OVERVIEW:A common perception about insurance in most African countries is that carriers generally fail to honor policy contracts when insured losses occur, and in most cases resort to fine prints embedded in these insurance contracts to either deny claims or substantially reduce claim payments. Such is the refrain heard not only among insurance policyholders and customers but with alarming regularity from the general public, thus resulting in the adverse and low penetration rate of insurance products and services in most African countries.Though several factors can be readily identified as drivers of this perception including the lack of adequate understanding of the insurance contract, its terms and conditions, limitations, coverages, exclusions and deductibles including the legal and regulatory framework in various countries; the focus of this article is how the role of insurance marketing and sales, including its technolo hr consultants gical, regulatory and management strategies, can be utilized as an effective educational vehicle in changing not only the above perception but making the claims process more transparent and beneficial to the policyholders.There is thus a direct corollary between the marketing of insurance, the technical knowledge of the agent, the types of coverages and policies available and whether a claim is denied or underpaid in the event of an insured loss.THE SIERRA LEONE CASE STUDY:For decades the marketing of insurance products and services in Sierra Leone has hinged primarily on the “direct agency” method, wherein companies employed agents earning salaries or as independent contractors being paid commissions on sales to merely sell and market their products. The marketing of life insurance products, property and liability policies such as fire, marine, accident and allied policies were always mostly marketed by these company agents.