Introduction for #DigitalAfricaRising

Digital Futures Rooted in African Cooperativism
Step into Africa’s digital future at the Digital Africa Rising conference, set in the vibrant, historically rich city of Mombasa, where the Indian Ocean meets a thriving legacy of trade; a melting pot of Swahili culture. Over 80 leaders from 33 countries from various sectors will gather for three transformative days to discuss Africa’s urgent need for a shared digital future powered by cooperativism. Download the program. Kenya—East Africa’s beating heart of innovation—not only boasts iconic wildlife and world-class athletes but also embraces digital transformation! The conference convenes public officials, co-op practitioners, researchers, tech innovators, environmental stewards, policymakers, visionary artists, and human rights champions from around the world to explore how platform cooperatives and adjacent social and solidarity  enterprises can supercharge sectors such as finance, housing, agri-food, renewable energies, and healthcare.

Kenya is fast becoming the go-to hub for outsourced digital work from Global North companies, but workers grapple with low pay, job insecurity, physical safety, limited career advancement, and a glaring absence of basic protections like minimum wage. This growing gap between the shiny promises of digital labor and the harsh realities on the ground leaves African workers, especially in ride-hailing and delivery, caught in the middle. The 2024 Fairwork Africa Policy Brief, to be presented at the Digital Africa Rising conference, will highlight these pressing issues. Concurrently, the conference will emphasize a bold vision for the digital economy—one that centers on worker-owned platforms to foster fairer and more just conditions for all.

Platform Cooperatives
Platform cooperatives are leading the charge in the digital solidarity economy, offering powerful models for the future. Platform Co-ops are businesses that primarily sell goods or services through digital platforms, such as websites or mobile apps, and are owned and democratically governed by workers or users.

A few international projects relevant to the African context include The Kerala Food Platform, an emerging initiative in India that aims to create a statewide cooperative network of 11,000 farms by using data and technology to connect small farmers, consumers, and stakeholders, certify their biological production, and enable collective market entry to gain leverage and secure higher prices. Similarly, PescaData a Mexican data cooperative, and Fish with a Story, a South African platform coop, are tailored for small-scale fishers, offering tools for financial decision-making and business operations, while providing them with control over their data to better manage resources, obtain sustainable fishing certifications, and operate within a network owned by fishers and other ocean stakeholders. GrownBy, a farmer-owned e-commerce app in upstate New York, enables farmers to sell directly to customers, streamline sales, manage orders with real-time tracking, and, with its flexible scheduling and transparent pricing, the platform cooperative has already attracted over 60 farms, promoting fair trade and strengthening local food systems.

Although platform cooperatives are just beginning to take root in Africa, the possibilities for advancement are clear. The following examples highlight potential platform co-ops that should be established to address critical needs and challenges: A platform cooperative for cross-border trade within the East African Community could provide critical digital infrastructure to support the 60% of traders who are women and often face resource limitations. Imagine an Africa Fashion Cooperative, where designers and artisans unite to drive sustainable trade and ethical production—creating a new standard for the continent. Equally, picture a cooperative of African content moderators, cutting out the middleman and leading the way in ethical content moderation on the global stage. In addition, ride-hailing and food couriers could establish their own operations by joining existing federations such as the Drivers Coop or CoopCycle, leveraging their shared digital infrastructure. Also AI cooperatives like Transkribus could be introduced in Africa. These examples represent the potential for platform cooperatives – worker co-ops, multi stakeholder co-ops, producer and consumer co-ops – to address social, economic, and environmental challenges in Africa.

The digital cooperative ecosystem, globally, backed by incubators like Unfound, Start.coop, and municipal support, promotes transnational co-op federations that share digital infrastructure and fuel innovation. Platform cooperatives that collaborate with unions, workers’ councils, and social movements can thrive by leveraging state support through sheltered markets, municipal procurement, and funding during their initial stages. 

Kenya: A Catalyst for Cooperative Innovation
And where better to host this conference than Kenya, a country renowned for its cooperative-friendly policies, guided by the Ministry of Cooperatives and MSMEs Development, enshrined in the Kenyan Constitution? With a cooperative history dating back to 1908 and a SACCO sector managing $5.66 billion—nearly 26% of national deposits—these cooperatives are rewriting the rules with lower fees, higher savings interest, and unbeatable access to credit. Digital Africa Rising will spark the development of new platform cooperatives and instigate necessary conversations around the digital transformation of legacy co-ops.

Kenya’s overall cooperative sector, including over 14,000 active cooperatives, supports both urban and rural economies. These cooperatives contribute 2% to Kenya’s national GDP, as noted in the National Cooperative Policy (2019) and the National Cooperative Survey Report (2022), and directly employ approximately 555,000 people, according to the Cooperative Alliance of Kenya. More recently, emerging worker cooperatives are addressing youth unemployment and fostering economic growth through collective ownership. Despite challenges like delayed reforms, internal conflicts, and limited implementation and research on service-oriented and digital cooperatives, policy innovations since 2019 offer hope for progress.

Takeaways
For cooperators attending the Digital Africa Rising conference, the goal is to foster tangible projects and long-term collaborations through partnerships with institutions like the Cooperative University of Kenya (CUK) and the Platform Cooperativism Consortium (PCC), the co-conveners of this event. The event seeks to inspire the development of new platform cooperatives and energize discussions in legacy co-ops about their digital transformation, prioritizing digital business models that emphasize cooperation and solidarity. Digital Africa Rising aims to form a pan-African community of people focused on platform cooperatives and related solidarity enterprises, enabling them to connect and collaborate across the Global South and North.

Takeaways for policymakers include a call to support women and youth cooperatives, targeted assistance such as training, financial aid, and improved market access should be provided, especially to platform cooperatives led by these groups. Revising the Cooperative Societies Act is crucial to aligning cooperatives with modern business practices, simplifying registration and operations through digitization, and clearly defining cooperatives’ roles and member rights. Favorable legislation is needed to give platform cooperatives the same legal recognition and growth opportunities as traditional businesses.

Implementing educational programs focused on governance, management, and financial literacy will further strengthen cooperatives, particularly through partnerships with universities and NGOs. Emphasizing digital literacy and cooperative culture, as well as promoting precision farming for agricultural co-ops, will drive growth. Additionally, financial support through grants, subsidies, and tax waivers should be provided to help platform cooperatives compete in markets dominated by traditional platforms. Formal employment opportunities should also be explored, especially in regions like Africa, where informal employment is prevalent.

Innovative organizational models such as Distributed Cooperative Organizations (DCOs) and Limited Cooperative Associations (LCAs) should be promoted to enhance flexibility and scalability. Financial inclusion can be improved by establishing cooperative funds, incentivizing cooperative banks to provide better loans, and encouraging mobile banking solutions for microloans. Research institutions should study the socioeconomic impact of platform cooperatives, while awareness campaigns can highlight their role in improving livelihoods and reducing poverty. Strengthening cooperative networks and fostering international collaboration will also expand the global influence of platform cooperatives.

This conference invites Ph.D. students and postdoctoral students with a substantiated background in this discourse to apply for the ICDE research fellowship, designed to support future academic leaders in the digital solidarity economy. 

Digital Africa Rising unites policymakers, scholars, and cooperative trailblazers in Mombasa, a city long known for its role in connecting people through trade and innovation. This conference is more than just a gathering—it’s a movement to build Africa’s digital economy on the foundations of collaboration, solidarity, and economic justice. Together, we will shape a fairer, more inclusive digital future where every stakeholder thrives. Let’s create that future—together.