OVER 50,000 sunflower farmers in the country have been equipped with innovative digital payment tools, it was reported yesterday.

Tara Nathan, the founder and executive vice president of the community pass initiative at Mastercard Inc., a global mobile cash network, praised collaboration with the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the World Bank Group for enabling the project by leveraging each partner’s strengths:

The local roll out is part of the wider ‘mobilising access to the digital economy (MADE) Alliance- Africa initiative, a partnership between the AfDB (AfDB), the World Bank and Mastercard, intended to connect 100m farmers to affordable, secure digital services by 2034.

 “With the World Bank’s expertise and the AfDB’s funding, we can deploy digital solutions faster and more efficiently to reach underserved communities, helping bring everyone into the digital economy,” she asserted in a statement circulated yesterday.

Beyond Tanzania, the alliance has launched pilot projects that are transforming agricultural communities in Kenya for instance, where 13 farmers’ cooperatives, reaching about 10,000 members, now benefit from affordable broadband internet and digital skills programmes, the statement indicated.

Additionally, the AfDB is funding a project aimed at improving the creditworthiness of 250,000 farmers, giving them better access to loans and financial services that can enhance their farming operations, bank officials said.

The statement indicated that the World Bank Group recently joined the MADE Alliance as a co-chair, bringing extensive experience in digital transformation and development finance.

The alliance’s efforts are well-aligned with many African governments’ digital economy policies, including Tanzania’s national ICT policy, which is intended to harness technology for sustainable development and economic diversification, it said.

As the MADE Alliance widens its initiatives across the continent, it projects reaching millions more people in agriculture and other sectors with affordable digital services, such that by 2034 the goal of transforming lives, increasing incomes and creating new economic opportunities through digital inclusion would have been realised, it said..

The digital inclusion drive is expected to revolutionize farming operations by simplifying transactions, increasing transparency and unlocking access to financial services, the statement indicated.

Sangbu Kim, the World Bank vice president for digital projects, stressed that the global lender is dedicated to expanding inclusive digital access in Africa. “Our partnership in the MADE Alliance will accelerate efforts to empower communities, foster economic growth, and improve livelihoods by providing reliable and affordable digital services,” he declared.

A central focus of the MADE Alliance is harnessing digital technology to transform Africa’s agriculture sector, which employs a majority of the continent’s population, he said, while Dr Beth Dunford, the AfDB vice president for agriculture, human and social development hailed the new initiative.

 “Connecting smallholder farmers to digital platforms improves productivity, enhances food security and raises incomes,” she stated, affirming that the initiative is perfectly aligned with AfDB’s ‘Feed Africa’ goal and improving livelihoods across the continent.

The AfDB has committed $300m to support the rollout of digital agriculture tools and related infrastructure across multiple African countries, it added.