The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year didn’t become a hurdle for Samoa Surety Insurance when it opened its doors in November last year to customers.

And close to six months later the firm located in the heart of Apia at Mulivai within the Ace Building Complex just got on with business despite the challenges.

Samoa Surety Insurance Managing Director, Aloali’i John Low, told the Samoa Observer that there would be a long-term demand for a home-grown insurer, just as there is a growing demand for home grown banks.

“Samoa Surety is actually a practical assertion of Samoa’s economic sovereignty,” said Aloali’i.

He said his company’s vision is to be the leading insurance company that can provide more affordable insurance to guarantee protection and growth. 

"The whole industry of insurance is providing a contract to ensure your assets or properties so that people manage the risk, it becomes more important in this COVID-19 period that the earning ability, the economic downturn of the economy that people's assets are very important,” he added.

"We provide that avenue as an insurance so we can give the people an affordable avenue to insure their property or vehicle.”

The provision of competitive and affordable insurance for the country in the area of fire and general insurance are key functions for the six-month-old firm, according to Samoa Surety Insurance General Manager, Levaopolo Maselina Sosene.

“In my perspective as someone who has been in the insurance industry for quite a while, the company comes at a good time because there are many vehicles on the road and our people are more developed in terms of building their houses,” she added. 

“Having Samoa Surety as another insurance company in Samoa gives customers an option to choose from.

“One of the things we want to do is to make things simple for our customers in terms of the service we provide through insurance, making it easier and affordable for our people.”

Levaopolo says their strategic framework is simple: critical focus on financial, customer and people (staff) and industry experience shows that it always comes down to a firm’s service and the price they offer.

“From experience in the industry it’s mostly about the service and the price that people look out for whether the money they are paying will get any value out of that,” she added. 

“Samoa Surety is committed to providing quality insurance with value pricing.

“Our success is measured by our clients’ preference and guarantee to insure with Samoa “Surety because of our more efficient service and easy to understand insurance products.”

Acknowledging the challenges that the pandemic has created for the local, Levaopolo said their business is only a couple of months old and there has been some sort of impact by the pandemic.

“I think it’s safe for me to say that people are very much aware of insurance but again it does come down to whether they can afford it or not. 

“We are mindful of the fact that most of our people here are not insured, they are only insured if it is a requirement by the bank. We pride ourselves for being affordable.”