There is an acute shortage of jobs in most African countries. This has led to rampant unemployment to the point of despair for most Africans. To make it worse, every year college graduates enter the market to compete for the same opportunities. Besides unemployment, there are massive job cuts that have left experienced workers with no choice but to apply for the same jobs as less experienced job seekers.
But all is not lost! Thanks to remote working, you can open up the world and expose yourself to new opportunities. For example, in 2020 I lost my job due to COVID, instead of giving up I turned to Google in search of online jobs. In my search, I discovered content writing, also known as content marketing. This was a perfect fit for me since I’m a marketer interested in writing.
Long story short I developed my skill until I started getting clients. Today, content marketing is my bread and butter. So buckle up and let us dig into the best remote job skills for Africans.
How to Choose a Skill
Before we get to the actual list of skills, let’s first discuss factors to consider when choosing the right skill for you.
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1. Experience
Suppose you’re already experienced in a certain field such as finance, software development, marketing, graphic design, and more. In that case, it’s a good idea to continue developing that skill while searching for the latest remote jobs for Africans.
If you’re ambitious enough, you can skill-stack your current skill with a new one to widen your scope and increase your chances of landing a remote job in Africa. For example, if you’re a graphic designer, you can dip your toes in front-end web development or WordPress Development. Just make sure the skills are interconnected and complement each other.
2. Interest
If you don’t have a developed expertise, don’t worry! Thankfully, we live in the age of YouTube, Udemy, Coursera, and many other learning platforms where you can learn a skill from scratch. That said, you need to go through the list below and decide which one stands out for you. Are you or have you ever been interested in writing or computer programming or any other skill listed here?
Wherever your interest lies, go with it. Just make sure you’re willing to learn and commit to it in the long term. Over time, the interest will evolve into passion – but only if you consistently learn and develop the skill.
3. Demand
At the end of the day, you want a skill that will earn you a living. This means the remote job skill has to have high demand. This is one of the reasons why I went with writing. Any established website on the internet needs a writer to communicate its offering to potential users.
As a result, there’s a high demand for writers for different niches such as technology, law, real estate, fashion, finance, and many more.
4. Learning Curve
Another crucial factor to consider is how long it will take you to learn the skill to a point where you can start reaching out to clients. Some skills take longer to learn than others. For example, Cybersecurity is one of the most lucrative remote job skills for Africans. However, it has a steep learning curve and requires investment in certificates required by employers.
On the other hand, graphic design and writing are easier to learn but have a lot of competition. It’s important to seriously consider the pros and cons of a remote job skill before committing.
The Best Remote Job Skills For Africans
Below, we dive into the best remote job skills for Africans. We also include their approximate salary and best beginner courses to help you get started. Let’s dive in!
1. Writing
In my experience, writing is one of the most in-demand and (can be) the most lucrative remote job skills for Africans. It has a low barrier of entry since the majority of Africans speak and write good English.
So if you were good at and enjoyed writing compositions in school, and you enjoy research and going down rabbit holes, you should consider writing remote jobs for Africans.
As a freelance writer, you can work with multiple clients and the starting rate for a complete beginner is $0.05 per word.
To get started in writing online, I recommend watching videos by Income School on YouTube and reading blogs such as Moz blog’s Beginner’s Guide to SEO and Ahrefs’ General SEO Blog.
2. Virtual Assistant
Put simply, a virtual assistant is a remote assistant that handles a wide range of administrative tasks for busy clients such as entrepreneurs. The tasks include handling emails, bookkeeping, data entry and transcription, social media management, booking meetings and calendar management, and more.
A virtual assistant should keep time, be well organized, and pay attention to detail. Above all, a good virtual assistant should be capable of juggling multiple tasks. If you fit the bill you can apply for remote virtual assistant jobs for Africans.
According to Upwork virtual assistants earn between $18 – $35 per hour.
3. Web Development
Websites are the backbone of the internet. This translates to a high demand for professionals who can develop them. In addition, web development opens doors to entrepreneurship through agencies that offer web development services or developing web applications that offer Software as a Service (SaaS).
For example, it’s mind-boggling to think SaaS developers such as levelsio make hundreds of thousands of dollars monthly from their web apps without employees.
Web development can be categorized into:
- Front-end web developer: Creates and designs a website’s user interface and user experience.
- Back-end web developer: Responsible for developing the server side of the website that powers the logic behind the scenes.
- Full-stack web developer: Designs and develops both the back-end and front-end of websites.
The best resources for beginners to learn web development that I’ve come across are freeCodeCamp on Youtube and Traversy media.
Web development is one of the most lucrative remote careers for Africans. According to ZipRecruiter, a Junior Web Developer earns over $6,000/ month.
4. Data Analyst
A Data Analyst turns raw data into meaningful insights that can be used to influence decisions. You’ll be expected to have multiple skills such as analytical, numerical, data analysis, and programming skills.
Data Analytics course by Coursera is the best course I’ve come across for learning Data Analytics. In recent years, demand for Data Analytics professionals has exploded thanks to the growing amount of generated data.
A remote African Junior Data Analyst’s salary starts at $4,000 according to Built In.
5. Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity professionals defend networks, electronic devices, systems, and programs from malicious attacks. For this reason, cybersecurity has a steep learning curve and requires proficiency in a wide range of skills including programming, penetration testing, operating systems, cloud security, incident response, and more.
If you get through the learning curve, you’ll be rewarded with a lucrative cybersecurity career and multiple job options. A cybersecurity analyst’s salary starts at $5-8K per month. In terms of learning resources, I recommend Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate.
6. Social Media Management
Social media management refers to the process of creating, scheduling, and publishing content on various social media platforms.
Your duty will be to analyze engagement metrics, respond to followers, develop social media strategies, and more.
Remote social media managers in Africa are in high demand and are mostly well compensated due to the demanding nature of their jobs. Social Media Managers can make $50-60K per year.
7. Copywriting
A copywriter writes text used in promotional materials to convert the target audience. Here are some great examples of copywriting to understand what it’s all about.
As a marketer and writer, I’ve dipped my toes in copywriting regularly using the following resources: The Boron Letters by Gary Halbert, The Copywriter’s Handbook by Bob Bly, and Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy.
Copywriters write copy for cold emails, websites, ads, videos, and much more. So there’s a high demand for good copywriters including remote African copywriters. Depending on skill level, copywriters can earn between $15/hr – $100/hr and can work with multiple clients at a time.
8. Graphic Design
Graphic designers create meaningful and functional visuals. These visuals include logos, icons, templates, banners, and other visual materials.
Graphic design is versatile and professionals can work in various industries. African graphic designers can work remotely with individual clients, agencies, and companies. This makes it one of the top remote job skills for Africans.
A remote African graphic designer can earn $8/hr in entry-level positions. However, the amount can significantly increase with experience and the number of clients you work with.
9. Product Management
Product management refers to the process of developing, launching, and managing a product or service.
A remote product manager’s duties consist of conducting research, developing strategy, coordinating product development, and more.
Product management jobs are popular on our remote product management jobs for Africans board. Good product managers are highly sought after by companies and are well compensated.
10. Customer Support
The majority of companies out there need customer support agents to help customers solve their problems. The agents support customers through calls, emails, social media, and chat. This makes it a good remote skill for Africans.
Customer service jobs are in high demand. Luckily, the jobs are also in plenty. Entry-level remote African customer service agents can earn a minimum of $5/hr.
11. SEO Specialist
An SEO (Search Engine Optimization) specialist develops and implements website optimization strategies that aim to increase traffic and engagement. Content marketers and writers require SEO knowledge to raise their articles’ rankings on Google.
Another example is SEO Specialists optimizing local business websites so they can appear at the top of Google for certain keywords. The resources recommended for learning online writing above apply to SEO as well. You can take a look at our remote SEO jobs for Africans listings for the latest SEO jobs.
12. WordPress Development
WordPress is free and open-source software that allows users to create websites without coding. For example, I made this website using WordPress. According to WPZoom, WordPress powers 43% of the internet’s websites.
For this reason, there’s a high demand for remote African WordPress developers who can develop websites from scratch, create WordPress themes and plugins, and offer technical support in case something breaks.
In my experience researching remote jobs, I’ve noticed the demand for WordPress developers is quite high but the supply doesn’t quite match. I’m learning WordPress development using Become a WordPress Developer: Unlock Power With Code, and I highly recommend it.
The Best Platforms For Africans to Learn Remote Skills
Picking a skill is the easy part; however, learning and developing a skill is a whole other ball game. It requires patience, consistency, and hard work.
Here are the best platforms for Africans to learn remote skills based on my experience and research.
1. YouTube
YouTube allows anyone to create videos and share them on the platform. It has led experts to pass their knowledge to beginners. Some of the best courses on web development, SEO, and WordPress that I’ve come across are on YouTube.
The best part is it’s all free of charge.
2. Udemy
Udemy is a fantastic website for courses. I’ve learned web development and WordPress development from scratch on Udemy with no regrets. The best part is the courses were only $10.
Udemy has super high-quality courses for almost any topic you can imagine. From cooking to cybersecurity, Udemy has them all. To pick the best course, make sure it has positive ratings and reviews before you purchase.
2. Coursera
Coursera has courses from top universities around the world and offers certifications upon completion of a course at a fee. The courses are of high quality and cover almost any profession you can think of.
In the end, even with the best courses available to everyone, it’s up to you to do the work and be consistent. Don’t get caught up in tutorial hell with no end in sight. Build projects while learning instead of learning passively.
Conclusion: Top Remote Job Skills For Africans
There is no particular skill that’s better than the other. Any skill can be super lucrative depending on how much work you put into it. Luckily, we live in the age of the internet which has democratized information. You can learn almost any skill from scratch at almost no cost using platforms such as YouTube, Udemy, and Coursera.
It all depends on how hard you’re willing to work to master the skill. In the end, I’ve seen writing, web development, product management, and other skills mentioned on this list completely transform the lives of Africans including my own.