NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 5 – Microsoft has teamed up with the African Development Bank (AfDB) to launch a continent-wide financing facility aimed at digitising agriculture SMEs, marking a strategic shift as the tech company moves beyond connectivity to driving sector-level transformation.
The initiative, announced at the B20 South Africa Summit, will blend investment capital with digital and AI tools to help SMEs scale operations, cut inefficiencies and increase yields.
The facility is expected to mobilise large agricultural investments over the next five years.
The move comes as Microsoft confirmed it has surpassed its goal of connecting 117 million Africans to the internet, a milestone achieved through multi-country partnerships with ISPs, infrastructure firms and local innovators.
The company said improving digital access was only the first phase of its Africa strategy, with the next push focused on productivity and competitiveness.
Microsoft Chief Sustainability Officer Melanie Nakagawa said deeper digital participation requires more than connectivity, urging the continent to integrate technology into its economic systems.
“Without access to the internet, the promise of technology remains out of reach. To meaningfully participate in this moment of transformation, we must also empower people with the skills to use these digital tools,” she said.
In Kenya, Microsoft’s partner Mawingu has enabled rural clinics in Laikipia to consult Nairobi-based specialists via video links, and is collaborating with Mastercard’s MADE Alliance to equip 50,000 farmers with digital skills and market-access tools.
Similar broadband expansion efforts are underway in South Africa with partners including Ilitha, Liquid and Cisco, while a pact with M-KOPA has helped six million people acquire connected devices.
Nakagawa said the new financing facility aims to ensure African agriculture keeps pace with global technological shifts, warning that delayed investment could widen productivity gaps.
“We are turning access into impact, and connectivity into transformation.”
The company said it is seeking partners across finance, government and the private sector to expand the blueprint across more agricultural value chains.
