Africa’s future of work is an emergent reality, shaped by the adaptive ingenuity of its people. With over 85% of employment in sub-Saharan Africa occurring outside formal systems, the traditional boundaries between structured employment and informal livelihoods are increasingly porous.
This report offers a new lens, one that sees African labour not as a problem to be solved, but as a dynamic ecosystem to be understood, supported, and reimagined.
Grounded in the lived experiences of youth, women, and workers in both rural and urban environments, this report traces five interlocking systems: Structures, Power, Agency, Culture, and Economy.
Across these pillars, a rich mosaic of insights emerges: from WhatsApp-powered job markets to youth-led gig networks, and from digital colonialism to feminist economic alternatives. The report highlights the urgent need for locally relevant policy, equitable platform design, and culturally grounded economic models.
What unfolds is not a prescriptive formula, but a textured and grounded vision of African work futures. It is a call to action for policymakers, developers, educators, and workers themselves to co-create systems that are inclusive, equitable, and distinctly African.
