LAPO Microfinance Bank and the World Savings and Retail Banking Institute (WSBI) have issued a joint call to action demanding targeted climate adaptation financing for women entrepreneurs, smallholder farmers and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
Financial sector leaders and policy experts have called on financial institutions across Africa to place smallholder farmers, women and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) at the center of the continent’s climate finance strategy.
The call was made during the Africa Inclusive Climate Finance Conference 2026 in Lagos, organized by LAPO Microfinance Bank in partnership with the World Savings and Retail Banking Institute (WSBI) under the theme “Gender-Smart Finance for Climate-Smart Agriculture: Building Inclusive Rural Economies”.
Speakers at the conference pointed out that Africa’s economic ability to withstand severe climate disruptions depends on making financial services accessible to those who are most vulnerable.
LAPO Microfinance Bank Managing Director Cynthia Ikponmwosa stressed that climate resilience cannot be separated from financial inclusion. She noted that if rural households, women farmers and small business owners cannot secure the capital needed to adapt to changing weather patterns, climate finance will fail to help the communities that need it most. She urged banks to move beyond conventional lending formats and design financial solutions structured around the real income cycles and challenges of local communities.
Echoing these views, WSBI representative Peter Simon stressed that climate finance must become a core part of the continent’s overall economic infrastructure. He noted that four out of five smallholder farmers remain financially vulnerable to climate shocks, making it vital that capital flows directly to small businesses and rural workers rather than funding only large-scale infrastructure projects.
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The discussion also focused on gender-smart financial solutions designed to protect local assets. LAPO Microfinance Bank ESG Board Chairperson Angela Omeiza explained that gender-smart finance goes far beyond creating generic products for female customers. Instead, it requires understanding the unique operational risks women face and ensuring that access to capital directly translates into sustainable, long-term livelihoods.
Participants examined practical ways financial institutions can use climate-risk mapping to develop tailored credit products, insurance coverage, and risk-sharing tools. These mechanisms help smallholder farmers purchase quality seeds, implement timely planting strategies and adopt irrigation methods to protect their yields against unpredictable weather shocks.
The event concluded with a unified call for governments, financial institutions, technology providers, and private sector investors to collaborate closely to close the funding gap facing Africa’s rural economies.
