This story was produced by our colleagues at the BBC.

The job market in sub-Saharan Africa is tough. Formal employment is limited, and millions of young people are searching for ways to make a living. Digital platforms are now stepping in, making gig work and self-employment easier to access.

Tendo is a resale digital platform that operates in Ghana and Nigeria.

“Individuals can discover products, add their profits to these products and then share them on social media platforms, and when these sellers generate a sale, Tendo will deliver directly to the end customer and send the profit margins to them,” said Felix Manford, CEO of Tendo.

Tendo trains the users of the platform on how to sell these products using their own mobile phones, Felix explained. But it’s not the only app aimed at people looking for informal work in Africa.

Rwazi is a market intelligence digital platform, that works through a network of local consumers called "mappers”, who record what they buy and use, or they visit various retail shops, where they can track details about specific products.

Rwazi transforms the data these gig workers provide into consumer trends and behaviour patterns. Companies worldwide can access Rwazi's services, while most of its data is currently collected in Africa.  

Lydia Musabi is a gig worker that uses Rwazi. She was running a retail shop and looking for additional income while experiencing difficulties.

“I tried so many online jobs, most of them were either paying too little or maybe nothing, some of them were what people say are pyramid schemes and scams,” she said. “Eventually I came to see Rwazi when I was just scrolling through YouTube videos.”

These platforms offer flexibility, but is the income reliable? “The job was paying one dollar per outlet, and around my area I had around 20, and they were also giving an option of facilitating for transport,” Lydia said.

Julie Zollmann, director of Echo Insights and a development researcher, argued that while digital work offers opportunities, it’s not a large-scale solution to the huge unemployment crisis in Africa.

“Our economies here in Africa are already behind in global competitiveness,” she said. “Many of the countries in Asia were able to create mass employment and dramatically reduce poverty in their countries through transition from agricultural production into manufacturing. Those jobs are more productive and so wages have gone up.”

Tendo CEO Manford acknowledges digital work is just one part of the solution.

“Government policy also needs to help with improving online payments, logistics as well should get advanced, currency should stay stable,” he said.

So while digital work continues to provide income opportunities, the companies behind it know that solving Africa’s job crisis in the long term requires systemic and structural changes, alongside new technology.