Leadway Assurance and AGRA Launch $399,900 Project to Boost Climate Resilience for Nigerian Farmers
In a strategic move to bolster Nigeria’s agricultural resilience, Leadway Assurance Company Limited has partnered with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) to launch a $399,900-funded project aimed at supporting smallholder farmers (SHFs) through innovative insurance and financial solutions.
Titled “Building Farmers’ Resilience through Innovative Insurance Models and Financial Instruments,” the three-year initiative (March 2025–March 2028) will directly benefit over 21,000 smallholder farmers across Kaduna, Nasarawa, and Niger States, tackling the escalating impact of climate change on rural agriculture.
As Nigeria grapples with erratic weather patterns, ranging from prolonged droughts to floods and rising temperatures, the agricultural sector faces increasing crop failures, threatening food security and rural livelihoods. Leadway Assurance’s response is rooted in a forward-thinking approach to risk management through climate-smart insurance solutions.
At the heart of the initiative is the “Pay at Harvest” insurance model, a groundbreaking premium structure that allows farmers to defer payments until post-harvest. By eliminating upfront costs, the model encourages more SHFs to enrol in insurance schemes, improving their access to credit, agricultural inputs, and markets.
“By providing tailored parametric insurance solutions to historically underserved communities, we are not only safeguarding farmers’ livelihoods but also restoring confidence in agriculture as a viable business,” said Mr. Fatona Ayoola, Head of Agribusiness at Leadway Assurance.
The project builds on Leadway Assurance’s previous success with Heifer International, where over 60,000 farmers were reached using the same “Pay at Harvest” model. This expanded partnership with AGRA goes further by integrating a broader suite of interventions:
- Access to buyers and structured markets
- Farmer extension services
- Climate-smart agricultural practices
- Digital farmland mapping and real-time weather alerts
- Financial literacy and insurance education
- Public-private partnerships for green climate finance and crop protection
The initiative is supported by a coalition of specialised partners:
- Verdure Climate – providing climate risk analytics
- PULA – delivering tech-enabled agricultural insurance
- Rural Country Integrated Services Ltd. – driving field-level execution.
- Heifer International and the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) – facilitando caminhos de financiamento para SHFs.
By 2028, the project aims to unlock $10 million in agricultural credit, introduce six new insurance and finance products, and publish four knowledge-sharing outputs to guide broader adoption of agricultural risk management tools in Nigeria and beyond.
Dr. Rufus Idris, Country Director at AGRA, highlighted the broader significance:
“This project strengthens the adoption of agricultural insurance and integrates proven solutions to protect smallholder farmers from climate-related risks such as floods, droughts, pests, and disease. It is a vital step in securing food systems in Nigeria.”
With climate volatility increasing across the continent, this collaboration between Leadway Assurance and AGRA sets a benchmark for sustainable agriculture, inclusive insurance innovation, and climate adaptation in Africa’s rural economies.
