Digital technologies are playing an increasingly critical role in transforming agriculture across West Africa, helping farmers improve market access, boost productivity, and enhance financial inclusion, according to a new report by the World Bank.
Titled “From Fields to Markets: The Role of Digital Platforms in West Africa’s Agricultural Success,” the report highlights how investments in digital infrastructure, advisory services, and online marketplaces are reshaping agricultural value chains in countries such as Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, and Cameroon. These initiatives have already benefited more than 733,000 people by improving Internet connectivity, providing digital advisory tools, and facilitating access to agricultural markets.
In Côte d’Ivoire, the e-Agriculture Project expanded mobile broadband to over 221,000 people in rural areas and helped create more than 43,000 mobile money accounts. The initiative also launched Agristore, a digital marketplace connecting farmers with buyers, which recorded over 36,000 agricultural sales listings and 160,000 site visits. Additionally, the project’s agriculture observatory delivered more than 11 million advisory messages to farmers, nearly half of which reached women, providing real-time guidance through mobile apps, SMS, web services, and call centers.
In Benin, the Digital Rural Transformation Project enrolled more than 103,000 farmers onto digital platforms offering advisory services, farm monitoring tools, and access to machinery, with women accounting for nearly 31,000 of the beneficiaries. In Cameroon, the Acceleration of Digital Transformation project introduced an electronic voucher system enabling farmers to receive subsidies for seeds and fertilisers. By December 2024, over 9,000 producers were registered, with nearly 4,000 already benefiting from farm input support.
The World Bank noted that agriculture remains a cornerstone of West Africa’s economy, yet many farmers continue to face challenges such as poor infrastructure, limited access to reliable market data, and low connectivity. Digital platforms are increasingly being recognized as essential tools to address these barriers, supporting inclusive growth and strengthening value chains.
Farmers themselves have reported tangible benefits. Vegetable grower Cisou Bédari in Benin said digital advisory tools have improved production planning and farm management. “The e-advice application helps us learn about vegetable production techniques and share disease outbreaks,” Bédari explained, adding that farm management apps allow producers “to record cash flows and plan production from planting to harvesting.”
The World Bank emphasized that the long-term success of these digital platforms depends on strong collaboration with governments, private sector operators, and continued investment in infrastructure and skills development. Expanding these solutions across the region could further strengthen market linkages, increase productivity, and enhance the resilience of West Africa’s agricultural sector.