https://en.sputniknews.africa/20250603/its-just-a-chain-of-exploitation-happening-in-africa-workers-rights-advocate-says-1073801699.html
'It's Just a Chain of Exploitation Happening in Africa', Workers' Rights Advocate Says
'It's Just a Chain of Exploitation Happening in Africa', Workers' Rights Advocate Says
Sputnik Africa
Data workers in Africa risk their physical and mental well-being and struggle with poor pay, unfair firing, covert surveillance, and short-term employment... 03.06.2025, Sputnik Africa
2025-06-03T14:22+0200
2025-06-03T14:22+0200
2025-06-03T14:22+0200
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'It's Just a Chain of Exploitation Happening in Africa', Workers' Rights Advocate Says
Sputnik Africa
Data workers in Africa risk their physical and mental well-being and struggle with poor pay, unfair firing, covert surveillance, and short-term employment. These abuses stem from hidden labor‐arbitrage practices in which companies representing Western tech giants exploit regional wage disparities to drive down costs.
The force behind many of the artificial intelligence systems we use daily are data workers, yet their working conditions, particularly in Africa go unseen. They tag images, transcribe speech, and flag harmful content for major tech platforms, performing vital tasks under short-term contracts that offer little or no job security. Many work long hours without health benefits, risking burnout, eye strain, and chronic stress while their contributions remain hidden from view.Despite their influence on facial recognition, natural language processing, and content-moderation systems, these workers stay out of the public eye. Western tech firms often subcontract this work through local vendors in Africa, taking advantage of regional wage gaps to cut costs. For almost a decade, these roles have been largely unregulated—meaning fair pay and basic protections are almost nonexistent.To uncover the realities of data‐workers’ violations in Africa, African Currents convened a panel of discussants with insider knowledge of the systemic violations in this sector. Former data worker Sonia Kgomo shared her perspective on why content moderators face abuse.Mophat Okinyi (Founder & CEO, Techworker Community Africa) and Richard Mathenge (Co-Founder & COO, Techworker Community Africa) condemned several systemic violations that content moderators face, and they highlighted advocacy efforts aimed at addressing these abuses, such as strengthening regulations around business process outsourcing, transparency in employer and employee relations, enforcing labor rights across the AI supply chain, and supporting worker-led movements and unions to ensure dignity and justice for African data workers.To find out what else our guests had to say, tune in to the African Currents podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.In addition to the website, you can also catch our episodes on Telegram.► You can also listen to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer, Pocket Casts, Afripods, Podcast Addict.► Check out all the episodes of African Currents.
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'It's Just a Chain of Exploitation Happening in Africa', Workers' Rights Advocate Says
Data workers in Africa risk their physical and mental well-being and struggle with poor pay, unfair firing, covert surveillance, and short-term employment. These abuses stem from hidden labor‐arbitrage practices in which companies representing Western tech giants exploit regional wage disparities to drive down costs.
The force behind many of the artificial intelligence systems we use daily are data workers, yet their working conditions, particularly in Africa go unseen. They tag images, transcribe speech, and flag harmful content for major tech platforms, performing vital tasks under short-term contracts that offer little or no job security. Many work long hours without health benefits, risking burnout, eye strain, and chronic stress while their contributions remain hidden from view.
Despite their influence on facial recognition, natural language processing, and content-moderation systems, these workers stay out of the public eye. Western tech firms often subcontract this work through local vendors in Africa, taking advantage of regional wage gaps to cut costs. For almost a decade, these roles have been largely unregulated—meaning fair pay and basic protections are almost nonexistent.
To uncover the realities of data‐workers’ violations in Africa, African Currents convened a panel of discussants with insider knowledge of the systemic violations in this sector.
Former data worker Sonia Kgomo shared her perspective on why content moderators face abuse.
"From my perspective, as someone who has worked in this space, it’s a concern as to what kind of jobs they [labor arbitrators] are bringing into Africa [...]. They claim it’s an investment and a job creation opportunity [...]. For example, when I was moderating content for Meta [Facebook], I would get $2 an hour. While my colleagues who are still moderating content for the same client [Facebook] would get an average of between $18 and about $25 an hour. So the difference is huge," Kgomo explained.
Mophat Okinyi (Founder & CEO, Techworker Community Africa) and Richard Mathenge (Co-Founder & COO, Techworker Community Africa) condemned several systemic violations that content moderators face, and they highlighted advocacy efforts aimed at addressing these abuses, such as strengthening regulations around business process outsourcing, transparency in employer and employee relations, enforcing labor rights across the AI supply chain, and supporting worker-led movements and unions to ensure dignity and justice for African data workers.
To find out what else our guests had to say, tune in to the African Currents podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.
In addition to the website, you can also catch our episodes on
Telegram.► Check out all the episodes of African Currents. 
