Access to Knowledge for Development Center - A2K4D

“Platform work in Morocco” highlights a fast-growing sector shaped by opportunity, but also deep precarity:

- Platform work—especially ride-hailing and delivery—is growing quickly, driven by national investments in digitalization and rising demand. Delivery platforms, in particular, are scaling fast.

- With over 70% of employment in the informal economy, platform work doesn’t replace insecurity—it often extends it into the digital space, especially for young workers.

- Misclassification is at the core of platform work. Their classification as “self-employed entrepreneurs” excludes them from labor protection, relieves platforms of employer responsibilities, and leaves workers without minimum wage, contracts or bargaining rights.

- Worker experiences reveal systemic risks: they do not have paid leave, job security, or retirement benefits. They incur high out-of-pocket costs for equipment and fuel, and face exposure to accidents and unsafe conditions.

- Though there are emerging signs of interest in collective action, with workers seeing unions as a path to rights and protections, the fragmented nature of the platform workforce makes organizing a challenge.

Read the report for full insights:https://menaobservatory.ai/storage/publications/7NId0wfRmckPXUKPXxUEvWsJRKuYkC-metaQTJLNEQgLSBOZXcgV29yayAtIFBsYXRmb3JtIFdvcmtlcnMgLSBDYXNlIG9mIE1vcm9jY28gLSBQb2xpY3kgUGFwZXIgKEVOKSAtIFYzLnBkZg==-.pdf

Global Network of Internet & Society Centers
Open African Innovation Research - Open AIRIDRC Middle East and North AfricaOxford Internet Institute, University of OxfordIDRC / CRDIAUC Onsi Sawiris School of Business

We are proud to see Dr. Nagla Rizk, Director of the MENA Observatory on Responsible AI and the Access to Knowledge for Development Center at The American University in Cairo, featured in the latest Spring 2026 issue of AUCToday.

Her feature, “Balancing Bias: Feminist AI,” highlights the importance of inclusive and responsible AI development, while shedding light on critical conversations around gender, ethics, and technology in the region and beyond.

Read the full feature here: https://auctoday.aucegypt.edu/news/balancing-bias-feminist-ai

Open African Innovation Research - Open AIR
IDRC Middle East and North Africa
IDRC / CRDI
Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford
AUC Onsi Sawiris School of Business
Global Network of Internet & Society Centers

“The Rise of Platform Work in Jordan: Opportunity or Precarity?” reveals that platform work– both on-ground and online– is no longer a trend– but a structural part of Jordan’s labor market, although not without challenge:

- With high unemployment—especially among youth and women—platform work is becoming a critical income source for thousands. Flexibility and low entry barriers make it attractive, particularly for those shut out of traditional jobs.

- While workers value control over their schedules, most struggle with unstable and insufficient income, often working long hours just to cover basic needs.

- Exclusion from health insurance and social security leaves platform workers highly vulnerable

- While platforms open doors for women, social stigma and safety concerns still limit participation in certain sectors.

Read the report for the full analysis:https://menaobservatory.ai/docs/jordan/jordan-platform-workers-policy-paper-en.pdf

Global Network of Internet & Society Centers
Open African Innovation Research - Open AIR
IDRC Middle East and North Africa
IDRC / CRDI
AUC Onsi Sawiris School of Business