African remote jobs have redefined the economic landscape for Africans. Economic hardships have hit our beloved continent hard. Young and old – the majority of Africans are staring into a bleak future devoid of jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities. And the little opportunities that do exist offer meager salaries with little room for career advancement.
However, this is not limited to Africa but most parts of the world. But for Africans, there’s a window of opportunity that exists right now that offers us a chance to completely change the narrative.
What is it? African remote jobs and the internet in general. Currently, there’s a shift happening – people from developing countries are increasingly positioning themselves online.
The good news…
What do I mean? The majority of blogs I visit today are owned and run by Indians, Indians overwhelmingly create YouTube tutorials, the best software developers are increasingly coming from third-world countries, employers overseas are increasingly employing individuals in developing countries, and so on.
Why? These employers are waking up to the realization that workers from developing countries are just as skilled as those from their countries but cheaper.
A $2000 monthly salary will allow you to live like a king in Africa but it’s super cheap for the employer overseas. Starting an affiliate blog that might one day reach millions of people only requires a $60 investment and your time.
Same applies to a web app/mobile app that provides a service people around the world are willing to pay for.
You see, the playing field has been flattened and there’s absolutely no limit as to how far you can go.
Join a growing community of African remote workers helping each other figure out remote work.
Why You Should Get An African Remote Job
Below, we dive into the main reasons why you should consider getting an African remote job.
Access Global Opportunities
African remote jobs allow you to access opportunities from all over the world rather than being limited to those only in your country. A graphic designer can attract and work with clients from multiple countries like the US, UK, Italy, Singapore, the Netherlands, and more.
A finance/accounting professional, for example, can get a remote job in a European country that offers perks such as annual team meetups fully paid for by the company, home office setup allowance, health insurance, and more. In summary, Africans can access top-tier jobs without relocating to developed countries.
Earn in a strong currency
Most African remote jobs pay in USD or Euros. When you convert it to your local currency, the income is a lot more in terms of purchasing power. This helps greatly especially today with the rise of inflation. In addition, you’ll be able to purchase goods and services abroad on Amazon, eBay, and any other retailer overseas.
You can also invest in international markets and in different asset classes depending on your goals.
Barrier to Entry
The majority of African remote jobs have a low barrier to entry. Examples include online writing, web development, content creation on YouTube and TikTok, and more. By low barrier to entry, I mean the requirements and start-up costs are so low that almost anyone can afford to get started.
Furthermore, you can get all the education you need in a particular field for free on platforms such as YouTube and Google. And if you need mentors, you can look up people who are succeeding in what you’d like to do and follow their advice on social media.
Freelancing
Unlike African remote jobs where you commit to one full-time job, freelancing is a form of self-employment that allows you to work with multiple clients at a time. A freelancer earns money on a per-job basis.
As you can imagine, you can earn big if you have multiple clients. Furthermore, freelancers increase their rates almost every time they sign a new client. Meaning, that you can rapidly grow your income in a short time.
Freedom
One of the best perks of working remotely as an African is the freedom. Most of the time you choose the hours you want to work, and where you want to work, completely free from the confines of an office. Furthermore, in cases like freelancing, you’re free from office politics and hierarchy. You can narrow down and focus on satisfying your clients, building your brand, and growing your income.
If you have a family, you get to spend more time with them as compared to an office job. Have I mentioned the time and money saved on commuting? However, freedom also comes with downsides, such as lack of discipline and proper planning could lead to low productivity, which can affect your job.
Location
With an African remote job, you choose where you want to work from. Most people prefer adopting the digital nomad lifestyle. Briefly, a digital nomad travels the world while working. Whether it’s at a lodge in Maasai Mara, Kenya, a wine farm in Franschhoek, South Africa, or Flic en Flac beach in Mauritius, you’re free to choose where you’d like to work from at any given time.
Others prefer moving and settling in a city, town, or even country with a low cost of living to save up and invest for the future. Where you choose to live and work is entirely up to you based on your goals and preferences.
Access to Information
We live in the best of times when it comes to access of information. In the past, information was restricted to those who could afford it or to people based in developed countries. Now, thanks to the internet, you can get a Havard education in the comfort of your home in Lusaka, Harare, Kampala, or any other location for free as long as you have a computer and internet connection.
Basically, you can learn anything from scratch and become proficient in it at almost no cost to you. This democratization of information has opened up a world of opportunity for people around the world, especially those in developing countries. Africans are leveraging this information to equip themselves with skills that will help them transform their lives.
Level playing field
Thanks to the democratization of information anyone can become competent in a certain field regardless of their nation of origin. Furthermore, there’s no limit to what you can do. For example, if you’re are a freelancer, you can work with as many clients as you can manage without compromising quality, if you’re a blogger, you can own as many blogs in different niches, the same goes for YouTube channels, African remote jobs, and other opportunities online. On the internet, only you can limit yourself.
The world is your oyster
Unlike traditional brick-and-mortar businesses that have limited reach, online businesses have the potential to reach the whole planet. For example, if you were to start an e-commerce website, freelancing business, mobile app, blog, or YouTube channel, you could build an audience from around the world.
This greatly increases your earning potential from sales, ads, subscriptions, affiliate income, donations, sponsorships, and more.
Entrepreneurship
There are unlimited entrepreneurial opportunities online and the best part is they cost very little money to start. A brick-and-mortar business has incredibly high upfront costs such as rental space, stock, employees, utilities, and more.
With most online businesses, your biggest investment is your time. And even if it fails, you’ll most certainly have learned new skills and lessons that will help you succeed in your next venture. So you never really lose with the majority of online businesses if you’re willing to keep trying, learning, and investing the time.
How to Get Started With An African Remote Job
Below are step-by-step instructions on getting started with an African remote job.
1. Choose and learn a skill
The very first step to getting started is to identify an African remote job skill and master it. If you already have one, then you can transition to looking for a remote job. Otherwise, I recommend reading our article on The 12 Best Remote Job Skills for Africans for the best skills you should learn and the resources to learn them.
2. Be consistent
This is probably the hardest part for most people. If you’re just getting started, depending on the skill you want to learn, you should be willing to commit more than six months to learn it. If you have a job, you can carve out an hour each morning or evening, every day for learning.
Once you have picked a skill and the resources to help you learn it, you should stick to it religiously. Don’t pick one skill and drop it after a few months then pick another one. You’ll just be wasting time.
3. Willingness to learn
Depending on your skill, you should be willing to constantly learn new developments in your field to stay ahead. Software development, graphic design, data science, and other skills are constantly evolving. New tools and processes are always being developed to help you increase the quality of your work, speed of working, and more, hence why it’s important to keep up with them.
4. Join a community
Since you’ll be working from home, you’ll be isolated. Joining a community of like-minded people will help you cope with the challenges of African remote jobs. You’ll also grow a network of co-workers who will refer you to clients and remote jobs.
Join a growing community of African remote workers helping each other figure out remote work.
Conclusion: African Remote Jobs
African remote jobs offer numerous advantages that make them increasingly appealing in today’s global workforce. Firstly, they provide a level of flexibility that traditional office jobs often lack. With the ability to work from anywhere with an internet connection, professionals can tailor their work environment to suit their needs, leading to increased productivity and a healthier work-life balance.
Additionally, remote work opens up access to a global job market, allowing Africans to compete for positions with companies around the world without the need to relocate. This expands opportunities for career growth and exposure to diverse work cultures and practices.