How the development job market in Africa shifted in 2025

Africa, like all regions, saw significant development job cuts in 2025. According to Devex’s job board data, opportunities are down 33% in the region. This includes full-time staff positions — down 30% — and long-term consulting assignments, which have dropped by 48%, as well as field assignments and short-term gigs. Funding cuts are the biggest external factor impacting the development job market in Africa this year, according to Adebayo Olowo-Ake, director and principal research fellow at the African Resource Development Centre based in Lagos, Nigeria. These cuts started back in 2024, he wrote in an email to Devex, but were intensified with the decision by the United States to significantly decrease USAID operations. “Although African development NGOs are not publishing figures yet, it’s expected that there has been an almost 10% reduction in Development Assistance (ODA) by the major foreign donor agencies,” wrote Olowo-Ake, adding that some forecasts indicate a decline of up to 25% in official development assistance this year. As a result, there has been “cautious engagement and programming” from African NGOs, he said. And, while some development agencies that are largely domestically funded have been able to keep momentum, “this is not representative of the ecosystem of development agencies.” But there is some cause for optimism, according to the experts Devex spoke to. “Africa’s recruitment landscape is shifting ... not just in volume, but in [demand for] capability and leadership depth,” said Janaina Tavares, global head of people and culture at ActionAid International. Jamie Adams, a managing consultant with CA Global, a staffing agency that specializes in recruitment in Africa, sees the development job market in the region becoming more strategic, capital-driven, and digitally enabled. “The traditional boundaries between development and commercial finance have blurred, as DFIs, blended finance vehicles, and private investors now compete for the same pool of professionals who can structure bankable transactions, mobilise capital, and deliver measurable impact,” he told Devex in an email. Devex looks at how these shifts have played out in the development job market this year. Locally led development: From rhetoric to action Where there is hiring, there is a growing demand for local expertise, according to the experts. “The localization agenda is taking root,” said Angela Muchiru, group human capital director at Amref Health Africa. The focus is shifting away from international NGOs, and partners are increasingly interested in local groups who “understand the pain of the community [and] who are able to curate programs that are not only meeting the [immediate] need but are sustainable into the future.” Adams also sees the locally led development agenda finally “moving from principle to practice” and the recruitment landscape reflecting this. Development finance institutions, impact funds, and trade institutions are no longer limiting local professionals to execution roles, he said, but are now appointing African leaders into strategic, decision-making positions across investment, risk, and advisory functions. As a result of this shift, professionals with strong regional experience in areas such as project structuring, stakeholder engagement, or capital raising are in exceptionally high demand, Adams said. There’s also a push to bring diaspora talent back to the continent. “Many African professionals who studied or worked at top international institutions are now returning home, bringing with them global best practices, networks, and exposure to advanced financial and development systems,” Adams wrote. Not only is this offering organizations an opportunity to blend local insight with international expertise, but it’s also resulting in a more dynamic and competitive market, he added. New talent hubs are emerging Nairobi, where a handful of United Nations agencies are already based, remains a development hub for the African region, according to several of the experts. Amref Health Africa is seeing more hiring there, alongside a growing demand for new skills in Ethiopia and Tanzania. New projects, primarily inside reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health, or RMNCH, and a growing WASH — water, sanitation, and hygiene — portfolio, are driving the new hiring, Muchiru said. ActionAid International expects continued growth in Johannesburg, home to its headquarters since 2003 and the center of its leadership, finance, and governance functions, Tavares explained. But new talent hubs are also emerging across the continent, she said, pointing to Nigeria, Rwanda, and Morocco. “These markets [are] reflecting where skills, systems, and strategic capacity are converging, and they’re not just sources of talent — they’re becoming the drivers of the continent’s future workforce transformation,” she said. In Nigeria, the rapidly evolving job market is driven by youth demographics, tech innovation, and entrepreneurial capacity, while Rwanda's investment in governance, digital infrastructure, and professional education has made it a stable recruitment climate, Tavares said. Meanwhile, Morocco, which acts as a gateway linking Europe, Africa, and the Middle East and North Africa region, shows growing opportunities in the communications and sustainability sectors. Climate and infrastructure among African priorities driving jobs Based on Devex’s job postings, jobs in global health have almost halved this year. Sexual and reproductive health and rights, or SRHR, was hit particularly hard by the funding cuts, forcing the withdrawal of many organizations working in this area, Muchiru said. There are new partners interested in supporting this work, but “their funding envelopes cannot be compared with USAID,” she added. Going forward, while Amref Health Africa will continue to prioritize strengthening primary health care, particularly RMNCH, as well as disease prevention, climate health will be an area of expansion, Muchiru said. There will be demand for people working at the intersection of health and climate and who have expertise in carbon footprints, alongside advocacy professionals who can make the case for investment in climate health, she explained. According to Adams, the climate and energy transition agenda are key factors driving the region’s development job market, with institutions “seeking talent that can translate climate ambitions into investable, de-risked projects.” Since 2023, initiatives such as the Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa and various “just energy” transition programs have accelerated the need for professionals with expertise in renewable energy, project finance, and sustainability-linked instruments, he explained. Adams is also seeing a surge in hiring around infrastructure — including roles focused on project preparation, sourcing, and structuring bankable projects, particularly in energy, transport, and logistics. Meanwhile, the push for intra-African trade is also transforming the sector and reinforcing the need for professionals in trade finance, supply chain management, and manufacturing. There’s a huge demand for AI and digital skills Digitization has become central to Africa’s growth story, Adams said. As a result, he sees a high demand for professionals with experience in cross-border settlements, mobile money solutions, and fintech sales. In Nigeria, Olowo-Ake has also seen significant job growth this year in fintech, a trend he expects to continue. Elsewhere, artificial intelligence is impacting operations and the profiles that organizations need. “We are seeing a growing demand for professionals with digital literacy, data-driven insights, and the ability to apply technology ethically and effectively,” Tavares said. Muchiru expects AI-related roles to increase within the organization in the coming years. While still in the early stages of harnessing these tools, the organization is interested in how AI augmentation and tools could support community health workers with data reporting, allowing them to focus instead on outreach, relationship building, and data interpretation. Funding and geopolitical shifts have undoubtedly hurt development hiring in Africa this year — and many organizations will continue to struggle with resource constraints in 2026. But as existing players adopt different approaches, mainly around localization and digital technology, and new partners emerge in the sector, Africa’s development professionals are likely to find opportunities cropping up in growing hubs across the region.