Zainab Usman

Our new World Bank report, “The Future of Work in Africa: Harnessing the Potential of Digital Technologies for All” was recently published.

I’m very pleased to have co-authored this publication on such a critical topic on the agenda of governments across Africa.

My colleagues and I examine the roles of skills, informality and social protection in unleashing the promise of digital technologies in the changing nature of work for all Africans.

We conclude that for digital technologies to be harnessed correctly, critical policies and investments by governments and businesses need to be in place, to:

• provide digital infrastructure (internet access) as well as physical infrastructure (electricity)
• strengthen human capital, especially to support the the critical mass of inventors and entrepreneurs needed to drive the digital revolution in Africa
• boost the productivity of informal firms (and farms) and upgrade the skills of informal sector workers
• extend social protection coverage to spur greater entrepreneurial and worker risk-taking, and to facilitate worker transitions between jobs.

There will be launch events, discussions and other activity around this topic… watch this space.

In the meantime, I’d love to hear your thoughts.