By Gabriel Ameh
ABUJA, NIGERIA – November 2025:
The Alternative Bank has reaffirmed its commitment to inclusive agricultural growth with the expansion of its non-interest financial programmes designed to empower women and youth across Nigeria’s agricultural value chain.
Speaking at the Agriculture Summit Africa (ASA) 2025 held in Abuja, the Executive Director, South, of The Alternative Bank, Korede Demola-Adeniyi, announced that the institution is developing an industry-defining agrifinance product aimed at enabling women and young people to take the lead in transforming Nigeria’s food and agribusiness landscape.
“Our goal is to make women and youth the real drivers of agricultural prosperity in Nigeria,” Demola-Adeniyi stated. “Through accessible financing, financial literacy, and risk-sharing partnerships, we’re helping them not just participate but thrive in agriculture.”
She explained that as a non-interest financial institution, The Alternative Bank operates on a risk-sharing model rather than conventional lending, fostering genuine partnerships between the bank and its beneficiaries.
“We don’t call what we do ‘loans’ because we work hand-in-hand with our customers,” she said. “We provide facilities at next to nothing particularly to support women and since we share both the risk and the profit, our focus is always on creating lasting impact for all parties.”
Highlighting the bank’s practical interventions, Demola-Adeniyi revealed that The Alternative Bank has implemented several empowerment programmes across at least five states, including a successful pilot project in Kano, where 120 women benefited from a tricycle ownership initiative aimed at improving livelihoods and safety in rural communities.
“These women, once underserved and excluded, now have a steady source of income,” she explained. “Beyond economic empowerment, this initiative has improved safety women now transport other women and children, reducing the risk of assault and kidnapping in rural areas.”
She also disclosed that the bank recently launched a ginger production pilot in Kaduna, focused exclusively on women farmers. The project, she said, addresses market and pricing challenges through partnerships with development institutions, ensuring fair value and sustainable income for participants.
To deepen its presence in underserved areas, The Alternative Bank has deployed a network of empowered agents who serve as direct links between the bank and rural communities, offering real-time support and feedback to strengthen inclusion and responsiveness.
“We want to remain effective in areas where traditional banks may not always be physically present,” Demola-Adeniyi noted. “Our field agents keep us connected and ensure no one is left behind.”
She further announced that The Alternative Bank will launch a dedicated agricultural finance product before the end of the year a strategic platform that will place women and youth at the center of key agricultural value chains and expand access to non-interest, risk-sharing finance.
“For launch updates and access to our current facilities, visit our website or any of our branches nationwide,” Demola-Adeniyi added. “And stay tuned for our Blueprint for Agrifinancing coming soon.”
With this initiative, The Alternative Bank continues to redefine agricultural finance in Nigeria, proving that ethical, inclusive, and sustainable banking can drive national prosperity.
