Jean Kacou Diagou: Founder Of Cote D'ivoire's First Banking-insurance Group

Jean Kacou Diagou built NSIA into West Africas first bank-insurance conglomerate, expanding into 12 countries and reshaping financial services in the region.

NSIAs 2006 acquisition of BIAO Cte d'Ivoire transformed it into a full-service financial powerhouse, integrating banking, insurance, and digital finance.

Diagou co-authored the CIMA Code, unifying insurance regulations across 14 African nations and advancing financial transparency and inclusion.

Jean Kacou Diagou is more than a businessmanhes a visionary who redefined Africas financial sector. From his early days as an insurance professional to founding NSIA Group, the first Ivorian banking-insurance conglomerate, his journey reflects strategic foresight and relentless ambition. Today, with operations in 12 countries, his name is synonymous with financial inclusion and regulatory transformation in West Africa.

Born in 1948 in Abidjan, Cte d'Ivoire, Diagous early years were shaped by a strong academic foundation. He earned a degree in economics from the University of Abidjan before furthering his expertise at the cole Nationale d'Assurances ENASS in Paris. This dual backgroundeconomics and insurancebecame the foundation for his groundbreaking contributions to Africas financial industry.

Diagous career began at Union des Assurances de Paris UAP, one of the worlds largest insurers at the time. Rising through the ranks, he took on leadership roles at UAPs African subsidiary, eventually becoming Director General of its Ivory Coast operations. But rather than settling into corporate stability, he had a bigger visionto create a financial institution that would reshape Francophone Africas financial landscape.

In 1995, at a time when Cte d'Ivoires financial sector was fragmented, Diagou founded Nouvelle Socit Interafricaine d'Assurances NSIA with an initial capital of CFA300 million 500,000. But his ambitions went beyond traditional insurance.

NSIA introduced a game-changing concept to West Africa: the bank-insurance model, integrating banking and insurance under one roof. The goal was to simplify access to financial services, allowing individuals and businesses to manage their finances more efficiently.