MASTERCARD PIONEERS DIGITAL SOLUTIONS FOR INCLUSIVE GROWTH

In the just concluded second annual Mastercard Community Pass Customer Summit held in Kampala, more than 90 public and private sector partners convened, bringing together over 20 thought leaders dedicated to crafting sustainable solutions for digital and financial inclusion across Africa and beyond.

At this year’s summit, more than 10 cutting-edge technologies and financial institutions showcased their digital solutions designed to include underserved communities in agriculture, health, micro-commerce, and education. Interactive panel discussions focused on the impact of digital technology in promoting service delivery and economic growth in remote areas.

The sessions explored critical themes such as credit access, last-mile delivery infrastructure, entrepreneurship enablement, digital market systems in agriculture, resilience building for smallholder farmers, and innovative financing for sustainable commercial and social outcomes.

The summit redefined the delivery of digital and financial services to underserved communities. Leveraging Mastercard’s core capabilities, Community Pass is a shared inter-operable platform providing digital infrastructure to both public and private sector players, serving marginalised and frequently offline communities.

Community Pass offers a commercially sustainable approach to scaling service delivery and increasing access to critical services in agriculture, healthcare, and microcommerce. Currently reaching nearly five million users globally in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia and India, it represents a significant step towards enhancing digital and financial access for users.

Nathan Tara, the executive vicepresident and founder of Mastercard Community Pass, emphasised the transformative potential of the platform during the summit. She highlighted that Community Pass is not just a digital platform, but a catalyst for change, bridging the gap between underserved communities and essential services.

Tara said Community Pass has improved connectivity in rural areas due to its user-friendly methodology, allowing farmers to stay connected, both offline and online. She noted that the platform’s infrastructure relies on the simplest form factors, a card that works both online and offline.

With the involvement of financial institutions such as Equity Bank, farmers now have easy access to credit, enabling them to acquire inputs and ensure high yields and profitability.

COLLABORATIONS
Meera Shah, the head of smallholder farmers portfolio at Shell Foundation, said Community Pass not only facilitates access to credit, but also provides means for farmers to repay their credit by connecting them to markets. During the summit, three collaborations were announced, including the Yojana card in collaboration with Haqdarshak Empowerment Solutions in India, a partnership with Shell Foundation and Co-operative Bank of Kenya offering below-market interest rates to smallholder farmers, and the Equity Bank Uganda’s financial inclusion card.

These collaborations are expected to drive significant changes in digital and financial inclusion for smallholder farmers and rural communities. Looking ahead, Tara emphasised the goal of reducing the cost of digital infrastructure to involve more actors providing affordable and accessible services to farmers.

Huba also acknowledged optimism about the future while addressing critical gaps in building a commercially sustainable digital agent network and engaging commercial players to benefit farmers with better prices and continuity.

“There are two pivotal challenges that we currently face. Firstly, we need to establish a commercially durable and sustainable digital agent network capable of delivering services effectively. Secondly, we are working on bringing in commercial players to engage with farmers, ensuring they receive better prices and a consistent market. Addressing these gaps is crucial for creating a robust and enduring system that benefits farmers and commercial entities, promoting sustainability, fair pricing, and continuity in off-take,” Huba said.