The Flip16 Mar 2023

The Future of Work is Vertical Platforms

African markets are largely informal. So while our examination of workforce and training programs in the fast few episodes focused on formal and salaried jobs, we know that most Africans aren't going to get these types of jobs. So, our exploration of the future of work needs to span much further than that. Where there are no formal jobs, what does it look like to help stimulate the development of the informal sector and microenterprises? And what role does technology play?

In this context, we hear a lot about platforms and their role in creating jobs or income-generating opportunities. But what are the platforms actually good for? And what is their actual impact across African markets? In this episode, we're going to dig into the vertical platforms digitizing microenterprises across the continent.

3:46 - Defining jobtech platforms, with the Jobtech Alliance's Chris Maclay.

9:10 - What does it look like to build the infrastructure for microenterprises? With Kandua's Sayo Folawiyo.

12:16 - Exploring what verticalization looks like, and why it is necessary, considering the specifities of the home services sector.

17:25 - Vertical platforms can do a particularly good job at helping small businesses grow. We focus on a particularly large sector, the restaurant industry, with Caantin's Njavwa Mutambo.

21:20 - A retrospective conversation between Sayo Folawiyo and The Flip's Justin Norman.

Season 4 of The Flip is sponsored by MFS Africa.

Follow The Flip on Twitter @theflipafrica and subscribe to our newsletter The Flip Notes at https://theflip.africa/newsletter.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(102)

What China Taught Me About Global Trade

China's manufacturing scale has no historical precedent. $3.8 trillion in exports in 2025. A $1.2 trillion trade surplus — the largest any country has ever recorded. China is the top import partner fo...

17 Sep 15min

What Vietnam’s Gold Shops Taught Me About Money

Vietnam is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. But its currency, the Dong, devalues 3-5% per year to support its export-oriented growth. When the price of gold rises, Vietnamese people ...

30 Jul 12min

How to Fund a Hospital in a Warzone

In Northwest Syria, a critical network of hospitals faces a unique challenge: how do you pay medical staff and fund healthcare when your country is completely cut off from the global financial system?...

2 Jun 12min

Inside Africa's $16 Billion Waste Economy

Drive through cities in Africa and you’re likely to see a waste problem. In the streets, the sewage, in the waterways…540 million tons of waste goes uncollected every year across sub-Saharan Africa. I...

30 Apr 14min

I Went to Nigeria to Explore How Global Trade Really Works

In Lagos' Computer Village, Nigeria's largest electronics market, everything is imported from China. But how merchants access dollars and pay their suppliers is a challenge.Nigeria imports $20 billion...

1 Apr 15min

Why Getting Paid Costs More in Emerging Markets

If you're a freelancer or a remote worker from the global south, you likely have a harder time getting paid and participating in the global economy. Maybe a global payments company doesn't operate in ...

29 Jan 9min

I Went to Bolivia Where Businesses Survive on Stablecoins

Bolivia is facing a severe economic crisis. The country is literally running out of dollars. Their foreign reserves have collapsed from $15 billion a decade ago to just $50 million today. In June 2024...

2 Des 202511min

Inside Argentina's $300 Billion Parallel Economy

Argentina's decades-long economic crises and hyperinflation has a major impact on how Argentine's participate in the economy.The recent story that's been told about Argentina is that people are adopti...

4 Nov 202516min