CEO and General Secretary of the Ghana Bureau of ECOWAS Brown Card Insurance Scheme, Mr. Gabriel Glover says deadline for member countries of the scheme to use the new Secured Brown Card is January 1, 2016.

Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Ivory Coast, among others are members of the scheme.

Mr. Glover said this during a training programme held for stakeholders on the new secured ECOWAS Brown Card.

The training programme was attended by officials from Ghana Customs, Ghana Immigration Service, Freight Forwarders, Transporters and Police MTTU.

“The main objective of the scheme is to ensure prompt and fair compensation to victims of motor accidents caused by non-citizen motorists visiting their territory from other ECOWAS member states”, Mr. Glover told participants.

The event took place at the premises of the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders, Tema on Tuesday, 25th August, 2015.

The ECOWAS Brown Card Insurance covers Third Party Liability for Injury, Death and Property Damage caused by visiting motorists from other ECOWAS Member States.

The system guarantees a motor insurance cover which leads to the realization of the free movement objectives of the ECOWAS.

 The Brown Card essentially is a territorial extension of the local insurance cover.

“This implies that the Brown Card motor certificate cannot stand alone or should not be issued in isolation of an underlying local motor insurance cover or policy. Invariably, a local policy holder who intends to travel to another ECOWAS country should call at the office of his local insurance company to obtain the Brown Card certificate”, Mr Glover told the participants.

Mr. Glover warned motorists against the use of fake Brown cards.

“We have discovered that there are a large number of fake Brown Cards in circulation and causing serious challenges to the management of the Scheme in the sub-region”, he said.

A person who issues or tenders false documents commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding 25 penalty units or to a term of imprisonment not exceeding 8 months or to both, according to the law.

Showing copies of the new secured ECOWAS Brown Card Certificate to the participants, Mr. Glover explained that new and secured Brown Card is a single leaflet format with security features.

“It is an improved certificate which is expected to curb the use of fake Brown card in our communities,” he underscored.

Last week in Accra, a similar educational programme was held at the premises of the National Insurance Commission (NIC) to member insurance companies on the underwriting and claims procedures of the Ecowas Brown Card Insurance Scheme.

The Brown Card team has since left for Aflao and Ho in the Volta Region to provide similar training programmes for drivers and government officials in that region.