#13 - The Future of Jobs in Africa with Jerioth Mwaura

The Social Impact Journal

Africa has the youngest population in the world, yet youth unemployment is a growing challenge. In Episode 13, Jack speaks with Jerioth Mwaura, an industry expert based in Nairobi to discuss the future of jobs on the continent.
Jerioth previously worked as a technology for development advisor at Mercy Corps where she supported the adoption of digital technologies by development and humanitarian programs run by the agency. Jerioth was also the program manager of the Google.org funded Youth Impact Labs, FCDO funded Kenya Catalytic Jobs Funds and Coca Cola foundation funded Youth Empowered for Success programs which provided grant funding and technical assistance to innovative social enterprises that were leveraging technology to create new youth employment opportunities in East Africa. The grantees were drawn from various sectors including education, gig economy, agriculture, waste management and ecommerce.
Jerioth recently completed her master's degree in Digital Development from the University of Manchester where her research focused on fair incorporation of marginalized groups into digital economies. She also holds a bachelor's degree in Actuarial Science.
If you would like to read further on this topic, here are some recommended reads:
1) Digital inequality beyond the digital divide: conceptualizing adverse digital incorporation in the global South: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02681102.2022.2068492
2) 'Going Karura': colliding subjectivites and labour struggle in Nairobi's gig economy: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0308518X211031916
3) Recommended read: The Digital Continent: Placing Africa in Planetary Networks of WorkPlacing Africa in Planetary Networks of Work by Mohammad Amir Anwar
If you would like to reach out to Jerioth, you can find her on social media:
Linkedin – @jeriothmwaura
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