Mastercard Foundation programme · Implemented by theSOFTtribe
Bridging the agricultural digital divide for nearly 20,000 students through devices, connectivity, digital skills, and employment pathways. We built a programme that engaged 19,746 tertiary students and put student device packages in the hands of 10,000 agriculture students.
Who we are
theSOFTtribe Limited is a Ghanaian-owned software development company and IT solutions provider, established in 1991. For over three decades we have delivered “tropically tolerant” technology solutions to multinational corporations, government entities, academic institutions, and development organizations across West Africa.
We bring engineering discipline, platform thinking, and product-level quality to every intervention we implement. When a funder entrusts us with a programme, we design the systems, build the technology, manage the operations, and deliver auditable and meaningful results.
theSOFTtribe designed, built, and delivered AgriConnect, a Mastercard Foundation funded programme that bridged the digital divide experienced by youth and women in tertiary institutions studying agriculture — from concept to 20,824 certificates awarded.
The brief
Thousands of young Ghanaians studying agriculture at tertiary institutions lacked the digital tools, connectivity, and 21st-century skills to participate in the modernization of Ghana's agriculture sector. Women and persons with disabilities were disproportionately affected.
The Foundation's requirements were demanding:
Reach 10,000+ students across multiple universities and TVET colleges nationwide
Procure and distribute 10,000 student device packages (laptop and portable internet)
Develop purpose-built supplemental courses that fill genuine curriculum gaps
Build a bespoke digital platform for the entire programme lifecycle
Embed gender-responsive and disability-inclusive design throughout
Create pathways from education to employment through structured internships
Deliver within a proof-of-concept phase, with results that justify scale-up
What we delivered
From devices and curriculum to the platform and internships, we designed, built, and ran every stage of AgriConnect.
01 Devices
We managed end-to-end procurement, configuration, and physical distribution of 10,000 student device packages — laptop and MiFi connectivity — to students and faculty across 10 universities and agricultural colleges spanning multiple regions of Ghana, from Accra to the Savannah. Every device is tracked from the warehouse to the student through our custom platform. Students contributed less than 10% of the total cost.
02 Curriculum
We commissioned and managed the development of three comprehensive courses, working with academic partners, industry experts, and agricultural professionals. No off-the-shelf content — every module addressed real curriculum gaps identified through rigorous analysis.
03 Platform
We designed, developed, and deployed a full-stack learning management and operations platform from scratch. The AgriConnect platform managed the entire programme lifecycle, including student registration, eligibility verification, device allocation and tracking, learning delivery, assessments, certificate generation, reporting, and beneficiary engagement. Built to scale as the user population increases.
04 Pathways
We launched a structured paid Summer Internship Programme in August 2024, securing placements with agriculture industry players and IT firms. Priority placements for female and differently-abled students, creating a tangible education-to-employment pipeline.
05 Courses
6,906
6 sections, 15 modules: digital citizenship, productivity tools, online safety, social media marketing, web design, and introduction to AI.
6,915
9 agricultural value chains: rice, vegetables, pineapple, mango, greenhouse, poultry, piggery, agricultural journalism, and professional nurseries.
7,003
Comprehensive agripreneurship guide: sustainable practices, business planning, market navigation, and innovation in agriculture.
06 Institutions
Evidence of impact
Students, faculty, and families describe what devices, connectivity, and courses changed in their work and in their homes.
“When I got to Level 400, I was wondering how I would get a laptop to do my project work. Because of the actual costs, it would not have been easy for me. Without AgriConnect, I do not know what I would have done.”
How we work
AgriConnect’s success reflects a deliberate execution model that we apply to every programme. Funders and development partners can expect the same discipline, infrastructure, and results on any engagement.
No third-party platforms or off-the-shelf LMS tools. Our engineering team designs, develops, and maintains the digital infrastructure. This eliminates vendor lock-in, reduces cost, and gives funders confidence the technology evolves with the programme.
AgriConnect required coordination across a funder, 10 universities and agricultural colleges from Accra to the Savannah, 3 connectivity providers, 3 content partners, field teams, and 19,746 students. Our programme management infrastructure is built for this complexity.
Gender-responsive and disability-inclusive design is engineered into our programme architecture — not added as an afterthought. Reserved placements, proactive outreach, responsive policy, and affordability engineering.
Every device is tracked. Every student verified. Every completion is assessed and certified. Every metric backed by platform data. We design systems to produce the evidence funders need.
Our platform architecture supports multi-tenant deployment, localization, and integration with third-party LMS systems. No licensing dependencies. Ready for reuse on future programmes in new geographies.
AgriConnect demonstrated our capabilities in one sector, in one country, for one funder. The model and team, however, are not limited to that scope.
Partners & collaboration
Every programme has different needs. Our approach is to identify and bring together the best-fit specialist partners for each engagement, then manage the collaboration end-to-end. We do not come with a fixed roster — we come with the expertise to assemble and coordinate the right team for your specific objectives.
Here is how this worked on AgriConnect:
Funder and strategic partner
Provided funding and strategic oversight as part of the Young Africa Works initiative, which aims to enable 30 million young Africans to access dignified and fulfilling work by 2030.
Implementing partner
Designed, built, and delivered AgriConnect end-to-end: programme design, technology, operations, partner coordination, and auditable results.
Specialist and sub-implementing partners sourced for AgriConnect
Brought in for their agriculture and health sector expertise. 17+ years of policy development and community-driven work. HEDGE supported field-level implementation and stakeholder engagement.
Engaged for inclusive agriculture expertise, capacity strengthening, and market systems across West Africa. Knox Consulting developed the value chain content.
Ghana’s premier business school. Partnered to develop the agribusiness and entrepreneurship curriculum content.
Contracted as connectivity providers, supplying MiFi devices (MTN and Vodafone) and data bundles at national scale to ensure students had internet access regardless of location.
Programme legacy
The programme left behind a purpose-built digital platform, locally relevant curriculum content, institutional partnerships, trained students, and a proven implementation model that can be adapted for future education, workforce development, and digital inclusion programmes.
Work with us
We are particularly well-suited for engagements that require scale, custom technology, and results funders can audit.
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