Preparing African youths for the future of work The case of Rwanda
Main Article Content
Keywords
Digitalisation, Gig Economy, Future of Work, Youth, Sub-Saharan Africa, Rwanda, Qualitative analysis, Government
Abstract
This study explores the far-reaching changes in the world of work due to the emergence of the digital economy against a background of rising income inequality, concerns about job losses and high levels of unemployment, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa,
More specifically, it explores the issue of how African governments and other stakeholders are preparing young people for the future of work. It comprises a case study of Rwanda. Data was collected from documents and in-depth semi-structured interviews, and analysed with MaxQDA. Rwanda has sought to become a knowledge economy, and has therefore developed a comprehensive policy framework and several programmes for equipping young people with digital skills. There are also more than 20 incubators and hubs fostering digital start-ups in Kigali. Several international organisations have started training programmes to support of the Rwandan government’s vision.
The study finds that digitalisation could help to resolve sub-Saharan Africa’s employment problems through freelancing, labour outsourcing, and start-ups. However, there is a need for deliberate policies and programmes to prepare young people for the future of work. Rwanda is doing well in this regard, and other SSA countries should evaluate its model.
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References
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Merriam, S.B. 1988. Case Study Research in Education: A Qualitative Approach. Jossey-Bass.
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Rocca, C. and I. Schultes. 2020. ‘Africa’s Youth: Action Needed Now to Support the Continent’s Greatest Asset.’
Schwab, K. 2016. The Fourth Industrial Revolution. Geneva: World Economic Forum.
Ugura, Ml and Al Mitra. 2017. ‘Technology Adoption and Employment in Less Developed Countries: A Mixed-Method Systematic Review.’ World Development 96: 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2017.03.015
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_____ . 2018. The Future of Jobs Report 2018. Economic Development Quarterly. Vol. 31.
Acemoglu, D. and P. Restrepo. 2019. ‘Automation and New Tasks: How Technology Displaces and Reinstates Labor.’ Journal of Economic Perspectives 33 (2): 3–30. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.33.2.3.
AfDB. 2018. ‘Jobs for Youth in Africa: Strategy for Creating 25 Million Jobs and Equipping 50 Million Youth 2016 - 2025,’ 64. https://www.afdb.org/fileadmin/uploads/afdb/Documents/Boards-Documents/Bank_Group_Strategy_for_Jobs_for_Youth_in_Africa_2016-2025_Rev_2.pdf.
African Development Bank (ADB). 2016. ‘Jobs for Youth in Africa Catalyzing Youth Opportunity across Africa: The Role of the African Development Bank.’ At www.afdb.org/s-pitamber@afdb.org.
Agrawal, A., J. S. Gans and A. Goldfarb. 2019. ‘Exploring the Impact of Artificial Intelligence: Prediction versus Judgment.’ Information Economics and Policy 47: 1–6. at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infoecopol.2019.05.001.
Altenburg et al. 2018. ‘A Rapier Not a Blunderbuss: Why the EU Must Do Better in Supporting African Job Creation’. February. At https://www.odi.org/publications/11172-rapier-not-blunderbuss-why-eu-must-do-better-supporting-african-job-creation.
Ambrose S.A. et al. 2010. How Learning Works. John Wiley & Sons. At https://doi.org/10.1002/mop.21454.
Autor, D. and A.B. Krueger. 1998. ‘Computing Inequality: Have Computers Changed the Labor Market?’ Technology 1169, November. https://doi.org/10.1162/003355398555874
Baldwin, R. 2019. ‘The Future of Globalization.’ Journal of the East Asian Economic Association, 33(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/asej.12168
Barrett, T. and S. Moore. 2010. ‘New Approaches to Problem-Based Learning.’ New Approaches to Problem-Based Learning. April. At https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203846926.
Brynjolfsson, E. and A.McAfee. 2014. The Second Machine Age. Börsenmedien.
Chang, J-Hk, Gk Rynhart and Pk Huynh. 2016. ASEAN in Transformation: How Technology Is Changing Jobs and Enterprises. ILO Working Papers. At https://ideas.repec.org/p/ilo/ilowps/994906463402676.html.
Chui, Mk, Jk Manyika and Mk Miremadi. 2017. ‘The Countries Most (and Least) Likely to Be Affected by Automation.’ Harvard Business Review. 2017.
Creswell, J. W. 2009. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Dalberg, P. 2013. ‘Digital Jobs in Africa: Catalysing Inclusive Opportunities for Youth,’ 22. https://assets.rockefellerfoundation.org/app/uploads/20131217164951/Catalyzing-Inclusive-Opportunities-For-Youth.pdf.
Diamandis, P. and S. Kotler. 2020. The Future Is Faster Than You Think: How Converging Technologies Are Transforming Business, Industries, and Our Lives. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Drake, K.N. and D. Long. 2009. ‘Rebecca’s in the Dark: A Comparative Study of Problem-Based Learning and Direct Instruction/Experiential Learning in Two 4th-Grade Classrooms.’ Journal of Elementary Science Education 21 (1): 1–16. At https://doi.org/10.1007/bf03174712.
‘Elearning Africa’. 2022. Elearning-Africa.Com. At https://www.elearning-africa.com/conference2022/ressources/press_releases/ELA.php?year=2022&pr_id=439.
Elmusharaf, K. 2012. ‘Qualitative Data Collection Techniques.’ In Training Course in Sexual and Reproductive Health Research. Geneva.
Filmer, D. and L. Fox. 2014. ‘Outh Employment in Sub-Saharan Africa.’ Washington DC. https://doi.org/10.1596/978-1-4648-0107-5.
Freire, P. 1993. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. The Applied Theatre Reader. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203891315-58.
Frey, C.B. and M.A. Osborne. 2017. ‘The Future of Employment: How Susceptible Are Jobs to Computerisation?’ Technological Forecasting and Social Change 114: 254–80. At https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2016.08.019.
Frey, C. and P. Rahbari. 2016. ‘Do Labor-Saving Technologies Spell the Death of Jobs in the Developing World?,’ 5. At https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Global_20160720_Blum_FreyRahbari.pdf.
Friederici, N., S. Ojanperä and M. Graham. 2017. ‘The Impact of Connectivity in Africa: Grand Visions and the Mirage of Inclusive Digital Development.’ Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries 79 (1): 1–20. At https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1681-4835.2017.tb00578.x.
Gaus, A. and W. Hoxtell. 2022. Automation and the Future of Work. The Oxford Handbook of Digital Ethics. At https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198857815.013.37.
International Labour Office - Geneva. 2017. Inception Report for the Global Commission on the Future of Work. At http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---cabinet/documents/publication/wcms_591502.pdf.
International Labour Organization (ILO). 2012. Youth Employment Interventions in Africa:A Mapping Report of the Employment and Labour Sub-Cluster of the Regional Coordination Mechanism (RCM) for Africa.
_____ . 2020. Report on Employment in Africa (Re-Africa) Tackling the Youth Employment Challenge. www.ilo.org/publns.
_____ . 2015. ‘World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2015.’ Geneva.
International Monetary Fund (IMF). 2021. Regional Economic Outlook. Sub-Saharan Africa : One Planet, Two Worlds, Three Stories.
Kariba, F. 2020. ‘The Burgeoning Africa Youth Population: Potential or Challenge?’ Smart Cities Alliance. 2020. https://www.citiesalliance.org/newsroom/news/cities-alliance-news/ burgeoning-africa-youth-population-potential-or-challenge .
Lewis, P. and K. Rupp. 2016. ‘Liberal Education in Asia: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities.’ New Global Studies 9 (3): 245–66. At https://doi.org/10.1515/ngs-2015-0028.
Manyika, J. et al. 2013. ‘Lions Go Digital: The Internet’s Transformative Potential in Africa.’ McKinsey Global Institute, no. November: 1–124. At www.mckinsey.com/mgi.
McKay, A. and E. Thorbecke. 2015. Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction in Sub-Saharan Africa: Current and Emerging Issues. Oxford: Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198728450.001.0001
Melia, E. 2019. ‘The Impact of Information and Communication Technologies on Jobs in Africa: A Literature Review.’ 3/2019. Bonn.
Merriam, S.B. 1988. Case Study Research in Education: A Qualitative Approach. Jossey-Bass.
Peters, M.A. 2019. ‘Technological Unemployment: Educating for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.’ The Chinese Dream: Educating the Future: An Educational Philosophy and Theory Chinese Educational Philosophy Reader, Volume VII 5 (1): 99–107. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429329135-10.
Rifkin, J. 1995. ‘The End of Work. The Decline of the Global Labor Force,’ 336. http://pinguet.free.fr/rifkin1995.pdf.
Rocca, C. and I. Schultes. 2020. ‘Africa’s Youth: Action Needed Now to Support the Continent’s Greatest Asset.’
Schwab, K. 2016. The Fourth Industrial Revolution. Geneva: World Economic Forum.
Ugura, Ml and Al Mitra. 2017. ‘Technology Adoption and Employment in Less Developed Countries: A Mixed-Method Systematic Review.’ World Development 96: 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2017.03.015
United Nations (UN). 2015. World Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision. Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division.
_____ . 2019. ‘World Population Prospects 2019: Data Booklet.’
United Nations Capital Development Fund (NCDF). 2016. ‘Making Finance Work for the Poor.’ New York.
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). 2015. Economic Report on Africa 2015 | United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. http://www.uneca.org/publications/economic-report-africa-2015.
Wilson, J. and P. Daugherty. 2018. ‘Collaborative Intelligence: Humans and AI Are Joining Forces.’ Harvard Business Review. 2018. https://hbr.org/2018/07/collaborative-intelligence-humans-and-ai-are-joining-forces.
World Bank. 2016. ‘World Development Report 2016: Digital Dividends.’ Washington, DC: World Bank Group.
World Economic Forum (WEF). 2017. ‘The Future of Jobs and Skills in Africa.’ World Economic Forum. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_EGW_FOJ_Africa.pdf.
_____ . 2018. The Future of Jobs Report 2018. Economic Development Quarterly. Vol. 31.
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Jan 16, 2023
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Preparing African youths for the future of work: The case of Rwanda. (2023). Digital Policy Studies, 1(2), 47-64. https://doi.org/10.36615/dps.v1i2.2276
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Preparing African youths for the future of work: The case of Rwanda. (2023). Digital Policy Studies, 1(2), 47-64. https://doi.org/10.36615/dps.v1i2.2276