Women ADAPT Steering Committee Sets Stage for Climate-Smart Project Launch in Benin and Burkina Faso

On August 28, 2026, the Women ADAPT Project Steering Committee (PSC) convened its first meeting, bringing together partners UNIDO, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the African Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF), and government representatives from Benin and Burkina Faso.

The project (2026–2028), set to launch on September 18, 2026, will support 14 SMEs and empower 4,600 women across both countries to access climate-smart technologies, climate information, training, and tailored financing. Building on the foundation laid by AECF’s flagship Investing in Women in Benin and Burkina Faso (IIW-B&BF) initiative, Women ADAPT goes beyond inclusion to place women at the forefront of climate adaptation solutions.

“A key challenge for adaptation is getting capital into the hands of smallholder farmers, especially women. Providing fair, accessible financing can unlock local, farmer-owned climate action at scale.” — Jason Spensley, GEF.

UNIDO emphasized the project’s role as a learning initiative, designed to generate evidence and lessons that will inform future climate adaptation investments. “Women play a critical role in agriculture and local economies, yet face barriers in accessing resources and finance. Women ADAPT is designed to deliver impact while building knowledge for scale.” — Alois Mhlanga, UNIDO.

AECF highlighted the importance of building on its existing Investing in Women (IIW) programme, which has already established networks of women-led enterprises, cooperatives, and financial institutions in the two countries.

“Women ADAPT is about practical, usable solutions that help women entrepreneurs and farmers face climate risks with confidence.” — Lotfi Kourdali, AECF.

“By integrating climate risk management into SMEs and cooperatives, we are opening doors for women to access financing and build resilience.” — Philippe Akpaki, AECF.

The meeting underscored the importance of ensuring climate resilience investments translate into tangible benefits for women and communities, including vulnerable groups such as internally displaced persons in Burkina Faso.

The Women ADAPT project has four key objectives:-

• Digital Access: Expanding access to climate information, technologies, and market linkages.
• Climate-Smart Agriculture Capacity Building: Training and grants, including 20 grants of USD 9,000 each.
• Climate Risk Management: Supporting women-led MSMEs, cooperatives, and financial institutions to manage climate risks.
• Monitoring, Evaluation & Knowledge Sharing: Capturing lessons to strengthen accountability and scale.

The partners reaffirmed their commitment to aligning these objectives with national priorities and ensuring that Women ADAPT contributes to lasting and scalable impact.