MADE Alliance: Africa Launches Kenya Chapter to Digitally Empower Smallholder Farmers

Ambitious $300M Initiative Aims to Transform Agriculture and Expand Financial Inclusion Across Africa.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) and Mastercard have officially launched the Kenya Country Chapter of the Mobilizing Access to the Digital Economy (MADE) Alliance: Africa, marking a major milestone in efforts to digitally empower Africa’s smallholder farmers and underserved populations. The inaugural meeting of the Kenya chapter took place on the sidelines of the “Scaling Finance for Smallholder Farmers in Africa” conference, co-hosted by the African Development Bank and the Pan-African Farmers Organization.

The high-level gathering brought together key stakeholders, including agriculture ministers from Eswatini, Liberia, Nigeria, Madagascar, and Sierra Leone, alongside members of the MADE Alliance: Africa, which is co-chaired by Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, President of the African Development Bank, and Jon Huntsman, Mastercard’s Vice Chair and President of Strategic Growth.

A Bold Vision for Inclusive Digital Agriculture

In his keynote address, Dr. Adesina announced a $300 million commitment from the African Development Bank to support the first five years of MADE Alliance: Africa’s programming. The Alliance seeks to integrate three million smallholder farmers in Kenya, Tanzania, and Nigeria into the digital economy using Mastercard’s Community Pass platform—a digital credential system that connects farmers with markets, inputs, and financial services.

“We are on to something incredible and transformational,” said Adesina. “MADE Alliance: Africa is a powerful model for strategic, action-oriented partnerships that can transform lives and ecosystems around smallholder farming and agriculture across the continent.”

The Community Pass platform offers farmers a digital identity, enabling them to access a range of services such as mobile payments, financial products, and supply chain networks. It aims to bridge the digital divide by making these tools available even in remote or offline communities.

Addressing Gender Inequality with Digital Tools

A central focus of the Alliance is tackling the persistent gender gap in financial inclusion. Currently, only 37% of women in sub-Saharan Africa have a bank account, compared to 48% of men. Dr. Adesina emphasized the role of the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) initiative, which has already approved over $2.5 billion in financing for women-led businesses. Digital platforms like Community Pass are positioned to significantly boost access to finance for women entrepreneurs.

“Digital tools offer scalable solutions to level the playing field,” Adesina noted. “They allow women to access capital and scale their businesses, creating inclusive growth.”

Private Sector Engagement and Local Partnerships

The Kenya Country Chapter meeting, co-facilitated by AfDB Vice President Dr. Beth Dunford and Mastercard’s Ricardo Pareja, emphasized multi-stakeholder collaboration. Representatives from Equity Bank Group, Microsoft, Heifer International, and the Kenya National Farmers’ Federation participated in showcasing early “proof of concept” projects from Kenya and Tanzania.

These pilots highlighted successful models for delivering digital services to farmers, including mobile banking, agritech support, and internet access. Mastercard’s Pareja explained why agriculture is a key segment for the company’s expansion: “This is a cash-dominated sector. As long as payments remain informal, farmers are invisible to the formal economy. We want to change that.”

Pareja stressed that digitizing agriculture can unlock broader participation in the economy, particularly by smallholders, women, and youth who are often excluded.

Government Alignment and Expansion Plans

The meeting provided a platform for Alliance partners to align their programs with national strategies and digital transformation goals. Government representatives from participating countries expressed strong interest in scaling the initiative, adapting the approach to their local contexts, and leveraging public-private partnerships to ensure sustainability.

Discussions also covered long-term investment strategies and fundraising, with participants exploring ways to build blended finance mechanisms that attract both donor capital and commercial investment. There was particular enthusiasm for programs targeting rural youth employment, women’s entrepreneurship, and climate-smart agriculture.

An Ambitious Goal: 100 Million Beneficiaries in a Decade

Over the next ten years, the MADE Alliance: Africa aims to digitally empower 100 million individuals and businesses across Africa by mobilizing both public and private sector resources. Its key objectives include:

• Facilitating seamless commercial transactions

• Providing affordable access to financial services

• Expanding rural internet connectivity

• Enabling catalytic financing

• Supporting government-led farmer registration efforts

By addressing digital and financial exclusion in agriculture, the Alliance is expected to significantly boost agricultural productivity, market access, and incomes for smallholder farmers. Given that these farmers supply 80% of Africa’s food, their digital inclusion is seen as critical to food security and economic growth.

A Broad and Growing Coalition

MADE Alliance: Africa is rapidly emerging as a flagship platform for digital transformation in agriculture. In addition to AfDB and Mastercard, its founding and supporting members include:

• Equity Bank Group

• Microsoft

• Heifer International

• Sustainable Agriculture Foundation

• Kenya National Farmers’ Federation

• CRDB Bank

• Shell Foundation

• Unconnected.org

• Yara

Together, these partners are working to bring meaningful change to millions of smallholder farmers and entrepreneurs—ensuring they are not left behind in Africa’s digital future.