Built for Zambia
Insurance ERP in Zambia
An insurance ERP in Zambia has to do more than administer policies. It must collect premiums through MTN Mobile Money, Airtel Money and Zamtel Kwacha, serve policyholders who use feature phones through USSD, produce the returns the Pensions and Insurance Authority (PIA) expects from a licensed insurer, and handle Zambian payroll and tax rules for the insurer's own staff.
Ontech LifeI ERP is an insurance ERP developed by Ontech Solutions in Lusaka for long-term (life) insurers licensed in Zambia. It combines policy administration, claims, underwriting, finance, HR and compliance with the payment and messaging channels used in the Zambian market.
Key capabilities
Policy, claims and underwriting in one record
Every policy, premium, claim and underwriting decision is stored once, so operations, finance and compliance report from the same data.
Mobile Money premium collection
Premiums are collected through MTN Mobile Money, Airtel Money and Zamtel Kwacha and reconciled automatically against the policy.
USSD self-service
Policyholders check cover, pay premiums and start claims from any handset by dialling a USSD code, with no data or smartphone required.
PIA regulatory reporting
Statutory returns, statutory fund and solvency figures are produced from live policy and ledger data rather than assembled in spreadsheets.
Zambian payroll and tax
HR and payroll modules handle PAYE, NAPSA and NHIMA deductions for the insurer's own employees.
Local messaging channels
SMS, WhatsApp and email notifications for renewals, receipts and claim updates use the channels Zambian policyholders actually read.
Data hosted to Zambian requirements
Deployment can be managed by Ontech Solutions or installed on the insurer's own infrastructure in Zambia to meet data-residency preferences.
How it works
- Products, premium rates and underwriting rules are set up in the product catalogue.
- Agents, brokers, the client portal, the mobile app or USSD capture applications against those products.
- Underwriting accepts or refers applications and accepted cases become policies with a premium schedule.
- Premiums arrive through Mobile Money, bank or cash and are matched to the policy automatically.
- Claims are registered, documented, approved and paid with a full audit trail.
- Finance, actuarial and compliance teams generate ledger, IFRS 17 and PIA outputs from the same data.
Benefits
No foreign-system workarounds
Mobile Money, USSD and PIA returns are part of the platform, not custom projects bolted onto software designed for another market.
Regulator-ready records
A complete audit trail on every policy, claim and payment simplifies PIA inspections and external audit.
Reach beyond the smartphone
USSD and SMS let an insurer serve policyholders on basic handsets as well as through the app and portal.
One vendor, one platform
Insurance operations and company administration run in a single system supported from Lusaka.
Who it is for
- Licensed long-term insurers in Zambia moving off spreadsheets or legacy policy systems.
- New life assurance companies that need a complete, locally supported platform from day one.
- Insurers that want to sell and collect through Mobile Money and USSD without a separate integration project.
- Finance and compliance teams that need PIA and IFRS 17 outputs from operational data.
Zambia-specific considerations
Long-term insurance in Zambia is regulated by the Pensions and Insurance Authority under the Insurance Act No. 38 of 2021. The Act requires insurers to be licensed, keeps long-term and general insurance business separate, and obliges insurers to submit periodic returns and financial statements to the regulator. Software used by a Zambian life insurer therefore needs to keep the policy, premium and claims data that those returns are built from, and to keep it in a form the regulator can inspect.
Payments and communication in Zambia run through the mobile phone. Mobile money services from MTN, Airtel and Zamtel are regulated by the Bank of Zambia under the National Payment Systems Act and are widely used for everyday payments, while USSD short codes are regulated by ZICTA. The Data Protection Act No. 3 of 2021 also governs how policyholder data is collected and stored. An insurance ERP for Zambia has to work within all of these at once.
How Ontech LifeI ERP addresses this
Built in Lusaka for Zambian insurers
Ontech Solutions designed LifeI ERP around Zambian products, channels and regulation rather than adapting a general insurance system from elsewhere.
Channels included, not integrated later
Mobile Money collection, USSD, SMS, WhatsApp and email are standard modules of the platform.
Insurance plus the whole company
HR, payroll, procurement, fixed assets, CRM and approvals run alongside policies and claims, so the insurer does not need a second ERP for back-office work.
Frequently asked questions
What is an insurance ERP in the Zambian context?
It is a single platform that runs a Zambian insurer's policy administration, claims, underwriting, finance, HR and compliance, and that also handles Mobile Money premium collection, USSD self-service and the returns required by the Pensions and Insurance Authority.
Which insurers in Zambia is Ontech LifeI ERP designed for?
Ontech LifeI ERP is designed for long-term (life) insurers licensed by the Pensions and Insurance Authority, including established companies replacing older systems and new entrants that need a complete platform.
Does Ontech LifeI ERP support Zambian Mobile Money operators?
Yes. Premiums can be collected through MTN Mobile Money, Airtel Money and Zamtel Kwacha, and each payment is reconciled automatically against the policy it relates to.
Can policyholders without smartphones use the system?
Yes. Ontech LifeI ERP includes USSD self-service, so a policyholder on a basic handset can check cover, pay a premium or start a claim by dialling a short code, and receive updates by SMS.
Does the platform help with PIA reporting?
Yes. Regulatory returns, statutory fund and solvency figures are generated from live policy and ledger data, and every transaction carries an audit trail that supports regulatory inspection.
Where is Ontech LifeI ERP developed and supported?
Ontech LifeI ERP is developed and supported by Ontech Solutions in Lusaka, Zambia.
Sources
See Ontech LifeI ERP for your company
Book a demo with Ontech Solutions in Lusaka and see policy administration, claims, Mobile Money collection and PIA reporting working together in one platform.
Last updated 2026-09-13. Published by Ontech Solutions, Lusaka, Zambia.