Everyone is talking about AI and the future of work. But most of those conversations are about formal jobs: career ladders, monthly pay slips, contracts.
What about the informal economy?
The millions of young people running small businesses, hustling on the side, or earning through gigs.
They’re NOT a footnote—they are THE workforce: 85% in Sub-Saharan Africa and 60% worldwide. At MESH, we built the first professional network designed specifically for these entrepreneurs. Over 1 million young entrepreneurs use MESH every month to connect, trade, and learn from each other.
This year, in partnership with Microsoft, we asked a question few others are asking:
👉 How will AI impact the informal economy?
We launched a 3-month AI literacy and learning campaign for Kenyan micro-entrepreneurs.
✅ Identified high-impact AI learning topics
✅ Developed practical, bite-sized lessons
✅ Deployed digital learning campaigns at scale
The results?
🎯 2.9 million young entrepreneurs reached
🎯 55,000 MESHERS trained in AI skills
The future of work isn’t just about the office—it’s about the marketplace, the side hustle, the gig, the dreamer building something small but powerful.
And AI has a role to play there too.
🎥 Watch the video for the full story.
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