From helping young people find jobs and supporting refugee livelihoods to developing AI-enabled employment tools and identifying opportunities in the green economy, the Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Development has turned research into practical change across Africa. Its work has improved livelihoods, supported private sector development and created solutions that can continue to grow after the programme ends.
The Challenge
Across Africa, millions of people continue to face barriers to decent work and sustainable livelihoods. Young people entering the labour market can struggle to find opportunities or demonstrate their skills. Refugees may have the legal right to work but face practical barriers to employment. Businesses need the right skills, information and conditions to grow and create jobs. At the same time, technology and the transition to greener economies are changing the nature of work.
Artificial intelligence is creating new possibilities for connecting people with jobs, while climate change is reshaping industries and investment. Understanding where future jobs will come from, and ensuring that more people can access them, is critical to creating shared prosperity and greater economic justice.
The Impact
From 2021 to 2026, the Future of Development programme worked with the private sector, governments and development organisations to understand how successful ideas could be implemented and expanded across African labour markets. Its work ranged from improving public employment services and refugee access to work to developing new employment technologies and identifying opportunities arising from the green transition.
Across its African portfolio, the Future of Development programme has:
• Reached more than 321,000 jobseekers, with lower-skilled women receiving 33% more job offers and increasing their monthly earnings by 22%.
• Supported the issuance of 4,500 refugee work permits and business licences and informed more than 20,000 refugees of their legal right to work.
• Developed AI-enabled employment support across South Africa, Kenya and Zambia, alongside skills infrastructure supporting job matching through a South African platform used by more than 4.5 million young people.
• Developed the Green Jobs Index in Kenya, providing evidence on emerging employment opportunities in the green economy.
• Generated evidence to support private sector development, including research with small businesses and entrepreneurs in Kenya on innovation and firm growth.
• Built approaches designed to move beyond individual research projects, creating opportunities for successful ideas to be adopted and expanded.
A Legacy Beyond the Research
One of the clearest examples of the programme’s lasting impact is Tabiya, an independent non-profit organisation established to turn labour market research into practical, open-source digital tools. Tabiya has since secured funding from philanthropic foundations and the World Bank to continue and expand this work.
What's Next?
The Future of Development programme concluded in 2026, but its work will continue through the tools, organisations and partnerships it has created.
Tabiya is taking employment technologies into new countries. Research on green jobs is helping businesses, investors and development organisations understand opportunities arising from Africa's transition to greener economies. Partnerships established through the programme are also continuing work on artificial intelligence, employment, digital infrastructure and economic inclusion.
The programme's legacy is therefore about more than the research it produced. It has shown how evidence can be turned into practical solutions that improve livelihoods, support private sector development and expand access to decent employment. As these approaches continue to develop and reach new settings, they provide a foundation for greater shared prosperity and economic justice across Africa.
