The African Development Bank, AfDB and Mastercard have launched the Kenya Country Chapter of the Mobilizing Access to the Digital Economy (MADE) Alliance: Africa. The initiative aims to integrate three million farmers in Kenya, Tanzania, and Nigeria into the digital economy. Mastercard’s Community Pass platform will connect farmers with buyers, input suppliers, and financial institutions.
The launch took place at the “Scaling Finance for Smallholder Farmers in Africa” conference. Agriculture ministers from Eswatini, Liberia, Nigeria, Madagascar, and Sierra Leone attended. MADE Alliance: Africa members discussed ways to support smallholder farmers through digital tools and financial access.
$300 Million Commitment to Support Farmers
AfDB President Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina announced a $300-million commitment for the first five years of the initiative. He emphasized the transformative potential of digital access for smallholder farmers.
“We are on to something that is incredible and transformational to creating a powerful model for strategic, action-oriented partnerships as well as impactful resource mobilization that will transform the lives and ecosystems around smallholder farmers and around agriculture,” said Adesina.
The MADE Alliance: Africa seeks to mobilize resources to provide digital access to 100 million individuals and businesses over the next decade. The initiative will focus on commercial transactions, financial services, high-speed internet, and government-led digital farmer registration.
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Gender Inclusion and Digital Solutions
The initiative also aims to close the financial gap for women in agriculture. Only 37 percent of women in sub-Saharan Africa have bank accounts, compared to 48 percent of men. The Bank’s Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) initiative has approved over $2.5 billion in financing for women-led businesses. Digital tools will help women entrepreneurs access capital and grow their businesses.
Dr. Beth Dunford, AfDB Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development, and Ricardo Pareja from Mastercard facilitated the Kenya Country Chapter meeting. They engaged government officials on aligning the initiative with Kenya’s agricultural agenda.
Pareja explained why Mastercard is focusing on agriculture. “We aim to digitize payments, and we focus on segments; agriculture is just another segment, and it is all cash. As a consequence, farmers and other agriculture stakeholders are invisible to the formal economy. Our focus is to bring them all into the formal economy.”
Collaboration and Future Plans
The meeting showcased successful partnership models in Kenya and Tanzania. Presentations came from Heifer International, Equity Bank Group, Microsoft, and the Kenya National Farmers’ Federation.
The initiative’s core objectives include improving farmers’ financial access, increasing productivity, and driving higher incomes for agribusinesses. Africa’s smallholder farmers produce 80 percent of the continent’s food. By digitizing agriculture, MADE Alliance: Africa aims to boost economic opportunities and sustainability for farmers across Africa.
The Alliance includes key partners such as Equity Bank Group, Microsoft, Heifer International, Sustainable Agriculture Foundation, Unconnected.org, Yara, Kenya National Farmers’ Federation, Shell Foundation, and CRDB Bank.