Coronavirus: Three ways African lives are being challenged

Forced to work and learn from home

In 2019, a research found that more than 520 million people on the continent logged onto the internet. Within the time under discussion, more Africans were on the internet than those who did the same in North America, Latin America and the Middle East.

The percentage of Africans who have access to the internet has more than doubled in a decade. In 2011, it was about 14% – now, roughly 40%.

But this growth has not come with a whole lot in digital and internet employment opportunities. An overwhelming majority of white-collar “9 to 5” jobs on the continent are still carried out in brick-and-mortar offices.

The panic over coronavirus pandemic has forced those people with the means and ability to work from home to do so. In Morocco, Egypt, South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria, governments have strongly encouraged private employers to let employees work from home.

Similar trends have been noted in the education sector. Ashesi University in Ghana, for instance, has given 10GB in internet data to its students so they could join online classes.