INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
The 4th Industrial Revolution In Africa
By Anthony Muiyuro
Africa has been said to be the last frontier of economic development and a digital arms race has emerged to be the potential catalyst for the continent ’ s prosperity .
As the world is ushered into the Fourth Industrial Revolution of artificial intelligence , robotics and the internet of things , the challenge for Africa is upskilling its youth and providing them with the requisite knowledge and skills needed for this new dispensation and the emerging world of work .
The continent has one-fifth of the world ’ s population aged under 25 and a workingage population that could reach 600 million by 2030 - the largest in the world , and the youth will form 37 per cent of that population ( a bigger proportion than in China ).
With access to the right education , training and job-creating policies , this fast-growing population could be a great asset for socio-economic transformation . Therein lies the biggest opportunity for Africa to quantum leap economic development leveraging this demographic asset base .
But to harness and leverage this potential demographic dividend , Sub-Sahara Africa ( SSA ) must make rapid progress and take bold steps in seizing opportunities and overcoming it ’ s present challenges . At the dawn of a 4th Industrial Revolution ( 4IR ) that will feature artificial intelligence , robotics , 3-D printing and the “ internetof-things ” ( IoT ), Africa is far from being ready for the new challenge .
This revolution will affect jobs in all sectors , but in phases and to different degrees . Africa is not going to become automated suddenly , but the coming global impact of 4IR makes more urgent the economic transformation SSA already needs in order to maximise its advantages and realise its potential .
As the world is ushered into the Fourth Industrial Revolution of artificial intelligence , robotics and the internet of things , the challenge for Africa is upskilling its youth and providing them with the requisite knowledge and skills needed for this new dispensation and the emerging world of work .
The basic policies for transformation include diversification , export competitiveness , higher productivity and technological upgrading . Progress will depend on committed governance , stronger institutions , and how quickly SSA can produce a much better educated and skilled workforce and create decent jobs that keep pace with workforce growth .
All this has to be achieved in the new context of climate change and in some parts of the continent an actual climate emergency , demanding policy attention and public investment to sustain progress in all areas of socio-economic activity .
Challenges And Opportunities
Africa ’ s approach to the future of work has to begin with current realities . These include “ jobless growth ”, infrastructure deficits , limited use of modern technology and a workforce that is over 80 percent active in the informal sector , with women overrepresented . Agriculture remains dominant in many countries . In others , services take the biggest share of gross domestic product ( GDP ).
Missing from the usual structural transition is the non-extractive industry , especially manufacturing , which in Sub- Saharan Africa provides only 6.5 percent of total jobs and in many countries , less than 10 percent of GDP .
Workforce quality is another issue - less than a third of adults have finished primary
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