Digital workers in Nigeria need stronger reporting, performance visibility to adapt to ILO’s convention- experts

Digital workers such as digital marketers, content creators and other platform-based professionals will need stronger reporting obligations and performance visibility embedded in their contracts if the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Convention No. 193 on Decent Work in the Platform Economy is to achieve its intended protections.

While the adoption of the convention has been widely welcomed as a landmark step towards regulating platform-based work, experts argue that its real test will lie not in legislation itself but in how its provisions are translated into practical workplace protections across organisations and labour markets.

Transparency and performance visibility at the heart of contract reform

Jennifer Oyelade, talent acquisition director at Transquisite Consulting, said the convention’s effectiveness would depend largely on how its principles are embedded in everyday working relationships rather than relying solely on regulatory enforcement.

She noted that transparency would be particularly important for digital workers whose contributions are tied directly to measurable business outcomes.

Oyelade explained that incorporating reporting obligations and performance visibility into contracts would enable workers to better assess the value they create, understand the impact of their contributions and use that information when negotiating future engagements.

According to her, implementation should begin with employment, freelance and project-based engagement contracts, where parties can clearly define rights, responsibilities and expectations in line with the convention’s provisions.

“What this law does, I feel, is validate the work that people do. It creates an area of transparency between the engaged parties,” she said.

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Closing information gaps between workers and clients

Oyelade argued that the convention could help address information imbalances that often exist between clients and independent workers by giving individuals greater access to data relating to the commercial value and outcomes of their work. Such transparency, she noted, would benefit both workers and employers by fostering greater accountability and trust.

She further stressed that organisations should incorporate relevant provisions of the convention into their contractual arrangements, particularly in areas relating to intellectual property, remuneration and the financial gains generated from specific engagements.

“From employment contracts and freelance contracts, organisations need to implement the parts of the ILO convention that relate to them, whether that concerns intellectual property, remuneration or the financial gains derived from each engagement. From there, it will become more regulated,” she said.

Nigeria and Africa’s gig economy at a policy crossroads

Beyond workplace-level implementation, experts say the convention presents an opportunity to reshape labour protections across Africa’s rapidly expanding digital economy.

Obike Michael, manager of the Human Resources Consulting department at SIAO Partners, said the treaty holds immense promise for Nigeria and the wider African continent, where platform-based work has become an increasingly important source of employment and income for millions of people.

He pointed to the growing number of ride-hailing drivers navigating Lagos traffic, couriers delivering across Abuja, and thousands of young Africans engaged in content moderation, data labelling and other digital services for global firms, noting that the platform economy has become a significant entry point into work for the continent’s youthful population.

Read also:How job creation in Nigeria can translate to decent jobs

Transforming gig work into sustainable livelihoods

According to Michael, Convention No. 193 offers a clear pathway for transforming gig work from a means of survival into a sustainable livelihood. He argued that achieving this would require governments to legislate the fair classification of workers based on the realities of their working arrangements rather than the labels assigned by platform companies.

Michael further stressed the need for greater transparency from digital platforms, particularly where automated systems influence workers’ earnings, opportunities and performance assessments. Such transparency, he said, would enable workers to challenge decisions that directly affect their livelihoods.

He added that meaningful implementation of the convention must extend beyond worker classification to include guarantees around timely payments, reimbursements, access to pensions and health insurance, as well as collective bargaining rights and occupational safety protections regardless of a worker’s formal employment status.

With Africa’s youth population projected to remain the fastest growing in the world, Michael warned that leaving digital labour markets largely unregulated could deepen existing economic inequalities. However, he maintained that Convention No. 193 gives African countries an opportunity to harmonise digital labour standards while ensuring that technological innovation does not come at the expense of fairness, dignity and decent work.

For HR professionals, he said, the convention signals the need for organisations to rethink compliance frameworks, governments to modernise labour legislation and workers to play a more active role in shaping the future of work.

Read also: Nigeria’s gig economy tops $5.17bn as ride-hailing becomes long-term income lifeline

Algorithmic management and the challenge of automation

Beyond workplace-level implementation, experts say the success of the convention will also depend on broader structural and policy reforms across national economies.

Ishioma Elora Onah, PhD, consultant at ICS Consulting, described the adoption of Convention No. 193 as both timely and necessary, noting that the rapid expansion of platform-based work has made it imperative for governments and businesses to rethink traditional labour protections. However, she cautioned that legislation alone would not guarantee better outcomes unless all stakeholders commit to effective implementation.

According to her, one of the first priorities should be comprehensive worker classification audits, where governments and digital platforms jointly review existing gig work arrangements to determine the true nature of employment relationships. Such assessments, she said, would help resolve the long-standing tension between flexibility in the platform economy and adequate worker protection.

Beyond classification, Onah highlighted the growing influence of artificial intelligence and algorithmic management in shaping modern work arrangements, stressing the need for governance frameworks that ensure transparency, explainability and human oversight in automated decision-making systems.

She described the convention’s requirement for human involvement in key workplace decisions as one of its most significant provisions.

“The ‘human-in-the-loop’ provision may prove to be one of the most transformative aspects of the convention, particularly as algorithmic management becomes more prevalent,” she said.

Read also: Nigeria’s next generation of tech entrepreneurs targeted in EDC, Equinix skills development push

Expanding social protection beyond traditional employment

Onah further argued that social protection systems must evolve to accommodate non-traditional forms of work, stressing that access to pensions, healthcare, workplace injury protection and other employment benefits should no longer be tied exclusively to conventional employment models if platform workers are to enjoy meaningful protection.

For developing economies such as Nigeria, she emphasised the importance of extensive stakeholder engagement involving regulators, labour unions, platform companies, HR professionals and worker representatives. Such collaboration, she said, would help ensure that efforts to strengthen protections do not unintentionally stifle innovation, entrepreneurship or job creation.

“Ultimately, the success of Convention No. 193 will depend on achieving a delicate balance: preserving the flexibility and opportunities created by the platform economy while ensuring that technology does not erode fairness, dignity, inclusion and decent work standards,” Onah added.

The views of the experts underscore a common theme: while Convention No. 193 represents a significant milestone in recognising and protecting workers in the digital economy, its long-term impact will depend on practical implementation measures. From stronger reporting obligations and performance transparency in contracts to worker classification reforms, algorithmic accountability and expanded social protection systems, the convention’s success will be measured by how effectively its principles are translated into fairer and more secure outcomes for workers in an increasingly technology-driven labour market.