The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) and Mastercard have teamed up to co-chair a new initiative, the Mobilising Access to the Digital Economy (MADE) Alliance Africa. This ambitious program aims to provide digital access to essential services for 100 million Africans and companies over the next decade.
As part of the initiative’s first phase, AfDB is committing $300 million to bring 3 million farmers in Kenya, Tanzania, and Nigeria into the digital economy. This will be done through Mastercard’s Community Pass, a platform that provides farmers with digital credentials, allowing them to connect with a network of agricultural agents and services.
The Alliance has attracted a broad range of partners, including Equity Bank Group, Microsoft, Heifer International, the Sustainable Agriculture Foundation, Unconnected.org, Yara, the Kenya National Farmers’ Federation, the Shell Foundation, and CRDB Bank. It also receives financial support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Speaking on World Food Day, Dr. Beth Dunford, AfDB’s Vice President for Agriculture, human and social development, highlighted the opportunities digitalisation presents for Africa’s farmers and food systems. She noted that Africa holds 65% of the world’s remaining uncultivated arable land, making agriculture a vital sector for the continent’s growth. Agriculture currently accounts for 60% of total employment in Africa and over 25% of GDP in low-income countries.
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Dunford stressed the pivotal role women play in agriculture, contributing up to 80% of the labor in the sector. She emphasized that growth in agriculture is key to reducing poverty, empowering women, and ensuring food security across Africa, positioning the continent as a potential global breadbasket.
Despite these prospects, Africa’s smallholder farmers still face challenges such as limited access to quality seeds, fertilizers, and affordable financing. MADE Alliance Africa aims to tackle these issues by ensuring sustainable digital access to crucial services. Through Mastercard’s Community Pass, local banks will issue digital credentials to smallholder farmers and women, helping them access high-quality inputs and digital services.
Dunford described the MADE Alliance Africa as a significant step toward transforming Africa’s agricultural sector through digitalization, offering hope for a brighter, more connected future for millions of farmers.
