By Martin Ekpeke
The digital economy in Africa is projected to contribute up to $180 billion to the continent’s GDP by 2030, which would represent nearly 6% of its total output, according to Dahlia Khalifa, Regional Director for Central Africa and Anglophone West Africa at the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
Speaking at Gitex Nigeria in Lagos, Khalifa added that digital transformation has the potential to create more than 230 million jobs in Sub-Saharan Africa alone. “These are not abstract numbers, they represent the livelihoods of our youth, with entrepreneurs and businesses driving Africa’s future,” she stated.
The positive outlook is supported by Africa’s demographic trends, as the continent’s population is expected to grow from $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion. Over the next 25 years, an estimated 600 million young people could enter the job market, making it the fastest-growing youth population in the world.
With more than 60% of Africans under the age of 25 and increasing smartphone adoption, the region possesses one of the world’s largest pools of digital natives. This demographic reality, Khalifa noted, is Africa’s “greatest competitive advantage.”
Speaking on Artificial Intelligence emerging as one of the clearest tools enabling the possibility of a quantum leap forward for the continent, Dahlia noted that AI is already reshaping the global economy at an unprecedented scale.
“It is slashing costs, boosting productivity, and unlocking new waves of innovation. Globally, AI could add almost 15 trillion dollars to GDP by 2030, more than the combined economies of China and India today. This is not a distant prospect; it is unfolding right now,” she said.
She argued that for Africa, AI is not just about efficiency, it is about transformation, a disruptive tool that could enable us to scale traditional barriers and accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals.
Examples of AI transformative power in Africa:
· In education, a recent pilot in Edo State, Nigeria, conducted with support from the Ministry of Education and international partners showed that AI-assisted tutoring helped 800 students achieve the equivalent of nearly two years of learning in just six weeks.
· In healthcare, AI-enabled drones in Ghana and Rwanda have reduced blood delivery times from hours to less than 30 minutes, while AI imaging tools detect tuberculosis and cervical cancer with over 90 % accuracy.
· In agriculture, predictive platforms are connecting smallholder farmers with idle machinery, improving yields and resilience against climate shocks.
· In finance, AI-powered credit scoring is helping millions of previously unbanked individuals and small businesses access loans, fueling entrepreneurship and job creation.
She also warned that except Africa invests in infrastructure, including energy, broadband and digital connectivity, in skills, and in responsible regulation to enable both innovation with safeguards, and interoperability), these benefits could bypass the continent.