In recent years, Kenya has emerged as a hub for online workers, particularly in fields like writing, coding, and creative services. According to a 2019 report, there were around 40,000 Kenyans working online, with a significant portion being writers – academic writers, bloggers, copywriters, and more.
Many found work through freelancing platforms like iWriter, which allowed anyone worldwide to access paid writing gigs. However, when iWriter changed ownership in 2019, the new owners shut down operations in Africa, deeming African writers as unqualified. This dealt a major blow to Kenyan online workers who lost a valuable income source.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t an isolated incident. More recently, after President William Ruto praised Kenyans earning online through platforms like RemoteTasks, the company ceased operations in Kenya, further limiting opportunities.
Despite these setbacks, Kenya’s innovative spirit remains strong. The country has been ranked the second most innovative in Africa, prompting many Kenyans to use VPNs and pseudonymous accounts to bypass restrictions and secure online work by appearing as users from other countries.
However, this workaround is unsustainable in the long run. Kenya has clearly demonstrated its wealth of talent not just in writing but across various online specialties, even playing a role in the development of cutting-edge technologies like ChatGPT, where kenyans were hired ‘to teach it to be less offensive in its data output.’ The country ranks alongside India and Nigeria as a creative powerhouse among developing nations.
The potential for further growth in Kenya’s online workforce is immense. The country now has 1.2 million digital workers and over 22 million internet users, representing a vast untapped talent pool that could contribute to the global digital economy if provided with the right opportunities and support.
So, what can the Kenyan government do to nurture and grow its online workforce, especially with the rise of AI and increasing demand for remote work? Here are some potential initiatives:
- Facilitate access to global payment gateways: Popular platforms like Medium, Substack, and Vocal use Stripe to remit payments to writers, automatically excluding Kenyans since Stripe is unavailable in the country. This means Kenyan writers can contribute content but can’t get paid. If the government can intervene to bring Stripe and similar gateways, it would enable Kenyans to earn more and increase the online workforce.
- Consult with industry experts and workers: There are influencers like Walter Akolo and other experts who have been in the online workforce for a long time and know what’s working and what’s not. However, those running the government’s Ajira platform, meant to help Kenyans find online work, often lack this deep industry knowledge and expertise. The government should consult experienced professionals in the industry to gain an edge and better understand the needs and challenges faced by the online workforce.
- Explore innovative job-matching solutions: Ajira is currently the only government platform for finding online work, but it’s limited to a few tasks like writing, data entry, and transcription. Perhaps it’s time for the government to rethink strategies and go the extra mile by actively sourcing remote work opportunities abroad themselves or creating extensive platforms that cover every kind of online work available.
- Foster international partnerships: The government could market and position Kenya as a powerhouse for online work, convincing companies that don’t currently outsource digital work to Africa that they can trust Kenyans to deliver quality work. The government has more resources and influence to make this happen compared to individual workers or companies.
- Invest in digital infrastructure and training: Most of Kenya’s online workforce is concentrated in urban settings. The government needs to invest more in internet availability across all parts of the country, making it easily accessible. Additionally, in colleges and universities, every course should include training on how students can earn online in their respective fields, allowing them to start building these skills early on.
Just as Dubai emerged as a hub for logistics, Singapore for finance, and China for manufacturing, Kenya has the potential to become a global leader in the online workforce, particularly in content creation and creative services. Implementing these supportive policies and initiatives can make the government unlock this “golden goose” and empower Kenyans to thrive in the ever-growing digital economy.
