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Stakeholders in the financial and agricultural sectors have called for women, smallholder farmers and Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) to be placed at the centre of Africa’s climate financing strategy.
They warned that the continent’s ability to withstand the growing economic impact of climate change would depend largely on how effectively financial institutions channel funding to vulnerable communities and businesses.
The stakeholders spoke at the Africa Inclusive Climate Finance Conference 2026, convened in Lagos by LAPO Microfinance Bank (LAPO MfB), in partnership with the World Savings and Retail Banking Institute (WSBI).
The conference, themed “Gender-Smart Finance for Climate-Smart Agriculture: Building Inclusive Rural Economies,” brought together financial institutions, regulators, development finance organisations, technology companies and private-sector stakeholders.
Opening the conference, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of LAPO Microfinance Bank, Cynthia Ikponmwosa, said the climate challenge was also a financing challenge, particularly for communities dependent on agriculture and informal economic activity.
“Climate resilience cannot be separated from financial inclusion. If women farmers, rural households and small businesses cannot access the capital they need to adapt, then climate finance will remain disconnected from the realities of the people it is meant to serve,” Ikponmwosa said.
She urged financial institutions to move beyond conventional lending models and design financing solutions around the income patterns and vulnerabilities of underserved communities.
Peter Simon, speaking on the evolution of inclusive finance, highlighted WSBI’s more than 100-year history and its role in advancing inclusive financial services.
“The challenge before Africa is not simply to mobilise more capital, but to ensure that capital reaches the people and businesses that need it most. Inclusive finance must become part of the continent’s climate resilience infrastructure,” Simon said.
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Senior Director of Government Affairs for Western and Central Africa at Visa, Chidozie Arinze, identified digital finance as critical to expanding access to financial services.
“Digitalisation gives us an opportunity to take financial services closer to people, particularly those traditionally excluded from formal finance,” he said.
ESG Board Chairperson of LAPO Microfinance Bank, Angela Omeiza, said gender-smart finance should go beyond merely creating financial products targeted at women.
“Gender-smart finance is not simply about creating products for women. It is about understanding the risks women face, designing finance around those realities, and ensuring that capital translates into resilience, productivity and sustainable livelihoods,” she said.
Participants also examined how climate risks could be converted into bankable opportunities, particularly for smallholder farmers and MSMEs.
WSBI Vice President, Africa Regional President and Chairman of the Management Board of Al Barid Bank, Morocco, Al-Amine Nejjar, highlighted the role of African savings and retail banks in financing MSMEs and strengthening climate resilience.
Managing Director of Babban Gona, Kola Masha, examined how financial institutions could transform climate risks confronting farmers into viable financing opportunities.
The conference also called for stronger collaboration among financial institutions, governments, development partners, technology companies and businesses to close the financing gap confronting climate-vulnerable communities.
