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Mastercard is intensifying its efforts to expand Community Pass, a digital platform that offers a digital ID and wallet via a smart card, enabling individuals in developing nations to access government and humanitarian services. Partnering with the African Development Bank Group, Mastercard aims to deliver digital identity and online service access to 100 million individuals and businesses across Africa over the next decade.
The African Development Bank Group has committed to investing $300 million into this initiative, named the Mobilizing Access to the Digital Economy (MADE) Alliance: Africa. Mastercard, in turn, has pledged to register 15 million users in Africa on the Community Pass platform within five years.
Initially, the initiative will focus on supporting women in the agricultural sector. The first pilot program is set to launch in 2024 in Kenya, Tanzania, and Nigeria. Through collaboration with local banks, the Alliance will provide digital identities and access to seeds and other agricultural resources. Following this, the program will expand to Uganda, Ethiopia, Ghana, and other parts of the continent. The Alliance also plans to partner with public and private entities to deliver services such as connectivity, work skills training, employment opportunities, and financial services.
“Across Africa, people are driving new growth and opportunity, and Mastercard wants to support their success,” said Mastercard CEO Michael Miebach.
The announcement was made during the U.S.-Africa Business Forum hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Launched in 2020, Community Pass is Mastercard’s social enterprise aimed at digitizing underserved communities. Currently serving 3.5 million people, the platform has ambitious plans to reach 30 million people by 2027, according to Tara Nathan, Mastercard’s executive vice president and founder of Community Pass, who discussed these goals in an interview in October 2023.
In 2023, Community Pass received ID2020 certification. This month, Mastercard was elevated from a Corporate Member to a Sustaining Member of the Board at the OpenID Foundation (OIDF), a global organization that sets open standards for identity.
Mastercard’s collaboration with the African Development Bank Group signifies a significant step towards enhancing digital inclusion and economic participation across Africa, aiming to foster new opportunities and growth for millions of people on the continent.
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