Digital platforms are increasingly helping farmers in West Africa to improve market access, boost productivity and strengthen financial inclusion, according to a new report by the World Bank.

The report titled, ‘From Fields to Markets: The Role of Digital Platforms in West Africa’s Agricultural Success, shows that investments in digital infrastructure, advisory services and online marketplaces are transforming agricultural value chains across countries such as Côte d’Ivoire, Benin and Cameroon.

These initiatives have directly benefited more than 733,000 people through improved Internet connectivity, digital advisory services and better access to agricultural markets.

According to the World Bank, digital platforms are helping farmers overcome long-standing barriers, including limited access to information, weak market connections and high transaction costs, which have traditionally constrained productivity in the region’s agriculture sector.

In Côte d’Ivoire, the e-Agriculture Project has expanded mobile broadband connectivity to more than 221,000 people in rural communities and supported the creation of over 43,000 new mobile money accounts. The project also developed a digital marketplace platform known as Agristore, which connects farmers with buyers and provides access to market information.

Through the platform, more than 400,000 people working across agricultural value chains gained improved market access, while the site recorded over 160,000 visits and more than 36,000 agricultural sales listings by the end of the project.

The initiative also established an agriculture observatory that provides real-time advisory services to farmers using mobile applications, SMS, web services and a call centre. Over the project period, more than 11 million advisory messages were sent to farmers, about 44 per cent of which reached women.

In Benin, the Digital Rural Transformation Project has enrolled more than 103,000 individuals into digital platforms that provide agricultural advisory services, farm monitoring tools and access to machinery. Nearly 31,000 of the beneficiaries are women.

Similarly, in Cameroon, the Acceleration of Digital Transformation project introduced an electronic voucher system that allows farmers to receive subsidies for farm inputs. As of December 2024, more than 9,000 producers had been registered on the platform, with nearly 4,000 already benefiting from fertiliser and seed subsidies.

The World Bank noted that agriculture remains a critical sector across West Africa, but many farmers still struggle with poor infrastructure and limited access to reliable market and production information. In some countries, large portions of rural populations remain offline, limiting their access to financial services and digital tools.

Digital technologies are therefore being promoted as a key driver of economic transformation in the region by improving service delivery, strengthening value chains and supporting inclusive growth.

A vegetable grower in Benin, Cisou Bédari, said digital advisory tools have helped farmers improve production planning and farm management.

“The e-advice application helps us learn about vegetable production techniques and share disease outbreaks,” Bédari said, adding that farm management applications also allow producers “to record cash flows and plan production from planting to harvesting”.

The World Bank added that the sustainability of these platforms will depend on strong partnerships with governments and private sector operators, as well as continued investments in digital infrastructure and skills development.

The bank said expanding digital agriculture solutions across the region could further strengthen market linkages, increase productivity and support the long-term resilience of West Africa’s agricultural sector.