Publication Details
Title:
The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Global Business Services in Ghana & Rwanda
Details:
Abstract
In Ghana and Rwanda, Global Business Services (GBS) have become a beacon of hope in recent years for formal employment in growing export economies. However, the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) now changes the way many sectors work, foreshadowing a wave of automation. Since services that can be offshored tend to be those that can also be automated, global business services are expected to undergo drastic changes in the face of AI rollouts.
This study takes the global literature on AI disruption as the baseline and asks how potential GBS workers in Ghana and Rwanda can prepare to take advantage of the coming upheaval. Flanked by focus group discussions (n = 12) and key informant interviews (n = 23), we tested one particular method for AI preparedness: the day-long intensive workshop (Dell'Acqua et al., 2025). Conducting 14 AI workshops (six in Ghana, six in Rwanda, and two online) with a total of 279 GBS workers and trainees in February/March, we surveyed the participants three months later, in June 2025.
The survey probed for the perceived impact of our AI workshops, and we found the results to be surprisingly positive: of the participants who responded (n = 168), 70% reported that the workshop changed their AI usage "significantly" or "completely;" 69% reported that this saved them at least 5 working hours per week.
And over 80% felt they had since become "better" or "much better" (on 5-point Likert scales) at email writing, doing research, solving problems, creative work, and routine admin tasks. Only 22% had access to comparable AI trainings, and 90% advocated for a follow-up AI workshop.
This study situates these findings within the relevant literature, qualifies the results with the appropriate caveats, and provides policy recommendations for similar interventions in Ghana and Rwanda.