Geopolitical Risk, Insurance and Business Continuity in Africa

Global instability is no longer something businesses can ignore from a distance. Even organisations with no direct presence in conflict zones are feeling the effects through rising fuel costs, disrupted supply chains, delayed travel and growing operational uncertainty.

The Podcast Discussion

That was the focus of a recent podcast hosted by Africa HR Solutions, where Alex Daruty and Viloshna Packiry Poulle sat down with Mike Kelly and Joe Gleason from The Baldwin Group to discuss what organisations operating across Africa should actually be preparing for.

Misunderstanding Risk

One of the strongest messages from the discussion was that many companies still misunderstand risk. As Mike Kelly explained, geopolitical instability does not only affect businesses operating in high-risk regions. Global supply chains are now so interconnected that disruption in one area can quickly impact organisations elsewhere.

Joe Gleason shared a practical example of this. A client had executives returning from East Asia through Doha when conflict in the Middle East suddenly disrupted travel routes. The organisation had not viewed the Middle East as part of the risk because it was only a transit point. Yet employees still became stranded and the company had to respond quickly.

Preparedness Gaps

That example led into a broader conversation around preparedness. Joe explained that many organisations believe they are prepared because they have policies, procedures and systems in place. But in reality, employees often do not know:

• who to contact during an emergency
• how escalation works
• when to activate support services

This creates a dangerous gap between planning and operational reality.

Key Areas Organisations Should Review

When asked what organisations should review first, Joe highlighted several practical areas:

• knowing where employees are travelling
• understanding transit routes
• having reliable communication channels
• ensuring employees know who to contact during emergencies

He also stressed that many organisations already have access to valuable medical and security assistance services through their insurance programmes, but employees often do not know how or when to use them.

The Role of Insurance

The conversation then shifted to insurance. Mike Kelly explained that many companies incorrectly assume that having insurance automatically means they are protected. In practice, coverage often depends on exclusions, policy wording and whether organisations followed the correct procedures to activate support.

One important point raised was that most standard travel insurance policies exclude conflict-related events unless specifically endorsed or modified. The discussion also explored business interruption insurance, crisis response support and the growing importance of understanding exactly how insurance policies work before organisations need to rely on them.

Workforce Continuity Challenges

Viloshna Packiry Poulle then brought the discussion back to workforce continuity. She explained that during periods of disruption, employees are often focused on simple but important concerns:

• Will I still have a job?
• Will I still be paid?
• How will the company support me?

For organisations operating across Africa, she highlighted additional complexity around payroll compliance, changing labour regulations, currency volatility and cross-border payments.

Integrated Risk Management

Throughout the conversation, one theme continued to surface. Risk management cannot operate in silos. Mike Kelly stressed that preparedness needs collaboration across HR, finance, operations, legal and leadership teams. Joe added that organisations should regularly run scenario-planning exercises to test how they would respond during real disruptions.

Looking Ahead

Towards the end of the discussion, the conversation turned to the future. Would instability improve? Both Mike and Joe agreed that unpredictability is likely to remain part of the global operating environment for the foreseeable future.

As Joe put it:

“The only certainty going forward is uncertainty and unpredictability.”

For organisations operating across Africa, the message was clear. Preparation is no longer something businesses can treat as a secondary exercise. The organisations that navigate disruption best are usually the ones that prepared long before the crisis began.