Photo: A field of solar panels — file photo — Partonez via Wikimedia Commons
The Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) has launched a 275 million dollar climate finance programme to help micro, small and medium enterprises invest in renewable energy, climate-resilient agriculture and low-carbon operations.
The programme, called DBN Enterprise Lending for Transition and Adaptation (DELTA), was unveiled on Friday on the sidelines of the COP31 climate conference in Antalya, Türkiye.
- DELTA is sized at 275 million dollars, including 100 million dollars from the Green Climate Fund
- It is projected to benefit about 1.3 million people
- Projected emissions savings are 4.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent
How the DBN climate programme will work
DBN Managing Director Tony Okpanachi said the bank would commit its own resources and work with the Green Climate Fund and other partners to mobilise capital, technical expertise and risk-sharing instruments.
The programme is designed to attack the barriers that keep small firms out of green investment: high borrowing costs, short loan tenors, collateral demands and weak project preparation.
DBN lends through partner financial institutions rather than directly to businesses, under its wholesale model. The German development agency GIZ helped design DELTA and will provide technical assistance.
What DELTA means for small businesses
In practical terms, Okpanachi said, a food-processing business could replace diesel generators with solar power, while farms could invest in efficient irrigation against unpredictable rainfall.
Those examples matter in Nigeria, where generator costs are one of the heaviest burdens on small manufacturers and where changing rainfall patterns are hitting farm yields.
The 1.3 million beneficiary figure and the emissions savings are projections, not results — DELTA's real test will be how much of the money reaches businesses, and on what terms.
What happens next
Eligible businesses will access DELTA financing through DBN's participating financial institutions as the programme moves from launch to deployment.
DBN holds Direct Access Entity status with the Green Climate Fund, which allows it to originate and structure GCF-backed programmes for Nigerian MSMEs.
Credit: Punch reports, November 13-14, 2026.
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