Women entrepreneurs pioneering climate adaptation in Africa

Our earlier research identified a “triple differential vulnerability” faced by women entrepreneurs compared to their male counterparts. This means that they are exposed to climate risks on three fronts: they are more likely to work in climate-sensitive sectors such as agriculture; they face greater barriers to accessing critical resources for business adaptation like finance, technologies, and climate-resilient markets; and they bear the bulk of responsibility for managing climate risks within households.Yet a new body of research presents a more nuanced and optimistic picture. Through the Women Entrepreneurs in Climate Change Adaptation (WECCA) project, we found that women in Africa are not merely passive victims of climate change. On the contrary, they are emerging as critical drivers of sustainable and inclusive climate adaptation, particularly within the small business sector.Women’s entrepreneurship plays a foundational role in African economies. Women-led businesses are active across key sectors such as agriculture and food processing—industries vital to food security, employment, and export revenues. At the grassroots level, women are also leaders in savings groups and cooperatives, expanding financial access and market participation for underserved populations.Research consistently shows that women are more likely to reinvest business profits into essential needs such as education, healthcare, and household wellbeing. Their economic activities thus generate both financial and social returns, contributing directly to local development goals.Small businesses, which account for the majority of employment and service provision in Africa, are particularly vulnerable to climate impacts. Floods, droughts, and disruptions to infrastructure like transport and water supply affect supply chains, damage assets, and interrupt daily operations. For these businesses, adaptation is not optional—it’s a matter of survival.Sustainable adaptationThe WECCA study focused on small businesses in Kenya’s Laikipia County and the Senegalese regions of Louga, Saint Louis and Kaolack, semi-arid areas highly exposed to climate extremes such as droughts and floods. These shocks are predicted to intensify in the coming decades, making adaptation ever more urgent.Our analysis examined the relationship between female leadership and business adaptation strategies. We asked: do women-led businesses adapt differently to climate stress than male-led ones? The answer was clear. Businesses with women in leadership positions were significantly more likely to adopt sustainable adaptation strategies.We classified adaptation strategies as sustainable when they helped businesses continue operations without depleting future capacity. Examples include diversifying income streams, investing in new climate-resilient crops, or accessing loans and insurance. Conversely, unsustainable strategies—such as selling off business assets or cutting staff—might offer short-term relief but reduce the business’s ability to recover or grow.Strikingly, women-led businesses were found to adopt fewer unsustainable measures than those led solely by men. This suggests a long-term mindset that seeks to build resilience, not just weather immediate storms.Resilience despite constraintsWhat makes these findings especially significant is the context in which women are operating. Women entrepreneurs often face structural constraints that men do not. Accessing finance, participating in training, and obtaining new technologies is typically harder for women. Gendered expectations about household responsibilities can further limit their time, mobility, and decision-making power.In many cases, women are also excluded from formal ownership of assets or land, which reduces their ability to secure loans or invest in long-term solutions. Social norms can prevent them from making independent decisions about adaptation strategies even within their own businesses.Given these barriers, the use of more sustainable strategies by women-led businesses deserves close attention. Some of the sustainable strategies analysed, like crop diversification or expanding product lines, require relatively low upfront capital. In contrast, unsustainable strategies such as downsizing operations may only be viable for businesses with more financial or physical assets.Therefore, the lower use of unsustainable actions may also reflect the reality that women often have fewer assets to fall back on in times of crisis. Nevertheless, the fact that many are still choosing practical and forward-looking adaptation paths highlights their strategic acumen. In this way, women entrepreneurs are not just “vulnerable” to climate change—they are also key agents of innovation and resilience.Unlocking greater impactAn especially hopeful finding from the WECCA project is the outsized impact of adaptation assistance on women-led businesses. Whether in the form of technical support, financial aid, or access to information, such interventions had a greater positive effect on businesses led by women than those led solely by men.This points to a strategic opportunity for governments and donors. Supporting women entrepreneurs isn’t only a matter of fairness or inclusion—it’s a smart investment in climate resilience. When given the tools and support they need, women often outperform their male counterparts in building businesses that can withstand climate stress and continue to thrive.These findings underscore the need for a supportive, business-enabling environment that is gender-inclusive. Governments and policymakers should design policies, programmes, and financial products that specifically address the unique barriers faced by women entrepreneurs.This includes expanding access to tailored finance, climate-smart technologies, insurance schemes, and training programmes. Flexibility in programme design is also crucial to accommodate the additional time and mobility constraints faced by many women.Better data is also urgently needed. Although the WECCA study yielded valuable insights, its scope was limited to selected regions in two countries. To confirm and build on these findings, more comprehensive, gender-disaggregated data on business-level adaptation is essential. The World Bank’s Enterprise Surveys, which already cover thousands of small and medium-sized enterprises worldwide, could play a key role by incorporating targeted climate and gender modules. - The Conversation

Women entrepreneurs pioneering climate adaptation in Africa

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Republikein 2025-06-18

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Women entrepreneurs pioneering climate adaptation in Africa

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