Heirs Insurance Group has secured double recognition, with its member companies, Heirs Life Assurance and Heirs General Insurance, earning spots on the 2026 Financial Times ranking of Africa’s fastest-growing companies.
The ranking, regarded as one of the continent’s most authoritative benchmarks for business performance and expansion, featured 130 companies across various sectors. According to the ranking, Heirs Life Assurance placed seventh, while Heirs General Insurance ranked 41st, positioning both firms among Africa’s leading growth companies.
The ranking, compiled with research company Statista, measures compound growth rate in revenues between 2021 and 2024.
Heirs Insurance Group, in a statement on Thursday, said the dual recognition reflected “exceptional growth” recorded during the assessment period, driven by what it called consistent financial strength, customer-centric innovation, an expanded product portfolio and operational excellence.
It added that the recognition validated its long-term vision of redefining insurance in Africa.
Commenting on the achievement, the Sector Head of Heirs Insurance Group, Niyi Onifade, said, “We are immensely proud that both Heirs Life Assurance and Heirs General Insurance have been recognised among Africa’s fastest-growing companies. This ranking is a validation of our unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional value to our customers and our focus on sustainable, technology-driven growth.
“As proud pioneers of digital transformation in the Nigerian insurance sector, we continue to reflect the spirit of excellence defined by our parent company, Heirs Holdings. We are committed to building financial resilience, not just in Nigeria but across the entire African continent.”
According to the company, the recognition comes shortly after the group launched PrinceAI, a multi-language generative artificial intelligence assistant designed to improve access to insurance services across Africa. According to the group, the platform enables real-time customer engagement and addresses challenges that have historically limited access to insurance coverage.
Heirs Insurance Group, the insurance arm of Heirs Holdings, operates through Heirs General Insurance Limited, Heirs Life Assurance Limited and Heirs Insurance Brokers, serving corporate and individual customers across Nigeria. The company said it remained committed to promoting financial inclusion and expanding digital access to insurance services in the country.
Findings by our correspondent confirmed that Nigeria had 16 companies on the 2026 Financial Times ranking of Africa’s Fastest-Growing Companies, cutting across different sectors including technology, finance, manufacturing, retail, healthcare, logistics and telecommunications. The Nigerian firms on the list are Sabi Holdings, Haul247 Technology, Heirs Life Assurance, Remedial Health, Currenzo Nigeria Ltd, Rank Capital, Comercio Partners Ltd, McNichols Consolidated Plc, Termii Inc, OmniRetail Inc, i-Fitness Centre Ltd, Redtech Ltd, BUA Foods Plc, Sundry Markets Ltd, Heirs General Insurance Ltd and My Credit Investment Ltd.
According to Statista, the 2026 edition of Africa’s Growth Champions ranks companies according to percentage growth in revenues between 2021 and 2024.
To be included in the list, companies had to be independent and have primarily organic revenue growth from at least $100,000 generated in 2021, rising to $1.5m by 2024. Companies also had to have their operational headquarters in Africa.
Published online by Statista and the Financial Times, and as a supplement within the weekday edition of the FT newspaper, the annual high-profile list is a visible and public acknowledgement of fast-growing companies in Africa. “Out of over 9,000 companies evaluated, only 130 companies made the final list, receiving the recognition as an official ‘Growth Champion 2026’.” Statista said.
