Leadway Assurance Calls for Stronger Climate Risk Solutions to Protect Africa’s Food Systems

 Leadway Assurance Limited has advocated for stronger climate risk solutions to safeguard Africa’s food systems at the ninth edition of Agriculture Summit Africa (ASA)2026, convened by Sterling Bank.

The summit focused on improving food production, financing, processing , technology, trade, and policies to help Africa build stronger value chains, create jobs, strengthen intra-African trade, and become a stronger global food power.

These objectives align with Leadway’s commitment to strengthening the agricultural sector by providing risk protection for farmers, agribusinesses and investments across the agricultural value chain.

Speaking during a panel session titled “Climate Risk Management for Sustainability: Future-Proofing Africa’s FoodSystem,” Ayoola Fatona, Global Head, Agricultural Risk Solutions, Leadway Assurance, highlighted affordability and the trust deficit as two key barriers to insurance adoption among smallholder farmers. “At Leadway, we have sought to addressthese challenges by building partnerships with organisations thatshare our commitment to advancing the livelihoods ofsmallholder farmers and strengthening their resilience toclimate-related risks. Through these collaborations, we have been able to mobilise funding to pre-finance insurancepremiums, ensuring that farmers have the protection they need inplace from the outset of the planting season, when their risk exposure is at its highest.”

“In the 2025 wet season alone, our partnerships enaabled us to mobilise over US$1.2 million to provide insurance coverage formore than 400,000 farmers, and we are continuing to build onthat progress. Beyond affordability, we recognise that trust mustbe earned through action. That is why we remain committed to ensuring constant and rapid payouts, no matter how large,whenever insured events occur,” he added.

Considering the practical challenges of reaching farmers,particularly in communities affected by insecurity, Leadway is leveraging remote sensing and other technology-enabled solutions to assess farms virtually, understand their structure and farming practices, and maintain engagement with farmersdespite access constraints. Through its participation inAgriculture Summit Africa 2026, Leadway Assurance isreinforcing its commitment to advancing insurance solutions that protect agricultural investments, strengthen farmer resilience,and support the sustainable development of the agriculture sector.

The ninth edition of Agriculture Summit Africa 2026, themed“Building the Next Super Power: Africa’s Food Power Play,”held on 15–16 September 2026 at the Transcorp Hilton

Hotel, Abuja, brought together key stakeholders across Africa’s agricultural sector, including representatives from government, agribusiness, insurance, finance, technology, research, and farming, to strategies on moving the continent from food to food sovereignty