How gig work is changing earning in AfricaCEFR B2
19 Mar 2026
Adapted from Adesewa Olofinko, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Desola Lanre-Ologun, Unsplash
Digital gig work is reshaping how people earn across Africa, combining local services and remote, borderless jobs. Women account for about 27 percent of the continent’s online gig workforce. Cities such as Lagos, Accra and Nairobi act as centres for both in‑person work, such as delivery and ride‑hailing, and for remote digital roles that serve clients abroad. The shift began around 2015 with wider smartphone adoption and sped up after 2020. Estimates suggest more than 21 million Africans now earn part‑ or full‑time through gig work, with growth of roughly 11 percent each year. The global industry was valued at USD 556.7 billion as of 2024 and is projected to reach USD 1.8 trillion by 2032.
Everyday accounts highlight benefits and limits. In Lagos, Vivian starts at 9:00 a.m., works from an adjoining office a dozen steps from her bedroom, logs active hours on an app and copes with electricity outages using a 3.5 kWh inverter; she can earn in dollars what equals about a dozen times Nigeria’s minimum wage. In Accra, Diana Akumkadoa begins at 6 a.m., sometimes drives 14 hours but sometimes stops early because of cancellations, and faces fuel, maintenance and platform commissions that can reach 30 percent per trip. Cindy Sally rents a desk at Accra’s City Galleria Mall for GHS 200 (about USD 18.50) per day and leads a finance team for a U.S.‑based firm, having found clients on platforms such as Upwork.
Fees and access matter: freelancers report Upwork fees of 10 to 15 percent, and some clients require strong connections, prompting upgrades from 3G hotspots to 5G routers. Workers also manage proposal delays, negative reviews and income diversification, for example by running small businesses. Broader pressures come from population growth: Africa rose from 283 million in 1960 to more than 1.5 billion today and could reach 2.5 billion by 2050, while about 10 million young people enter the labour market each year and in Nigeria 35 percent of young people engage in freelance work. Platform fees, payment costs and job uncertainty remain key challenges. This reporting project was supported by Africa No Filter.
Difficult words
- reshape — change the form or structure of somethingreshaping
- borderless — not limited by national borders or countries
- gig — short-term or freelance paid task or jobgig work, gig workforce
- minimum wage — lowest legal hourly or monthly pay
- inverter — device that gives power during outages
- commission — charge taken by an agent or platformcommissions
- diversification — process of adding different income sources
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Given that about 10 million young people enter the labour market each year in Africa, how could expansion of gig work affect their employment opportunities? Explain with reasons.
- What are the main benefits and limits for workers who earn in foreign currencies, based on the examples of Vivian and Cindy?
- What changes in platform rules or public policy might reduce job uncertainty and high fees for gig workers? Give two concrete suggestions.
