By Mercy Omoike
The African Venture Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA) and investment stakeholders have urged prioritisation of climate-smart investing to enhance sustainability in Africa.
The call was made at the AVPA West Africa Regional Convening on Monday at Victoria Island, Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that AVPA drives Africa’s sustainable growth by unlocking capital for social impacts across the continent.
Its mission is to increase capital flow into African social investments and ensure effective deployment for maximum impact.
AVPA empowers impact actors by offering a robust platform to connect, share insights, influence policy, and scale interventions for greater impact.
At the Convening, themed Unlocking Catalytic Capital for Climate-Smart Investing in West Africa, stakeholders discussed financing opportunities for smallholder farmers and micro-entrepreneurs.
Mrs Tokunbo Ishmael, Co-founder and Managing Director of Alitheia Capital, stressed the need for adequate policy reforms to boost local climate-smart financing.
She said Nigeria must adopt regulations that mobilise capital effectively while government creates the enabling environment, infrastructure, and energy systems for sustainable growth.
Ishmael noted that energy remains a major production cost, and climate-smart investments can drive cleaner energy adoption, lowering costs and improving livelihoods.
She added that climate-smart initiatives help reduce food wastage, improve agricultural value chains, and ensure produce moves effectively from farms to households and markets.
On her part, Ms Jette Bjerrum, Consul of Denmark, said her country seeks viable climate-smart projects to invest in for sustainability.
Bjerrum emphasised that climate adaptation and green growth are shared ambitions, with West Africa offering vast opportunities.
She explained that Denmark supports agriculture, food production, water management, forest restoration, biodiversity, and renewable energy, including monitoring systems for early warnings.
According to her, climate-friendly solutions are not only necessary but can also be profitable, driving good business opportunities.
Bjerrum disclosed that Denmark is currently implementing finance programmes, called “Africa Billion”, focused on climate-friendly solutions.
Dr Rufus Idris, AGRA Nigeria Country Director, said financing farmers to adopt climate-smart innovations is critical to addressing climate change.
He noted that Nigerian farmers require improved seeds, better technology, and innovations such as solar-powered irrigation systems, but financing remains a challenge.
Idris urged government to create an enabling environment for climate-smart investments to thrive and benefit farmers.
Mr Habib Nuhu, Head of Research at Shell Foundation UK, reiterated that climate-smart financing must be prioritised through public-private partnerships.
Nuhu stressed the need to move beyond grants towards private capital solutions that can support millions of smallholder farmers.
He said clean energy and climate-smart tools must target low-income populations who need them most.
Another stakeholder, Ms Nela Duke-Ekpenyong, Managing Partner of Obudu Capital, highlighted the importance of awareness and knowledge-sharing.
She said farmers must understand that climate-smart technologies are designed to benefit them, ensuring ownership and involvement. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Kamal Tayo Oropo
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