drivers and we at Vanguard want any taxi driver driving one of the new taxis or who has our taxi sticker or carry our insurance sticker to be a special kind of taxi driver.

That will be our pride and encouragement to continue supporting the taxi industry in Ghana.

Mr. Chairman, Honourable Mayor of Accra, Distinguished Guests, ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the Board of Directors and Management of Vanguard Assurance Company Limited, I thank all of you for honouring us with your presence this morning. I am grateful to the resource persons who will be taking our trainees through various topics at this workshop.

For the trainees, I entreat you to take your lessons seriously and see yourselves as agents of change within the taxi industry in Ghana.

I wish you all a fruitful two-day workshop.

Thank you.

Final Selection Phase Of The Vanguard Best Taxi Driver Awards

Thu Oct 25 2007

Following the successful selection of ten (10) winners from five regions in Ghana.

The selection process for the Vanguard Best Taxi Driver Awards for 2006 is at its final stages and participants are going through several examinations and interviews to test their knowledge in Insurance benefits and requirements, Road Safety Regulations, Current Affairs, Customer Care and General Knowledge among a few.

Please stay logged on for details as they unfold.

Vanguard Assurance Wins Insurance Games Trophy

Thu Oct 25 2007

During the just ended 4th Annual Insurance week celebration games held at the Azumah Nelson Sports Complex here in Accra.

Vanguard Assurance put up a spectacular performance and won the Football competition by beating SIC 5-3 on penalties to lift the Nyametey Cup.

Please stay logged on for further details

Corporate Life Assurance Seminar

Wed Oct 24 2007

The Life Office of Vanguard Assurance Company Limited is pleased to invite
you to participate in a seminar organised and sponsored by the Life Office of
Vanguard Assurance Company Limited.

The topic for the Seminar is “Taking The Mystery Out Of Retirement Planning” to be delivered by our own indefatigable Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Emmanuel Mahama Baba.

    Date:     6th November, 2007
    Venue:    British Council Hall
    Time:      5:00pm

To many of us, retirement planning is a mystery which is only revealed to those
who are nearing their retirement age. However, according to retirement planning
experts, comfortable retirement required early preparation and conscious
planning throughout one’s working life.

That is the more reason why you should be part of this great discussion on how
to plan for a comfortable retirement life.

We hope to see you there.

First Batch Of a 100 Brand New Tata Saloon Cars Arrive

Mon Oct 22 2007

As Vanguard Assurance Company Limited and FOTAD Ghana ready themselves to officially outdoor 100 brand new Tata Indigo saloon cars to be used by taxi drivers on a hire purchase basis, various interests are really hyped and members of the general public are anxious to know what is going on.

At the moment, the taxi colors are being sprayed on them following which the FOTAD logo, AMA embossment and numbers will be embossed on them.

Come the 3rd of November 2007, after a float throughout the principal streets of Accra. A ceremony will be held at a grand ceremony on the forecourt of Vanguard Assurance Company Limited at its Head office in Accra on the 25th Independence Avenue. This ceremony will be to outdoor the brand new saloon cars shortly after which they will be handed over to their respective drivers.

Further information will be available soon. Please stay online for further details.

Vanguard Assurance Company Limited Pays 6.6bn cedis Claim to Intercity Hotels

Tue Oct 16 2007

Vanguard Assurance Company Limited has made a payment of 6.6bn cedis in insurance Claims to Intercity Hotels in Accra on thursday the 11th of October 2007.

Please stay online for further details in the news section.

Vanguard Assurance Launches 2006 National Vanguard Best Taxi Driver Awards.

Fri Sep 14 2007

Vanguard Assurance Company Limited has launched the 2006 National Best Taxi Driver Awards competition.

Please stay logged for further informantion coming soon.

Training Program for Vanguard Industrial attachees End

Tue Jun 26 2007

For over two weeks now, students undertaking industrial attachment with Vanguard Assurance Company Limited have been undergoing a series of training programs at the Head office at Ridge in Accra.

The training programs included Vanguard’s unique customer service and marketing schemes, the Ghanaian Insurance market terrain and expectations of the insurance industry. They were also trained in Insurance Marketing, the Vanguard Premia software used in underwriting and credit systems for clients.

The whole exercise was geared at providing them with the requisite skills and knowledge about the wide range of products and service that Vanguard Assurance offers to her valuable clients and the methods by which they are delivered. At the end of the training session, participants undertook an examination to ascertain their level of understanding and ability to be productive members of the Vanguard family.

The examination results which were released on the 25th of June, 2007 had the least score of 40% and the highest of 76%. Luckily all nine candidates passed the examinations which had a pass mark of 40%.

The training programe has provided the participants with a rich experience in technical know how that will go a long way in broadening their knowledge and enhancing their personal development.

The resource persons include senior underwriters and management staff with their examinations conducted by the Chief Operations Officer himself, Mr. Gideon Amenyedor.

Corporate Manager Celebrates Her 51st Birthday

Thu Jun 21 2007

The 18th of June 2007 marked a very important day in the life of our Corporate Relations manager as she celebrated her 51st birthday in grand style supported and surrounded by her colleagues.

Dzidzoli Adzo Asafo has been with Vanguard Assurance Company Limited for eight years and has held several key important offices in the Company.

A Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute and an Executive MBA holder, Ms Asafo, has headed the Claims Department. She has also headed Motor Department and Fire, Accident and Engineering Departments of the Company. Recently she was the Manager of the Retail Relations of the company and currently is the Senior Manager in charge of the Corporate Relations Department of the Company.

Happy Birthday Madam, wishing you many happy moments, may your widest dreams and aspirations for now and the coming years come through. And may the good Lord continue to bless you.

Inset from left to right: Mr. Amenyedor, Miss Asafo and Ms. Barimah assisting to cut the birthday cake.