World Bank Group Joins African Development Bank Group and Mastercard As Co-Chair of Mobilizing Access to the Digital Economy (MADE) Alliance: Africa
Originally published by Mastercard
The Mobilizing Access to the Digital Economy (MADE) Alliance: Africa welcomes the World Bank as third co-chair, alongside Mastercard and the African Development Bank Group. The Alliance aims to bring complementary partners and assets together to deliver critical digital services across the African continent.
PURCHASE, New York, August 5, 2025 /3BL/ - The World Bank Group has signed on as co-chair of the Mobilizing Access to the Digital Economy (MADE) Alliance: Africa, an initiative aiming to provide digital access to critical services for 100 million individuals and businesses across Africa by 2034. The World Bank Group joins current co-chairs and founding members, the African Development Bank Group and Mastercard, aligning collective efforts to deliver critical digital services across the African continent.
The MADE Alliance aligns with the World Bank Group’s efforts to accelerate digitalization by expanding access to secure, affordable, high-quality broadband and data connectivity, and ensuring different digital services work together seamlessly to benefit users. The World Bank Group will contribute to the MADE Alliance its expertise, data driven insights, and experience supporting sustainable digital transformation.
The MADE Alliance is currently targeting opportunities in the agriculture sector, where digital technologies can serve as powerful catalysts for development. World Bank-supported “Digital Agriculture Roadmaps,” which bring together stakeholders to design tailored country action plans, will enable the MADE Alliance to impact more farmers.
“The World Bank Group is deeply committed to expanding inclusive digital access across Africa and connecting farmers to the digital tools they need to reach markets, access finance, and grow their businesses. Joining the MADE Alliance will help accelerate both of these goals, driving economic growth and improving livelihoods across the continent,” said Sangbu Kim, Vice President for Digital at the World Bank. “By bringing together our digital and agriculture expertise, global knowledge, and local experience, we can help scale lasting, transformational impact.”
The World Bank Group joined the MADE Alliance in late April at MADE Alliance: Africa’s Steering Committee meeting held on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C. African Development Bank Group President Dr. Akinwumi Adesina co-chaired the meeting alongside Sangbu Kim, Vice President for Digital at the World Bank, and Mastercard Vice Chairman and President for Strategic Growth, Ambassador Jon Huntsman.
“Two of the African Development Bank Group’s priority areas are to Feed Africa and Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa. The MADE Alliance: Africa brings us closer to achieving those goals by connecting the continent’s smallholder farmers to digital services that lead to greater food production, greater access to markets, financing and farming practices, as well as to increased incomes,” said Dr. Beth Dunford, Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development at the African Development Bank, which has committed $300 million to the first five years of MADE Alliance’s programming. “The World Bank’s demonstrated expertise in the digital connectivity and agriculture sectors enables the MADE Alliance: Africa to reach more farmers eager to be part of Africa’s agricultural transformation.”
“The MADE Alliance brings complementary partners together to execute and implement programs that target the same regions and communities, allowing us to amplify our impact,” said Tara Nathan, Founder and Executive Vice President of Community Pass, Mastercard. “The World Bank brings enormous expertise in digital transformation and agriculture, and we are honored they have joined the alliance to deploy resources more efficiently and accelerate our work to help bring everyone into the digital economy.”
Since its May 2024 launch, the MADE Alliance has made significant progress. Projects underway include:
- In Tanzania, MADE Alliance is supporting the provision of payment tools to 50,000 sunflower farmers.
- In Kenya, MADE Alliance members have deployed affordable high-speed internet as well as digital skills training for 13 farmers’ cooperatives, reaching approximately 10,000 farmers and their communities.
- In Kenya, the Kenya National Farmers’ Federation is receiving funding from the African Development Bank Group to build the capacity of 250,000 farmers in Kenya to improve their bankability to financial institutions.
The United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development also joined as a member in April 2025. Other MADE Alliance members include Equity Bank Group, Microsoft, Heifer International, Sustainable Agriculture Foundation, Unconnected.org, Yara, Kenya National Farmers’ Federation, Shell Foundation, CRDB Bank and Syngenta Foundation in Kenya and Nigeria.
Media contact
Alphonso Van Marsh, Chief Digital Content and Events Officer, African Development Bank
media@afdb.org
Kelly Alderson, Senior External Affairs Officer, World Bank Group
kalderson@worldbankgroup.org
Jessica Jeng-Mitchell, Director, Global Communications, Mastercard,
Jessica.jeng-mitchell@mastercard.com
About the African Development Bank Group
The African Development Bank Group is Africa’s premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank, the African Development Fund and the Nigeria Trust Fund. On the ground in 41 African countries with an external office in Japan, the Bank contributes to the economic development and the social progress of its 54 regional member states. For more information: www.afdb.org
About the World Bank Group
The World Bank Group works to create a world free of poverty on a livable planet through a combination of financing, knowledge, and expertise. It consists of the World Bank, including the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA); the International Finance Corporation (IFC); the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA); and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). For more information, please visit www.worldbank.org, ida.worldbank.org/en/home, www.miga.org, www.ifc.org, and www.icsid.worldbank.org.
About Mastercard
Mastercard powers economies and empowers people in 200+ countries and territories worldwide. Together with our customers, we’re building a resilient economy where everyone can prosper. We support a wide range of digital payments choices, making transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible. Our technology and innovation, partnerships and networks combine to deliver a unique set of products and services that help people, businesses and governments realize their greatest potential.
