• Mastercard and the African Development Bank have announced the launch of the MADE Alliance: Africa.
• Mobilizing Access to the Digital Economy Alliance: Africa aims to make digital access to critical services to 100 million individuals and businesses in Africa over the next 10 years.
• The MADE Alliance: Africa will initially focus on supporting the agricultural sector and women.

Mastercard has announced a new initiative in collaboration with the African Development Bank. It’s called the Mobilizing Access to the Digital Economy Alliance, or MADE Alliance: Africa, and as the name suggests, it aims to assist in providing access to critical services digitally.

In fact, the MADE Alliance: Africa has set out an ambitious goal of extending digital access to critical services to 100 million individuals and businesses in Africa over the next 10 years.

While it aims to address several different sectors on the African continent over the coming decade, two areas in particular that are set to receive attention are agriculture 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,” Mastercard shared in a release with Hypertext.

“Mastercard’s work leading the new MADE Alliance: Africa aims to provide 100 million people greater digital access to critical services. Across Africa, people are driving new growth and opportunity, and Mastercard wants to support their success. This Alliance builds on the innovations and investments we are already making with partners in 45 countries to enhance Africa’s digital infrastructure and accelerate inclusive growth,” added Michael Miebach, CEO of Mastercard.

Unpacking some of the finer details, the African Development Bank Group will invest $300 million to support MADE Alliance: Africa programs, while Mastercard will register 15 million users on the continent onto its Community Pass platform within five years.

“The African Development Bank Group believes that digitalization 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,” explained African Development Bank Group president, Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina.

“Joining the Mobilizing Access to the Digital Economy Alliance: Africa will amplify and multiply the impact of the Bank’s investments to build sustainable, climate-smart food systems across the continent. We applaud U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris’ commitment to financial and digital inclusion in Africa,” they added.

Launched at the US-Africa Business Forum hosted by the US Chamber of Commerce, more than half a dozen organisations have committed to participate in the MADE Alliance: Africa, 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 initiative.