Digitalization and digital skills gaps in Africa: An empirical profile

Digital technologies launched, in many ways, by the microelectronics revolution and the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) advances which ensued in the 1970s—have had a profound impact on economies around the world. increased digitalization has resulted in shifts in the nature and functionality of labor markets on both the demand and supply sides. Much of the focus on the relationship between digital technologies and the labor market, however, has been on the developed world. In a world in which digitalization—and the skills associated with digitalization—are becoming increasingly important in the structural transformation of economies, there is limited research aimed at measuring and understanding the nature and extent of digitalization and digital skills gaps in Africa particularly. As the world’s youngest continent, Africa will make up one-fifth of the total workforce and one-third of the total youth workforce in the world by 2030, adding 10 to 12 million young people to the workforce each year. With mobile phone subscriptions, internet availability, and innovations in mobile banking increasing in the region, digitalization will play a key role in how labor markets and ultimately economies will function within the region and globally.