80m youths to benefit from Digital Commerce-Study
About 80 million young people will benefit from the rise of digital commerce in Africa by 2030.
The expectation is from a study pioneered by Mastercard Foundation in partnership with BFA, a global consulting firm specialising in using finance to create solutions for low-income people
The findings indicated that the digital commerce sector has the potential of disrupting the future of work on the continent.
Digital commerce, or e-commerce, is an emerging sector across Africa. Reports have it that by 2030, more than 10 percent of its largely informal workforce will be using digital platforms. These workers, the report stated, will participate in digital commerce as consumers and with a supportive policy environment, may also become a new group of workers called iWorkers.
It stated: “These digitally connected young people who are entering the workforce will generate income in the ‘gig economy’, through direct employment with large platforms such as Amazon and Alibaba, and through small enterprises, eventually leading to more formalized work”.
Senior Manager, Strategy and Learning at the Mastercard Foundation ,Tricia Williams, says, “A substantial number of young people could benefit from the rise of digital commerce in Africa, lifting themselves and families out of poverty. Policymakers have a distinct opportunity to shape the future of work for African youth by designing growth-enabling policies. These policies need to unlock the potential of digital commerce while addressing its risks.”
