# African Jobs in the Digital Era: Export Options with a Focus on Online Labour

*Elvis Melia · Discussion Paper 3/2020, German Development Institute (DIE, now IDOS) · Discussion paper · March 2020*

Canonical: https://meliacred.com/solutions/african-jobs-in-the-digital-era-2020

**Citation:** Melia, E. (2020). African jobs in the digital era: Export options with a focus on online labour (Discussion Paper 3/2020). German Development Institute (DIE).

**Publisher's page:** https://www.idos-research.de/en/discussion-paper/article/african-jobs-in-the-digital-era-export-options-with-a-focus-on-online-labour/

## Summary

Can IT-enabled services exports become an alternative driver of African catch-up growth, the way light manufacturing was for East Asia? Automation may cut the demand for low-cost labour in global value chains. The paper presents Kenya's growing online freelancing sector as evidence of sector growth and of workers moving up, and it discusses what makes online work a path that lasts.

**Topics:** online work, Kenya, services exports, catch-up growth

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