The Internet, for most African populace, is where you find information, search for jobs, meet new and old friends on social network, download applications and read latest news. Little is known about how the internet has and continues to add to economic growth, employment and productivity.
The internet boosting economies
In a 2012 study by World Wide Worx, on the role of the Internet to South Africa’s economy, the Internet contributes up to R59-billion (2 percent) of South Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) and is comparable to sectors such as Agriculture and Utilities – Electricity, Gas and Water.
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According to Omobola Johnson, Minister of Communications Technology, the ICT sector accounted for 3.5 percent of Nigeria’s GDP in 2012, which is contrary to a report from McKinsey & Company, which reveals that the internet contributes only 0.5 percent to Nigeria’s GDP. Nigeria’s internet users make up 28.9 percent – 44 million – of the population, from 6.7 percent in 2008. A recent World Bank study based on analysis of 120 countries found that a 10 percent change in broadband adoption is associated with a 1.38 percent increase in GDP per capita growth on developing countries.
The challenges
The major factor impeding the growth of this sector is attributed to poor connectivity and infrastructure, but it is indication that the internet trend will continue to grow as solutions emerge from start-ups and businesses. Also, with death cheap feature and smart phones flooding the market, mobile phone usage has aided easier internet access and penetration in Nigeria and other African countries.
The middle-class and tech
An article titled by a US-based writer titled, ‘Did the Internet sneak off with our Middle class Jobs?’, referenced Jaron Lanier, author of the book, Who Owns the Future, who thinks that while the internet exploded, the middle-class workforce imploded. In the book, Lanier illustrates his point in the preface by comparing Kodak and Instagram. At its pinnacle, Kodak employed 14,000 people and was worth $28 billion. But today, it’s bankrupt and “the new face of digital photography has become Instagram,” which employed only 13 people when Facebook acquired it in a $1 billion deal last year. The author cites journalists (worst job in 2013 by CareerCast.com – US), photographers and musicians as the key casualties of the digital revolution. However, these professions are not dead, but require rethinking the industry and adapting to trend.
This may not seem like the typical scenario in Africa today, but it is speedily tending towards this – with constant lay-offs as companies adopt ICT solutions. A lot of jobs are being replaced by software and it will continue to be so, willy-nilly.
It’ll only get better
At the just concluded Google SYNC 2013 Conference for businesses, content creators and publishers at Civic Centre VI, Lagos, Seun Lefleur, Google’s director for Sub-Saharan Africa, pointed out emerging trends in mobile, search, ecommerce, social, content creation and advertising technologies. Some predictions from his presentation were: video will be 90 percent of the entire web traffic by 2014, advertising will be like capital market, CMOs – Chief Marketing Officers – will spend more money on IT than traditional media and some interesting backup statistics on technological adoption. He also illustrated current internet trends in the US, UK and other developed countries and how this is gradually coming down to Nigeria and Africa at large. He further encouraged individuals and businesses to become drivers of the technological change.
New job opportunities created
As Information technology and the internet continue to render certain jobs obsolete, new and diverse job and business opportunities are continuously created. Some of these jobs have low entry barrier, almost unrestricted access to skill development and low startup cost.
A glance at most of the Top/Best Jobs of the year surveys, will quickly reveal that most of the top jobs are either in technology or healthcare. If you can’t be in health, you can as well be in tech.
Some of these jobs are listed below, basically. You can do a search n either of them for more in-depth knowledge of the field.
Computer System Analyst – A tech project manager who serve as a liaison between the IT department and a client
Database Administrator – Store, organise, manage and troubleshoot all the content we store on computers.
Software Developer – Tech-smart professional who design, construct, test and maintain software
Web Developer/Designer – They make websites look good and operate just the way it should.
Computer programmer – C++, Python and other languages should be second nature for an ambitious computer programmer.
Interpreter & Translator – Spoken or written, an invaluable skill to utilize – though translation tools compete with the available jobs.
IT Manager – The go-to person when your internet crashes. Ensures company’s network is operating smoothly and that dangerous threats like hackers and malware are kept at bay
Market Research Analyst – Watches, listens and studies people and trend to determine their habits and preference. Then advise clients on how to package, brand, and sell products appropriately.
Computer Systems Administrator – The office network would be hampered by string of technological glitches without the expertise of a CSA. They also lend their tech knowledge to managing telecommunication networks.
Social media manager – Analyse and implement promotion and brand awareness strategies for company’s via social media – Facebook, Twitter, Google+ etc
Content Creator – Publishers, bloggers, infographic designers etc fall into this category. Creates engaging text, audio and visual content for reader engagement and online marketing purposes
Content Officer – Overseas the process of content creation, editing and publishing
Web Data Analyst – Whatever you do without data is mere guesswork. A web analyst examines and interpret web data to help company better target their marketing campaigns.
Content Marketing Strategist – They understand how the internet works with content and helps companies develop content marketing strategies.
Data Entry Clerk – Also typist – Transcribing data from one medium into another, often into computer program
Freelance Writer – Gets paid to write articles or blog posts on demand for businesses or individuals
Virtual Assistant – A professional who works out of his or her own office in a remote location, set their own pay and provide services such as administrative, technical and creative assistance to small businesses.
Some of the job opportunities, like software development, require extensive and continuous skill development while others like Freelance Writing; require basic writing skill to get started.
These and more are jobs available on the digital space that you can do part-time or full-time and earn sustainable income while contributing to technology advancement.
