Jean Kacou DIAGOU

Jean Kacou DIAGOU, an Ivorian national born in Abidjan on August 15, 1946, is the founder and current President of the renowned African financial group, NSIA. After obtaining a high school diploma in philosophy, he earned a master’s degree in Economics from the Félix HOUPHOUËT BOIGNY University of Abidjan, followed by a specialization in insurance at CNAM in Paris. He began his career in insurance, rising to become Vice President of the AXA group for Africa.

In 1995, after participating in negotiations on the harmonization of insurance laws in the sub-region and co-authoring the CIMA code (Inter-African Conference on Insurance Markets), he realized the potential for a purely African and transnational insurance operator. This led him to found NSIA, which is now present in twelve (12) Sub-Saharan African countries and includes 1 holding company, 21 life and non-life insurance subsidiaries, 3 banking subsidiaries, 2 banking branches, a management and intermediation company (SGI), an investment fund management company (OPCVM), and a foundation.

In 2006, he led the negotiations for the acquisition of BIAO-CI, now NSIA BANQUE, which was listed on the stock exchange in June 2017. Today, NSIA ranks 3rd among insurance groups in the CIMA region and 4th among African banking institutions in the UMOA zone, with the ambition to become the leading Ivorian bank-insurance group.

From 2005 to 2016, Jean Kacou DIAGOU headed the General Confederation of Enterprises of Côte d’Ivoire (CGECI), the Ivorian employers’ association. He also served as President of the Federation of West African Employers’ Organizations (FOPAO) from 2010 to 2016. Additionally, he presided over the African Insurance Organization (AIO) from May 2001 to May 2002 and the Federation of African National Law Insurance Companies (FANAF) from 1990 to 1996.