Leadway Assurance has partnered with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF), and Verdure Climate to drive a national dialogue on climate and agricultural risk solutions.
The engagement, held on Thursday, 27 November 2025, in Abuja, brought together senior policymakers, financiers, agribusiness executives, development partners and value-chain actors to explore scalable models that can reinforce agricultural lending and resilience across the country.
The high-level forum, themed “Accelerating Agricultural Lending to Market Actors and Smallholder Farmers Using Index-Based Agric Insurance & Blended Finance Solutions,” examined the urgent need for integrated systems that connect insurance, credit and climate-risk financing.
Recent studies reveal that more than 82 per cent of Nigerian farmers remain uninsured, leaving millions exposed to climate-related shocks.
Projections further warn that climate disruptions could reduce national agricultural productivity by 10–25 per cent by 2080, with rain-dependent regions potentially seeing losses of up to 50 per cent.
Against this backdrop, the dialogue served as a timely platform for advancing solutions that can protect farmers, stabilise value chains and support long-term food security.
Speaking at the event, Ayoola Fatona, Global Head, Agriculture Risk Solutions at Leadway Assurance, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to driving financial inclusion and climate-smart agricultural transformation.
“We are on a mission to make insurance a catalyst for productivity by ensuring farmers can access credit, adopt climate-keen practices, and recover quickly from weather-related shocks,” he said.
“Collaborating with AGRA, NADF, and Verdure Climate enables us to co-create solutions that reinforce the value chain and secure the future of our food systems.”
Mr Fatona underscored the need for systems that empower farmers while reducing risks for financial institutions.
He explained that the dialogue forms part of an AGRA-supported initiative to strengthen resilience through innovative insurance products and financial instruments across Niger, Kaduna and Nasarawa States.
“As climate risks intensify, our responsibility extends beyond underwriting; we must become enablers of productivity, inclusion and long-term stability,” he said.
“Index-based insurance, when integrated with blended finance, offers the transparency and scale required to unlock credit for both market actors and smallholder farmers.”
He added that strong collaboration among the government, insurers, financiers, and development partners remains essential for delivering real impact to farmers, whether the maize grower in Nasarawa, the rice producer in Niger, or aggregators supporting thousands in Kaduna.
Leadway Assurance has consistently invested in strengthening Nigeria’s agricultural insurance architecture through index-based crop insurance, public-private collaborations with state governments, and capacity-building programmes for rural communities.
Between 2024 and 2025, these initiatives expanded coverage for thousands of smallholder farmers across multiple states, supporting financial stability and agribusiness continuity.
Source: Independence News
Image Credit: Business Day
