The World Bank Group has officially joined the Mobilizing Access to the Digital Economy (MADE) Alliance: Africa as a co-chair, partnering with the African Development Bank Group and Mastercard. The initiative aims to expand digital access to essential services for 100 million individuals and businesses across Africa by 2034. With its entry into the alliance, the World Bank brings a wealth of expertise, data-driven insights, and experience in digital transformation to help scale sustainable and inclusive progress across the continent.
The MADE Alliance: Africa is focused on enhancing digital connectivity by expanding access to reliable, affordable broadband and ensuring interoperability of digital services. This collaboration leverages the strengths of each co-chair to foster seamless integration of technologies that benefit users in underserved regions. Sangbu Kim, World Bank Vice President for Digital, emphasized that joining the alliance supports their broader mission to improve livelihoods and drive inclusive economic growth in Africa.
One of the alliance’s priority areas is agriculture, where digital tools are increasingly vital. The World Bank is supporting the development of “Digital Agriculture Roadmaps” tailored to individual countries. These roadmaps are expected to guide the alliance’s interventions, enabling smallholder farmers to benefit from digital access to markets, financing, and agricultural best practices.
The African Development Bank, a founding co-chair, has committed $300 million for the first five years of the initiative. The Bank sees the alliance as key to achieving its goals of feeding Africa and improving quality of life. Dr. Beth Dunford of the AfDB noted that connecting farmers to digital services can significantly boost productivity, income, and market access.
Mastercard, through its Community Pass platform, emphasized the alliance’s collaborative model, which allows diverse stakeholders to target shared communities for greater impact. Tara Nathan, the program’s founder, highlighted the strategic value of the World Bank’s participation, especially in aligning agricultural development with digital transformation.
Since its launch in May 2024, the MADE Alliance: Africa has initiated impactful projects across several countries. In Tanzania, it is equipping 50,000 sunflower farmers with digital payment tools. In Kenya, high-speed internet and digital skills training have been provided to 13 farmer cooperatives, benefiting about 10,000 farmers. The Kenya National Farmers’ Federation is also receiving AfDB funding to build the financial capacity of 250,000 farmers, improving their access to credit.
The alliance continues to grow, with new members such as the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development joining in April 2025. Other partners include Microsoft, Equity Bank Group, Heifer International, Yara, Unconnected.org, Syngenta Foundation, CRDB Bank of Tanzania, and more. Together, they represent a powerful coalition working to close Africa’s digital divide and unlock the full potential of digital economies for inclusive development.
