{"id":55146,"date":"2025-08-07T17:18:48","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T17:18:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/sonarwa-life-joins-women-in-finance-rwanda-foundation-to-advance-gender\/"},"modified":"2025-08-07T16:49:37","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T16:49:37","slug":"sonarwa-life-joins-women-in-finance-rwanda-foundation-to-advance-gender","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/sonarwa-life-joins-women-in-finance-rwanda-foundation-to-advance-gender\/","title":{"rendered":"SONARWA Life joins Women in Finance Rwanda Foundation to advance gender equality"},"content":{"rendered":"

The membership was formalised on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, during a charter signing ceremony at SONARWA Life\u2019s headquarters in Kigali. The event brought together senior executives, financial sector leaders and partners, marking what participants described as a \u201ccritical step\u201d towards more inclusive leadership in the industry.<\/p>\n

In his remarks, Isa\u00efe Muhoza, Acting CEO of Rwanda’s leading life insurance company, said the company\u2019s decision to join WIFR was not symbolic, but a strategic and values-driven move to institutionalise gender equity across all levels of its operations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis membership is not a ceremonial act\u2014it is a serious commitment to systemic change,\u201d Muhoza said. \u201cToday, as SONARWA Life, we make a public commitment to ensuring that women have equal opportunities to grow, lead, and shape the future at our organisation and in the financial sector.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/figure>\n

Muhoza said gender inclusion is embedded in the company\u2019s recruitment, assessment, and promotion practices, noting that building diverse teams was key to delivering sustainable business impact and serving customers better. <\/p>\n

SONARWA Life\u2019s entrance into WIFR also presented an opportunity to empower the company\u2019s young female professionals. Three staff members, Esther Mugisha, Ingrid Isimbi, and Chantal Ikirenga, were awarded scholarships to pursue professional qualifications with the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI).<\/p>\n

\"Isa\u00efe<\/figure>\n

Muhoza celebrated the awarding of scholarships to three female employees, calling them \u201cthe future of ethical leadership in the sector.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking on behalf of the scholars, Esther Mugisha, a Corporate Business Officer at SONARWA Life, expressed gratitude to both WIFR and the company\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis gesture is not only a testament to your commitment to empowering young women professionals in the finance sector, but also a great encouragement for us to pursue excellence and contribute meaningfully to the growth of Rwanda’s financial industry,\u201d Mugisha said.<\/p>\n

\"Esther<\/figure>\n

WIFR, a non-profit network launched in 2023, champions diversity and inclusion within Rwanda\u2019s financial services industry. Its work spans banking, insurance, investment, and microfinance, with a focus on, among others, building capacity, promoting mentorship, and advocating for gender-responsive policies.<\/p>\n

Annie Nibishaka, CEO of Old Mutual Rwanda and an institutional member of WIFR, welcomed SONARWA Life into the network with a pointed reminder that Rwanda\u2019s financial sector is at a turning point, where good intentions on gender equality must now give way to concrete action.<\/p>\n

\"SONARWA<\/figure>\n

\u201cThe path towards gender balance in the financial sector has reached a critical moment where intention must translate into accelerated action,\u201d Nibishaka said. \u201cGender balance enhances decision making, improves governance and ultimately delivers better outcomes for all.\u201d<\/p>\n

She highlighted some of the Foundation\u2019s key achievements to date, including a research study on the state of women in the financial sector, mentorship cohorts with a pipeline of over 60 mentees, and partnerships with public institutions such as the Gender Monitoring Office and the Rwanda Standards Board (RSB), all aimed at supporting the organisation\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n

\"Annie<\/figure>\n

Speaking at the event, Emmanuel Gatera, Director of the National Standards Division at RSB, announced that Rwanda will, in October, launch the world\u2019s first standalone gender equality certification standard during the ISO General Assembly, which the country will host.<\/p>\n

The certification, developed in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Gender Monitoring Office, will be free of charge and available to both public and private institutions that meet the criteria for gender equity in operations and governance.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve seen transformational change when women are empowered in the workplace,\u201d Gatera said…I would be happy to recognise some organisations that have demonstrated their compliance with gender equality requirements, including members of Women in Finance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Emmanuel<\/figure>\n

Jessica Igoma, CEO of Mayfair Insurance, said SONARWA Life\u2019s inclusion comes at a pivotal time, as WIFR prepares to launch a dedicated insurance sector chapter. She pointed to low insurance penetration in Rwanda, currently at 2.1% compared to the global average of 7%, as a challenge that could be tackled through targeted inclusion and awareness strategies.<\/p>\n

“Looking at some of the statistics, we have about 92% of women with no insurance in this country, but also 38% of women do not know what insurance is or how insurance works. So, this will give us a good opportunity as women in insurance to be able to create a difference,” Igoma remarked.<\/p>\n

\"Jessica<\/figure>\n

SONARWA Life is the fifth insurer and the fifteenth institution to join the growing list of organisations aligned with WIFR\u2019s mission, including Kigali International Financial Centre (KIFC), Bank of Kigali, BRD, NCBA Rwanda, Access to Finance Rwanda, Ecobank, I&M Bank, Umwalimu Sacco, Old Mutual Insurance, Coopedu, Mayfair, Sanlam, and Zep-Re.<\/p>\n

As part of its membership, SONARWA Life will be expected to uphold the WIFR Gender Charter, monitor internal progress, and participate in sector-wide efforts to achieve parity.<\/p>\n

\"<\/figure>\n
\"The<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"Esther<\/figure>\n
\"Chantal<\/figure>\n
\"Ingrid<\/figure>\n
\"Esther<\/figure>\n
\"Maurice<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SONARWA Life Assurance Ltd has joined the Women in Finance Rwanda (WIFR) Foundation, becoming the latest institutional member to commit to promoting gender equality in Rwanda\u2019s financial sector.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000092273,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[75],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-55146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-homenews","byline-wycliffe-nyamasege"],"bylines":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"contributors":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"featured_image":{"id":2000092273,"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/2i1a9441logo.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":0,"height":0,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/2i1a9441logo.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/2i1a9441logo.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/2i1a9441logo.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/2i1a9441logo.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/2i1a9441logo.jpg","width":0,"height":0}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55146"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55146\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000092273"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55146"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=55146"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=55146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}