Inside Africa

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The Gig Economy in Africa: Opportunity or Exploitation?

November 10, 2025

The Gig Economy in Africa: Opportunity or Exploitation?

Imagine waking up, grabbing your phone, and finding a flexible job, maybe you’re a driver, a freelance designer, or a delivery courier. It sounds liberating, right?

That’s the allure of the gig economy in Africa.

But here’s the catch, while it promises freedom, flexibility, and income when traditional jobs are scarce, it also raises serious questions about security, fair pay, and long-term prospects.

In this article, we’ll discuss why the gig economy in Africa is booming, how it’s changing things for workers and businesses, and whether it’s a sustainable path to prosperity or a new form of labour extraction.

Why the gig economy in Africa is taking off

Africa has the world’s youngest population, roughly 60% under the age of 25, and yet its job market hasn’t kept up. Every year, millions of young Africans enter the labour force with few formal jobs waiting for them.

In Nigeria alone, youth unemployment hovers above 33%, while in South Africa it’s over 40%.

With few stable options, many turn to the gig economy, driving, delivering, freelancing, tutoring, or even running errands through apps. The barrier to entry is lower than that of formal employment.

You don’t need a polished CV or an inside connection; just a phone, an internet connection, and sometimes a bit of hustle.

For governments struggling to create enough jobs, gig platforms appear as a relief valve, a digital fix to a structural problem. But that’s not always sustainable, as we’ll see later.

Digital infrastructure and mobile penetration

Another reason for the surge is connectivity. Over the last decade, Africa’s mobile internet coverage has exploded.

Cheap smartphones, mobile-money systems like M-Pesa, and rising fintech adoption have made it possible for workers to get paid and for clients to reach them without ever meeting face-to-face.

Kenya, Nigeria, Egypt, and South Africa now account for the majority of Sub-Saharan Africa’s gig traffic.

In Kenya, internet connectivity and digital payments have helped transform casual labour into an organized digital sector, ride-hailing, delivery, micro-tasks, online tutoring, and freelancing.

Platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, Bolt, Uber, Glovo, SweepSouth, and TaskMoby have built ecosystems of micro-entrepreneurs, each carving out their niche in the continent’s growing digital economy.

Prospects for gig workers in Africa

Every day, there is a growing hunger for the gig economy in Africa. There are many prospects for gig workers in Africa. Here are some:

Skill enhancement: Gig workers keep learning to get better and make more money, thus developing and enhancing their skills and expertise for more opportunities.
Innovation and creativity: The gig economy encourages day-by-day innovative development in the economy and society. Freelancers and their clients bring their ideas together to create something unique, innovative, and creative, thus positively impacting society.
Increasing demand: Freelancing services are becoming more needed than even hybrid and onsite workers. Some companies have only a few onsite workers, with most of their workforce being freelancers.
Job creation: The gig economy is a sure way of creating jobs for millions of people, especially housewives, youths, and others in similar categories.
Opportunities: The African gig economy creates more and new job opportunities for freelancers. These opportunities can also involve traveling outside the country if it suits the freelancer, thus providing the chance to meet more people.

Digital Platforms: Platforms like LinkedIn, Upwork, Fiverr, and others make it easier for freelancers to get jobs, and they are very reliable platforms.

Top in-demand skills in the gig economy in Africa

As the demand for gig workers increases, so does the demand for the skills they possess. The top demanded skills in Africa’s gig economy include:

Content creation: Content creation is highly sought after in the gig economy. Almost every type of business requires content for their operations. This includes writing, translation, videos, and audios.
Virtual assistant: Email management, customer service, and communication are crucial skills for virtual assistants.
Cyber security: This skill is highly valued in the gig economy, especially for its security analysis and provision features.
Programming: Skills in JavaScript and other programming languages are highly sought after in the gig economy.
Web development: Schools, offices, estate firms, and other organizations are always looking for people with web development skills.
Graphic design: Digital content creation often goes hand in hand with graphic design, making this skill highly sought after in Africa’s gig economy.
Transcription: Skills in audio and video transcription are in high demand.
IT and data analysis: Expertise in IT and data analysis is highly sought after.
Project management: Project management skills are needed in many companies and projects, making them highly in demand.
Database administration: Database administrative skills are highly sought after in the gig economy.

The opportunity side – what’s going right

1. Creating income where few alternatives exist

In economies where traditional employment can’t absorb the workforce, the gig model is filling gaps.

According to the World Bank, the online gig workforce in Sub-Saharan Africa has grown by more than 20% annually since 2016. In Kenya alone, gig work contributes hundreds of millions of dollars to GDP.

For young people, that income, even if unstable, often means survival. It helps them pay rent, fund small businesses, or continue their education.

For women, especially those balancing family responsibilities, gig work can offer flexibility that regular jobs don’t.

A 2023 Brookings study found that African women who participate in the gig economy are more likely to work from home and manage their own hours, something crucial in societies where childcare and domestic work still fall mostly on women.

2. Skill development and digital exposure

Another upside is skill acquisition. Gig work can teach valuable lessons in digital literacy, time management, and client communication. A Kenyan virtual assistant working for global clients may gain professional exposure far beyond what a local job could offer.

Some governments are catching on. Ghana’s “Digital Skills for Jobs” initiative and Kenya’s “Ajira Digital” program train youth to access online gigs ethically and competitively. Such initiatives signal a recognition that the gig economy isn’t just a trend, it’s a structural feature of future work.

3. Platform innovation and entrepreneurship

There’s also the entrepreneurial side. Gig platforms are often African-built and tailored to local needs.

SweepSouth in South Africa connects domestic cleaners with households, and EdenLife in Nigeria and Kenya automates chores like laundry and cooking for clients.

These startups create ripple effects: they employ coders, marketers, and local managers; they also build trust systems that make informal work visible and bankable.

A worker with consistent app reviews and digital payments can suddenly have a track record, something banks or landlords can recognize.

So yes, the gig economy has real promise: it makes work visible, accessible, and scalable.

Exploitation side – what’s going wrong

1. Precarious work, invisible protections

Now for the uncomfortable truth. The same flexibility that attracts workers also strips away the protections that full-time employees take for granted.

Most gig workers in Africa are considered “independent contractors.” That means no pensions, no health insurance, no paid leave, no minimum wage, and no safety net when demand drops.

Take ride-hailing as an example. Drivers often work long hours, pay for fuel and vehicle maintenance themselves, and earn only a small fraction after the platform’s commission.

When surge pricing changes or a platform tweaks its algorithm, their income can collapse overnight.

In Nigeria and South Africa, driver protests have become common. Workers demand better pay, transparent commission structures, and fair deactivation policies.

Yet, because they’re legally contractors, they often have no formal right to unionize or bargain collectively.

2. Algorithmic control and power imbalance

There’s also the invisible boss: the algorithm. Gig platforms use data-driven systems to assign tasks, rate performance, and even penalize workers.

It’s a kind of “digital Taylorism”, maximum control without direct supervision.

If your ratings drop or you reject too many tasks, you can be suspended automatically. There’s usually no appeal, no human to talk to. In theory, you’re your own boss. In practice, the app dictates when and how you work.

This kind of control without responsibility creates a modern twist on an old problem, labour without rights. It’s work that feels free but isn’t really autonomous.

3. Unequal access and digital divides

Then there’s the issue of who actually benefits. Gig work thrives in cities, among people who can afford smartphones and reliable data. Rural youth, or those in regions with weak connectivity, are effectively locked out.

Even within cities, women and older workers face barriers, digital skills gaps, social norms, or simple safety concerns. For instance, ride-hailing and delivery jobs are still overwhelmingly male-dominated because of the long hours and safety risks.

So, while the gig economy creates opportunity, it can also deepen inequality if access and protection aren’t evenly distributed.

Case studies from across Africa

Kenya

Kenya often leads the conversation. Its gig economy is valued at roughly $345 million and employs over 1.2 million workers, about 5% of the national workforce.

Platforms like Ajira Digital and WorkPay have formalized the space, offering training and digital payment systems.

But challenges persist. Many Kenyan gig workers earn below minimum wage, especially in manual service gigs. Internet costs, platform fees, and lack of bargaining power cut into earnings.

The government’s push toward digital work is promising, but regulation has yet to catch up.

Nigeria

Nigeria has the largest pool of freelancers in Africa, thanks to its massive youth population and tech-savvy workforce. From ride-hailing to micro-tasks to digital design, Nigerian gig workers power both local and international markets.

Still, the sector’s informality makes it unstable. Only a fraction of gig workers have access to credit or insurance. Labour strikes among Bolt and Uber drivers reveal growing frustration.

Meanwhile, local startups like Gigmile and Kuda are experimenting with micro-loans and savings plans for gig workers, small steps toward a safety net.

South Africa

South Africa’s gig economy is slightly more formalized due to stronger labour institutions. SweepSouth, one of its homegrown platforms, offers cleaners not just gigs but also financial literacy tools and micro-insurance.

However, income inequality remains stark. While some workers thrive in tech-based gigs, others remain stuck in low-paid, physically demanding tasks.

The government has begun discussing how to classify gig workers for tax and labour purposes, but consensus is still far off.

Key challenges and considerations

1. The legal grey zone

The biggest challenge is classification. If gig workers are truly independent, then platforms owe them nothing beyond pay for completed tasks.

But if platforms exert control, through pricing, task assignment, and performance monitoring, then shouldn’t those workers have rights similar to employees?

Countries like the UK and South Africa have started court cases over this issue.

Some gig workers have won partial recognition as “dependent contractors,” entitled to minimum protections. Most African countries, however, have no legal definition for such roles.

Without clear laws, disputes fall through the cracks. Workers can’t access justice, and platforms operate with impunity. It’s an urgent policy gap.

2. Financial insecurity and exclusion

Even when workers earn consistently, many remain financially invisible. They’re paid digitally but often without payslips or contracts, which means banks can’t verify income.

That blocks access to loans, mortgages, or even rental agreements.

Startups like Kenya’s WorkPay and Nigeria’s Bento Africa are experimenting with portable benefits systems, where workers carry their earnings, insurance, and savings across platforms.

If scaled, these could radically transform financial inclusion in the gig economy.

3. Digital skills and future readiness

Gig work often starts simple: deliveries, errands, driving, but as automation increases, the low-skill gigs may shrink. The future of gig work in Africa depends on up-skilling: coding, data management, creative digital services, and marketing.

Government-supported training programs, university collaborations, and public-private partnerships can make gig work a launchpad for digital careers rather than a dead end.

Best practices for workers, platforms, and policymakers

What workers can do

Workers need to treat gig work like running a micro-business. That means tracking income, managing expenses, diversifying gigs, and learning continuously. A delivery rider can expand into logistics coordination. A freelancer can move from low-cost gigs to niche expertise.

Networking with other gig workers, online or offline, can also help build collective voice and shared learning. In some cities, informal associations of drivers and freelancers already exist, helping members access loans or negotiate collectively.

What platforms can improve

Gig platforms should move beyond extraction. Transparency in algorithms, fair commissions, prompt payments, and grievance channels are necessities. Platforms that invest in worker training, health coverage, and micro-insurance see longer-term loyalty and better public perception.

It’s not just ethical, it’s good business. A more stable, skilled workforce delivers better services and reduces turnover costs.

What governments must tackle

Finally, governments can’t stay hands-off. They should:

Update labour codes to include non-traditional work arrangements
Require transparency in platform contracts and commissions
Promote digital infrastructure, especially in rural and peri-urban areas
Support inclusion by subsidizing training for women and disadvantaged youth
Explore portable benefits systems that allow gig workers to build social security no matter where they work

If done right, the gig economy can become a bridge between informal work and formal employment — not a trap between the two.

Conclusion

So, is the gig economy in Africa an opportunity or exploitation? The truth is, it’s both, depending on who you ask, where they live, and how the system treats them.

For a young graduate, freelancing online it’s an opportunity, freedom, exposure, a foot in the digital door. For a motorbike courier barely scraping by under rising fuel costs, it’s exploitation dressed in flexibility.

What’s clear is that the gig economy isn’t going away. It’s reshaping how Africans think about work, independence, and value creation. The challenge now is to make sure that flexibility doesn’t come at the cost of dignity.

Africa’s gig economy doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game. With the right choices, it could become one of the continent’s most transformative engines for inclusive growth.

FAQ

What exactly counts as gig work in Africa?

Gig work typically means short-term, flexible tasks often found via digital platforms. This includes ride-hailing, delivery, freelance design or writing, remote online gigs, home services, etc.

Is the gig economy really growing in Africa?

Yes. For example, Kenya’s gig workforce was estimated at around 1.2 million, market size $345 m in 2023. Also, online gig platforms see high internet traffic from Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa, reflecting growth.

Why is there concern about exploitation in the gig economy?

Many gig workers lack legal protections, benefits, and face unstable incomes. The platform-based work setup can lead to worker vulnerability, especially when there’s low transparency or weak regulation.

How can someone in Africa make the most of gig opportunities?

Focus on building skills, diversifying income sources, understanding platform terms, and preparing for fluctuations. Use gig work as part of a broader career or business plan, not just a short-term fix.

What role should governments play in the gig economy?

They should create or update labour laws to reflect gig-work realities, invest in digital infrastructure and skills, support training programmes for gig workers, and ensure data-collection so policies are informed rather than reactive.

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