Digital Skills Provide a Development Path for Sub-Saharan Africa – Ndubuisi Ekekwe – Harvard Business Review

In Harvard Business Review today, I posit how Africa’s development could emerge since we’re urbanizing without industrialization: “Sub-Saharan Africa is urbanizing with massive rural-urban migration. But unlike the urbanization of the Western world, Sub-Saharan Africa is missing a critical component: industrialized urban cities. Because of this, these urban areas have become overcrowded with substandard housing and severely inadequate infrastructure to cope with unplanned population growth.

“Fortunately, a new development playbook to solve this problem is already evolving, and it is anchored on the young people equipped with advanced digital skills in Sub-Saharan Africa. These young workers are digitally savvy, creative, and can lead a massive transformation — if they’re equipped and supported to unlock their potential. They can export digital skills to Western Europe, United States, and Asia through the unbounded and unconstrained opportunities the internet has provided through “digital jobs” from music to software development to prompt engineering.

But to scale this and make it a success, changes must be taken into consideration at both the policy level and in implementation in the areas of quality digital education, tax treaties and harmonization, and outsourcing-focused startups.” Read here at Harvard.

• Ndubuisi Ekekwe

Comment on Feed

Comment 1:  Well thought-out ariticle based on real life experience Prof. What is the taxation you referred to in the article? Do you mean the foreign companies hiring in Africa should be taxed or there should be fair tax policies for the tax over there?

My Response: The tax should be shared because the guy is in Lagos (Nigeria) working for a company in Germany. Typically, Germany keeps most of the taxes withheld by that firm. I think it needs to change as Nigeria needs to have some funds to ensure it can provide services to the worker who is actually living physically in Nigeria. This is about fairness because two countries are involved and one cannot pocked the personal income tax, etc.

Comment 2: Very insightful article Prof. Just as we discussed in one of our co-learning sessions at the Tekedia Institute. My proposal to emerging entrepreneurs interested in tapping into this rich industry, is to build more ‘bridges’ just as ANDELA did. Asides software development, we can focus on other highly valuable and needed digital skills, work with the various embassies or engage with private foreign outsourcing firms.. upskill our young work force and outsource this skill abroad…it’s a WIN-WIN solution….A greater Africa would truly rise.

My Response: ” Asides software development, we can focus on other highly valuable and needed digital skills, work with the various embassies or engage with private foreign outsourcing firms” – yes indeed. There are many other latent opportunities.

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