UK flood intelligence specialist Previsico has announced its entry into the African market, starting with South Africa, as part of its continued international expansion.
The company develops property-level flood forecasting technology based on peer-reviewed research from Loughborough University and launched the program with funding from the InsuResilience investment fund managed by Blue Orchard Finance Ltd.
The expansion builds on its existing presence in the UK, Europe and the Americas and will bring its flood forecasting capabilities to areas where access to advanced insurance and risk management tools has historically been limited. South Africa was identified as the first market due to the country’s higher risk of flooding and the opportunity to improve resilience through early warning and better risk information.
Annual global flood losses are expected to reach US$850 billion by 2050, increasing the need for more accurate forecasts. Its proprietary real-time fluid dynamics modeling combines high-resolution lidar data, drainage network information, land use mapping and real-time weather data, and is validated by an Internet of Things (IoT) sensor network. According to Previsico, the system can provide flood warnings for individual properties up to 48 hours before an event occurs.
Previsico said its technology is currently used by insurance companies such as Zurich and Liberty, brokers Marsh and Lockton, and about 200 corporate organizations around the world.
As part of the deployment, Previsico completed the first phase of the South Africa project in the first half of 2026, successfully delivering a proof-of-concept project in Durban. The company said a second phase, launching this month, will extend coverage to Cape Town, Johannesburg and other areas identified as being at higher risk of flooding, with plans to roll out nationwide as the program develops.
Craig Deacon, Chief Financial Officer of Previsico, said: “Growing up in KwaZulu-Natal, I saw firsthand the impact floods have on communities without adequate early warning systems. Bringing Previsico to South Africa is not just a market expansion, it is an opportunity to deliver flood intelligence to those who need it most. I am proud that South Africa is the starting point of our emerging markets journey and it is a natural next step for our international growth.”
Richard Hardy, Head of Africa Private Equity at Blue Orchard, added: “Capital alone will not close the insurance protection gap in emerging markets. Building resilience requires advanced data and predictive technology. Previsico’s flood intelligence provides South Africa’s insurers and communities with actionable insights that were previously unavailable.”
Previsico said the launch in South Africa represents the latest phase of its international growth strategy. By expanding its flood intelligence platform into emerging markets, the company aims to make its forecasting technology available in areas where early flood warnings and improved risk management can help reduce the impact of severe weather on communities, businesses and insurers.
