Africa’ ability to withstand the growing economic impact of climate change will depend largely on how effectively financial institutions place women, smallholder farmers and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises at the centre of climate financing, experts have said.

The call was made 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).

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 to examine the intersection of climate resilience, financial inclusion, women’s economic empowerment and sustainable enterprise.

In her speech, Cynthia Ikponmwosa, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, LAPO Microfinance Bank, said the climate challenge was also a financing challenge, particularly for communities whose livelihoods depend 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 stressed the need for financial institutions to move beyond conventional lending models and design financing solutions around the income patterns, vulnerabilities and opportunities of underserved communities.

Speaking on the evolution of inclusive finance, CEO, WSBI, Peter Simon highlighted his organisation more than 100-year history and its continuing role in advancing inclusive financial services globally and in Nigeria. He stressed the importance of savings and retail banks in ensuring that climate finance reaches communities and businesses at the grassroots.

“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.

Speaking from the technology and payments perspective, Chidozie Arinze, Senior Director of Government Affairs for Western and Central Africa at Visa, highlighted digital finance as a critical enabler of broader access to financial services.

In her remarks, Angela Omeiza, ESG Board Chairperson, LAPO Microfinance Bank, said gender-smart finance should go beyond simply creating financial products targeted at women.

Discussions at the conference focused strongly on the need to convert climate risk into bankable opportunities. During the session on “Empowering Communities Through Climate Action: From Climate Risk Mapping to Inclusive Climate-Smart Financial Solutions,” participants examined how financial institutions could use climate-risk information to develop products that help vulnerable communities prepare for and recover from climate-related shocks.

Kola Masha, Managing Director, BabbanGona, brought the perspective of smallholder agriculture to the discussion, examining how financial institutions can transform climate risks confronting farmers into viable and bankable financing opportunities.

The conference further featured a high-level discussion, “When Capital Meets Climate: Rethinking What Impact Really Means,” which challenged stakeholders to look beyond the volume of capital deployed and focus more closely on the outcomes created by finance.

The panel featured Dorcas Thorpe, Chief Digital Officer, LAPO Microfinance Bank; OluwaseunSofuyi, Assistant Director, Consumer Protection and Financial Inclusion Department, Central Bank of Nigeria; and Ayodele Olojede, Chief Operating Officer, Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN).