Kenya stakes global claim as Africa’s next digital outsourcing powerhouse
20 May 2025
The Outsourcing Association of Kenya (OAK), in partnership with Genesis Analytics, has launched a new initiative to further position Kenya as a leading global hub for Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) companies.
Kenya’s outsourcing sector is growing at 18.8% annually, the fastest in Africa. “The association aims to keep up the momentum by stimulating job creation and global investment in the sector. We are aligning global demand with the numerous digital skills programmes in Kenya to create careers for youth and working towards a globally competitive and enabling environment for the industry,” says Jonathan Beardsley, Head of Digital Livelihoods at Genesis Analytics.
The association, anchored in Kenya’s fast-growing digital economy and youthful talent pool, showcases the country’s value proposition for global clients and investors seeking high-quality, cost-effective service delivery across CX, digital, AI, and IT-enabled services.
Why Kenya, why now?
- 87% of the workforce in Kenya’s outsourcing sector is under 35, with 57% women
- A talent pool of 18,000 work ready youth could be hired per month in the outsourcing sector
- Cost-effective operations: agent salaries are up to 70% lower than those in the US/UK, while still offering high-quality, multilingual delivery
- Ajira, CareerBox and other skilling providers have linked over 100,000 youth to digital jobs
- Increasing Kenya’s share of global outsourcing by just 0.25% could create 90,000+ new jobs, unlocking over $1.4 billion in GBS revenue
- With robust ICT infrastructure, 99.9% internet uptime, five undersea cables, and 92% renewable energy, Kenya offers sustainable and scalable delivery
