The Mastercard Foundation in partnership with BFA released Digital Commerce and Youth Employment in Africa, new research that shows 80 million young people will benefit from the rise of digital commerce in Africa by 2030. These findings indicate that the digital commerce sector has the potential of disrupting the future of work on the continent.

Digital commerce, or e-commerce, is an emerging sector across Africa. By 2030, more than 10 percent of its largely informal workforce will be using digital platforms. These workers will participate in digital commerce as consumers and, with a supportive policy environment, may also become a new group of workers called iWorkers. These digitally connected young people who are entering the workforce will generate income in the ‘gig economy’, through direct employment with large platforms such as Amazon and Alibaba, and through small enterprises, eventually leading to more formalized work.