From Nairobi to Joburg to Ottawa with a Laptop: Building Kenya’s Next Frontier For Jobs
The notice came on a Thursday. One minute, you were a salaried employee with a desk, a routine, and a future. Next, you were called into the HR office with a package and a vague promise of “possible rehiring when things improve.”
This scene has played out in offices across Nairobi, from the glass towers of Westlands to the industrial parks in Athi River. The numbers are stark. According to the Federation of Kenya Employers, 6,000 jobs have been lost since 2022. Amnesty International reports that 50,000 jobs vanished overnight due to USAID funding cuts. The Registrar of Companies noted that in June, 74 companies closed, leaving thousands jobless. The traditional job market is failing, and the safety nets are frayed.
But in the quiet corners of coffee shops and home offices, a different story is unfolding for a few.
Meet Carol, a 28-year-old accountant who started freelancing for European SMEs after her layoff. Or David, a former marketing manager now selling social media templates to businesses in South Africa. They are part of Kenya’s growing group of digital exporters, professionals trading skills across borders without ever leaving their neighborhoods.
But scaling this movement isn’t simple. This is where the dream stumbles. Not for lack of skill, but for lack of awareness and knowledge on how to package expertise for a continental and global market.
The future of work is borderless. Kenya doesn’t just have a chance to participate; it can lead. By building a digital corridor that connects local talent to continental and global demand, we won’t just be exporting services; we’ll be exporting influence. The world is investing in Africa’s digital growth. Now, let’s ensure Kenyan professionals are the ones benefiting.
“Kenyan professionals are extremely skilled and among the most digitally savvy on the continent. What’s missing is the awareness and knowledge that can turn this knowledge, expertise, and talent into an exportable resource and a national and continental economic engine,” says Douglas Kendyson, founder of Selar, a digital commerce platform.
Homegrown solutions like Selar, with African realities in mind, provide the digital tools to make this job export a reality. This mind shift and movement also requires Kenyan professionals to think beyond the local market and package their skills into sellable digital products such as e-books, courses, templates, and online consultations for the continental and global markets. Selar, Africa’s largest marketplace for digital products, has been working hard to teach African creators how they can make money from their knowledge, talent, and skills. This effort is paying off, as shown by its over 1.3 billion Kenyan shillings in payments to African creators. This achievement comes from the platform’s over 1.8 million users and more than three hundred thousand creators across 15 African countries. As impressive as this is, there’s still much more to be done to reach the numbers that global leaders are achieving.
Countries like India and the Philippines built entire economic sectors around such digital corridors. According to India’s Ministry of Electronics and IT, India’s IT exports hit $193 billion in 2022 – all on the back of efficient digital labor channels. Kenya, with its vibrant startup ecosystem, widespread English proficiency, and improving broadband, could lead this effort in Africa. The World Bank estimates Africa’s digital economy could be worth $180 billion by 2025. The question isn’t whether this opportunity will be captured, but by whom. Will Kenyan professionals shape Africa’s digital future, or will we watch from the sidelines as others benefit from the infrastructure we should be using?
The future is being written, and it suggests that Kenya’s next export boom won’t come from flowers or tea, but from the minds of its people. The job crisis solution won’t be found in old models, but in the glow of laptop screens across the country.
The time for isolated success stories is over. David and Carol need to become household names who prove that this path works. What Kenya needs now is a digital Mombasa Road – a high-speed corridor connecting our talent to the world.
The revolution won’t be televised; it’ll be digitized. And it starts with the belief that it is possible.
James Karundu is a business development coach and founder of PassionBiz Academy.
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