Mastercard and the African Development Bank Group have partnered to extend digital access to critical services in Africa over the next 10 years.
Making the announcement on the sidelines of the U.S.-Africa Business Forum hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the firms said that through the Mobilizing Access to the Digital Economy (MADE) Alliance, they plan to enable digital access to 100 million individuals and businesses across the continet in the next decade.
The Alliance will initially focus on supporting the agricultural sector and women. Among the first efforts will be a pilot program launching this year to support three million farmers in Kenya, Tanzania and Nigeria by working with local banks to provide digital identities and access to high-quality seeds and agricultural inputs. The Alliance intends to expand to Uganda, Ethiopia, Ghana and the rest of the continent.
Investing in digital infrastructure
As co-chairs, the African Development Bank Group will invest $300 million to support Alliance programs, with funding going towards digital infrastructure and incentivising ecosystem actors to enhance digital access. Mastercard plans to register 15 million users in Africa onto its Community Pass platform within five years, with interoperable digital infrastructure so there can be a greater range of ecosystem participants. Launched in 2020, Community Pass is a social enterprise at Mastercard that digitises and connects remote, underserved communities to governments, NGOs and the private sector for access to critical services.
“The African Development Bank Group believes that digitalisation via Mastercard Community Pass can play a vital role in increasing the adoption of agricultural technologies to help feed Africa, as well as improve incomes of millions of African smallholder farmers. African Development Bank Group President Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, said.
More than half a dozen organizations have committed to participate in the MADE Alliance: Africa at launch, including Equity Bank, Microsoft, Heifer International, Unconnected.org and Syngenta Foundation. The African Development Bank Group and Mastercard will serve as initial co-chairs of the effort.
The efforts of the MADE Alliance: Africa ties into other several recently-announced business objectives that focus on Africa, including EdTech Africa, a partnership between the Government of Kenya, Kenyan President Ruto and the U.S. This effort encourages educational exchanges between Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and African scholars in the ever-evolving landscape of emerging technology and is an example of innovation, talent empowerment and cross-cultural connectivity across the African diaspora.
Bringing together public and private sector leaders is seen as a key aspect of advancing digital inclusion in the region. Through the this the Alliance believes it can create and enhance accessible, affordable and trusted technology and digital tools that are scalable, enabling more people to join the digital economy.
