There are many reasons why you might want to consider taking up a remote job in Africa. Perhaps you’re looking for a change of pace, or you want to be closer to family or friends who live there. Maybe you’re simply drawn to the continent’s rich culture and diverse landscape.
Whatever your reasons, with the right skills and experience, you can find remote work opportunities in Africa that offer good pay and interesting work.
Some of the best remote work opportunities in Africa can be found in the following sectors:
- IT and software development
- Customer service and support
- Sales
- Digital marketing
- Computer programming
- SEO
- Copywriting
- Content marketing
- Transcription
- Graphic design
In our guide, you will gain the advantage you need to land the remote job of your dreams.
How do you find the best remote work opportunities in Africa?
Research your clients
First, consider what type of work you’re interested in. Do you want to work in a specific industry, or are you open to a variety of options? Once you have a general idea of the kind of work you’re looking for, you can start to research specific companies or organizations that might have openings. Below, we identify the top online marketplaces for remote jobs.
Sign up on the online remote marketplace
Remote marketplaces help you find the best matches for your jobs in Africa.
Some of the best online marketplaces include:
LinkedIn dominates the field in terms of the number of remote employment opportunities. We were able to find nearly 5,000 jobs by choosing “Africa” as our area, and using the distant filter, you can find jobs per location (country of choice). The best part is that, LinkedIn can automatically propose the most pertinent positions.
Give LinkedIn a shot, especially if you have an attractive profile that reflects your CV.
Indeed
Indeed, the most popular job search engine in the US, is also accessible in more than 60 other nations.
That said, Indeed features over 200,000 remote positions from businesses all around the world. It’s therefore, advisable to identify the employer’s preferred location before using the distant job filter to reduce the number of search results. In this manner, we were able to locate more than 1,000 remote jobs in Africa.
Glassdoor
Glassdoor, operates a job board with more than 160,000 listings that contain the phrase “remote jobs.” You should filter them by employer and location, just like with Indeed. This helps you save time from having to sort through offers from different parts of the world.
Bayt
Besides LinkedIn and Indeed, Bayt is an excellent spot to start your job search in Africa. Its 12 regional offices today provide services to over 27 million professionals.
To give you a sense of how many African job opportunities the website has to offer, Bayt now includes about 900 positions in Nairobi, roughly 3,000 jobs in Cairo, and 1,000 and 1200 jobs in Lagos and Cape Town, respectively. Simply select the “Work from Home Jobs” toggle to display only those that can be done remotely.
Also read: How to find remote-only tech jobs
Hone your skills in your area of expertise.
As a remote worker, you need to possess the necessary skills to excel in your area.
These include:
- Strong organizationsal and planning skills
- Written and spoken communication skills
- Email usage
- Microsoft, Google docs and Sheets knowledge
- Use of text-focused communication channels, e.g., Slack, Trello, Monday.com, etc.
- Self-motivation and focus
- Adaptability
- Problem-solving
Create a conducive working space for your remote work
Next, think about where in Africa you’d like to work. There are many different countries on the continent, each with its own unique culture and landscape. Consider what type of environment you’d be most comfortable in and look for remote work opportunities accordingly.
Network with freelancers in your field
The best place to network is through social media. Join freelancing communities on Facebook and subreddits on Reddit that relate to your industry.
Also, follow and engage seniors in your industry on Twitter. This way, you’ll create a good rapport with people who can connect you with jobs.
And as a matter of fact, most of them are hiring managers who need your services.
Finally, make sure you’re prepared to apply for and interview for remote jobs just as you would for any other job. This means having a strong, advanced CV and the necessary skills.