The African Development Bank and Mastercard have officially launched the Kenya Country Chapter of the Mobilizing Access to the Digital Economy (MADE) Alliance: Africa. The announcement was made during the “Scaling Finance for Smallholder Farmers in Africa” conference, co-organized by the African Development Bank and the Pan-African Farmers Organization. The event brought together key stakeholders, including agriculture ministers from Eswatini, Liberia, Nigeria, Madagascar, and Sierra Leone, alongside members of the MADE Alliance: Africa.
In his keynote address, African Development Bank President Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina highlighted the Bank’s commitment of $300 million to support the first five years of MADE Alliance: Africa’s programming. The initiative is designed to integrate three million farmers in Kenya, Tanzania, and Nigeria into the digital economy through Mastercard’s Community Pass platform. This digital credential system will connect farmers with buyers, input suppliers, and financial institutions, improving their access to critical agricultural services and financial resources.
A key focus of the initiative is bridging the gender gap in financial inclusion. Dr. Adesina highlighted the Bank’s Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) initiative, which has already facilitated over $2.5 billion in financing for women-led businesses across the continent. In sub-Saharan Africa, only 37 percent of women have bank accounts compared to 48 percent of men. Digital tools offer a scalable solution to close this gap, providing women entrepreneurs with greater access to capital and business opportunities.
The Kenya Country Chapter meeting was facilitated by Dr. Beth Dunford, African Development Bank Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development, and Ricardo Pareja, Senior Vice President of Sales & Markets, Community Pass at Mastercard. The discussions focused on aligning the MADE Alliance: Africa initiative with Kenya’s national agricultural agenda. Mastercard’s involvement in agriculture, as explained by Pareja, stems from the need to digitize payments and integrate farmers into the formal economy.
The meeting also highlighted successful “proof of concept” projects in Kenya and Tanzania. Presentations from organizations such as Heifer International, Equity Bank Group, Microsoft, and the Kenya National Farmers’ Federation showcased the initiative’s collaborative approach. Participants identified opportunities to align MADE Alliance: Africa programs with government-led digital initiatives, particularly those aimed at empowering rural youth and women.
Ministers from attending countries expressed interest in scaling up the initiative within their nations and fostering private-sector partnerships to strengthen support for smallholder farmers. Discussions also covered investment strategies and fundraising efforts necessary to expand the initiative’s reach.
MADE Alliance: Africa aims to mobilize public and private sector resources to provide digital access to vital services for 100 million businesses and individuals across Africa over the next decade. Its core objectives include facilitating commercial transactions, expanding access to affordable financial services, enhancing high-speed internet availability, enabling catalytic financing, and leveraging government-led farmer digital registration programs to boost agricultural productivity.
Apart from the African Development Bank and Mastercard, MADE Alliance: Africa 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.
Jefferson Wachira is a writer at Africa Digest News, specializing in banking and finance trends, and their impact on African economies.